Fund-vs-fund · Diversified
Lifetime Retirement Income Fund vs Pathfinder Ethical Growth Fund
Both are Diversified funds available to NZ retail investors. Numbers below are sourced from the FMA Disclose register via Sorted Smart Investor and reflect the latest published quarterly fund updates.
What's different at a glance
- Pathfinder Ethical Growth Fund charges 0.05% lower in annual fund charges (1.31% vs 1.36%).
- Both are New Zealand PIE funds — investor tax is capped at the Prescribed Investor Rate (PIR), maximum 28%.
- Pathfinder Ethical Growth Fund applies responsible-investment / ESG screening. The other fund does not.
Where each fund sits in its cohort
Percentile rank vs all 67 diversified funds we've matched on Sorted Smart Investor. Mechanical only — no opinion, no forward-looking view.
Annual fund charge
Lower is better
Lifetime
1.36%
Highest 11% of cohort
Pathfinder
1.31%
Highest 22% of cohort
5-year return p.a.
Past performance — not a predictor
Lifetime
—
—
Pathfinder
4.82%
Top 23% over 5 years
Fund size
Larger = more stable, lower close-risk
Lifetime
NZ$115m
Upper half by size
Pathfinder
NZ$98m
Upper half by size
| Metric | Lifetime | Pathfinder | Lower / higher is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual fund charge | 1.36% | 1.31% | Lower is better |
| Risk indicator (1–7) | 4 | 4 | Higher = more volatility |
| 5-year return p.a. | — | 4.82% | Higher is better (past not future) |
| Fund size | NZ$115m | NZ$98m | Larger = more stable, lower close-risk |
| Growth / income split | 53% / 47% | 78% / 22% | More growth = higher long-run return + volatility |
| NZ tax structure | PIE (PIR-capped) | PIE (PIR-capped) | PIE = simpler. FIF = annual return. |
| Currency hedging | — | — | Hedged smooths NZD/foreign FX moves at a small cost. |
| Responsible investment screening | No | Yes | Specific exclusions live in each fund's SIPO. |
| Available via | Direct | Direct | Platforms accepting retail subscriptions. |
Portfolio overlap
How many top-10 positions both funds hold, and at what weight. Computed from each fund's most recently disclosed top-10 holdings — exact-name matched (Microsoft Corp. = Microsoft Corporation), with a Cash / Cash & Equivalents collapse rule.
Matching holdings
1
of each fund's top 10
Lifetime weight in shared
7.5%
of Lifetime Retirement Income Fund top 10 is shared
Pathfinder weight in shared
6.0%
of Pathfinder Ethical Growth Fund top 10 is shared
| Holding | Lifetime | Pathfinder |
|---|---|---|
| $ Cash at Bank NZ | 7.51% | 6.02% |
"Min weight" = the smaller of the two weights — a conservative read of how much exposure you'd have to that position if you held both funds.
What each fund says it does
Lifetime
Lifetime Retirement Income Fund
Managed investment fund designed to turn your retirement savings into a variable retirement income.Full Lifetime Lifetime Retirement Income Fund profile →
Pathfinder
Pathfinder Ethical Growth Fund
An ethical portfolio invested in growth and income assets.Full Pathfinder Pathfinder Ethical Growth Fund profile →
Documents
Crawled directly from each manager's website. How we record provenance →
Lifetime
Pathfinder
LiveLast verified 2026-05-08
- Supporting document490 kB · file fingerprint recorded
- Supporting document5160 kB · file fingerprint recorded
- Supporting document6356 kB · file fingerprint recorded
- Supporting document11086 kB · file fingerprint recorded
- Supporting document13994 kB · file fingerprint recorded
- Supporting document11709 kB · file fingerprint recorded
- + 9 more on the fund page
Common questions
What's the difference between the Lifetime Retirement Income Fund and the Pathfinder Ethical Growth Fund?
Which fund has lower fees, Lifetime Retirement Income Fund or Pathfinder Ethical Growth Fund?
Are both funds PIE-taxed in NZ?
Does either fund apply responsible-investment screening?
Where can I read the official documents for these funds?
