ETFs to consider (via IBKR)

[BBCWatcher]

no point going for a strategy/investment in a sunset industry but with low TER vs a high growth strategy/investment with a higher TER.

Global stock index funds don’t second guess sectors or geographies. If a sector is “sunset,” it’ll fall out. If it’s “sunrise,” it’ll fall in. Automatically.

Not to forget that fund size do matter if you want a "fire-and-forget" investment plan. I've had an ETF close on me last year - Direxion Moonshot Innovators ETF (nysearca:MOON).

MOON has (had?) a high expense ratio, faces a 30% dividend withholding tax, and is U.S. estate taxable. Those headwinds are much, much more consequential than a (temporary?) 7 basis point expense ratio difference.

 

[Lao_Tiko]

ACWD is by State Street though, highly unlikely to close.


My strategy is just to hold for a long term e.g 15 years or so, etc.

Thus i picked VWRA earlier back and invest 150k + in cash.



Am now looking into other ETFs with a lower TER e.g ACWD, etc. that can give higher potential returns, and i just continue my current strategy of holding it over the long-term.

I think others have said up-thread, if two ETFs are physically replicating (not talking about synthetically derived) the exact same index, pick the lower TER ceteris paribus.

I think TER is a holdover from the days of mutual funds or unit trust where high TER cripple your returns. It still is an important metric but not the only one.

 

[Lao_Tiko]

Global stock index funds don’t second guess sectors or geographies. If a sector is “sunset,” it’ll fall out. If it’s “sunrise,” it’ll fall in. Automatically.

MOON has a high expense ratio, is whacked with a 30% dividend withholding tax, and is U.S. estate taxable. Those headwinds are much, much more consequential than a (temporary?) 7 basis point expense ratio difference.

Yup, those were my days of collecting pokemon cards like limster and yeah got rid of my "sexy" ETFs like ARKK too

These days my mantra is "slow is smooth, smooth is fast"

 

[krikering]

I think others have said up-thread, if two ETFs are physically replicating (not talking about synthetically derived) the exact same index, pick the lower TER ceteris paribus.

I think TER is a holdover from the days of mutual funds or unit trust where high TER cripple your returns. It still is an important metric but not the only one.

Yep appreciate the input, I would most likely keep my VWRA holdings.

And then few months later, buy ACWD ETFs.



Because ACWD have a lower TER than VWRA, thus am expecting higher potential returns over the long-run (10 Years or more).

 

[reddevil0728]

Yep appreciate the input, I would most likely keep my VWRA holdings.

And then few months later, buy ACWD ETFs.



Because ACWD have a lower TER than VWRA, thus am expecting higher potential returns over the long-run (10 Years or more).

Not sure why your obsession over TER when it shouldn’t be the primary focus when you are deciding the first step

 

[krikering]

Not sure why your obsession over TER when it shouldn’t be the primary focus when you are deciding the first step

As mentioned, I already have 150K + in VWRA via IBKR.


My Main focus is to choose Another ETF with higher potential returns than VWRA, options now are:

1.) IMID

2.) WEBN

3.) ACWD

4.) FWRA

5.) CSPX

At a Glance Comparison

Feature	CSPX	WEBN	ACWD (SPYY)	IMID
Index	S&P 500	Solactive GDM+EM	MSCI ACWI	MSCI ACWI IMI
Scope	US Large Cap	Global (DM+EM)	Global (DM+EM)	Global (Incl. Small Cap)
Holdings	~500 (Large)	~3,000+	~2,500+	~8,000+
TER (Fee)	0.07%	0.07%	0.12%	~0.17%
Liquidity	Very High	Low (New)	Moderate	Low
Risk	High (US Concentrated)	Moderate (Diversified)	Moderate (Diversified)	Moderate (Small Cap)

---

Detailed Breakdown (via Google Gemini)

1. CSPX (iShares Core S&P 500 UCITS ETF)

• Best for: US-focused growth and high liquidity.
• Pros: Extremely low expense ratio (0.07%), massive fund size ($107B+), and high liquidity. It provides 100% exposure to the largest US companies.
• Cons: Concentrated in one country/region.
• Alternative: VUAA (Vanguard) is similar but better for fractional trading on some platforms.

2. WEBN (Amundi Prime All Country World UCITS ETF)

• Best for: Lowest cost global diversification.
• Pros: Very low TER (0.07%), tracks a broad index covering developed and emerging markets, similar to MSCI ACWI. It is considered a strong, cheaper alternative to VWRA.
• Cons: Newer, lower volume/liquidity compared to industry giants, and follows Solactive rather than the more common MSCI/FTSE indices.

3. ACWD / SPYY (SPDR MSCI ACWI IMI UCITS ETF - Note: ACWD usually refers to ACWI, sometimes confused with SPYY)

• Best for: Balanced global coverage with better liquidity than WEBN.
• Pros: Tracks the MSCI ACWI (similar to VWRA), covering over 2,500+ companies across developed and emerging markets. Lower TER (0.12%) than Vanguard's VWRA.
• Cons: Higher expense ratio than WEBN (0.07%).

4. IMID (SPDR MSCI ACWI IMI UCITS ETF)

• Best for: Maximum diversification (Small Cap inclusion).
• Pros: Tracks the MSCI ACWI IMI, meaning it includes Large, Mid, and Small Cap companies (8,000+ holdings).
• Cons: Lower liquidity/volume and higher volatility due to small-cap exposure.

---

Key Takeaways for Decision Making

• If you want US-only: CSPX (or VUAA) is the standard choice.
• If you want lowest cost Global: WEBN is currently the cheapest (~0.07% TER).
• If you want a balance of Global + Liquidity: ACWD or similar MSCI ACWI trackers.
• If you want "Everything" (including Small Caps): IMID is the most comprehensive.

Important Context: For Singapore/EU investors, all these are typically bought on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) via brokers like Interactive Brokers (IBKR) to minimize fees. A 50-50 split between CSPX and a global fund is a common strategy to maintain high US exposure while having global coverage.



Not that am obsessing over it, but just that am researching on my own thus hope to perhaps have a discussion with fellow posters on which ETFs amongst the 5 choices above (or if got others to recommend, kindly please do feel free to do so) that have the highest potential chances to surpass VWRA in potential earnings over a long-term horizon (e.g 15 Years or more).

*(I am a long-term trader, that does Not like to spend too much time on monitoring prices, etc. but rather wish to just invest an amount to hold over the long-term)


Of course, am aware that historical performances are not 100% accurate when it comes to predicting future performances and that no one can time the money.

But just to hope to discuss with everyone, and each person can provide their own insights so that each of us can help each to potentially learn more too.

 

[krikering]

That’s your goal. Your goal is to hold for the long term.

but what’s your strategy to get there?

your strategy to get there is not based off just a low TER right?

Like I asked, you prefer low TER but negative returns.

or higher TER but much higher returns?

Either way is fine, at the end of the day is to maximize returns.

Thing is, having a low TER would factor into the earnings potential over the long-term as they would eat into your long-term profits?

 

[reddevil0728]

As mentioned, I already have 150K + in VWRA via IBKR.


My Main focus is to choose Another ETF with higher potential returns than VWRA, options now are:

1.) IMID

2.) WEBN

3.) ACWD

4.) FWRA

5.) CSPX

At a Glance Comparison

Feature	CSPX	WEBN	ACWD (SPYY)	IMID
Index	S&P 500	Solactive GDM+EM	MSCI ACWI	MSCI ACWI IMI
Scope	US Large Cap	Global (DM+EM)	Global (DM+EM)	Global (Incl. Small Cap)
Holdings	~500 (Large)	~3,000+	~2,500+	~8,000+
TER (Fee)	0.07%	0.07%	0.12%	~0.17%
Liquidity	Very High	Low (New)	Moderate	Low
Risk	High (US Concentrated)	Moderate (Diversified)	Moderate (Diversified)	Moderate (Small Cap)

---

Detailed Breakdown (via Google Gemini)

1. CSPX (iShares Core S&P 500 UCITS ETF)

• Best for: US-focused growth and high liquidity.
• Pros: Extremely low expense ratio (0.07%), massive fund size ($107B+), and high liquidity. It provides 100% exposure to the largest US companies.
• Cons: Concentrated in one country/region.
• Alternative: VUAA (Vanguard) is similar but better for fractional trading on some platforms.

2. WEBN (Amundi Prime All Country World UCITS ETF)

• Best for: Lowest cost global diversification.
• Pros: Very low TER (0.07%), tracks a broad index covering developed and emerging markets, similar to MSCI ACWI. It is considered a strong, cheaper alternative to VWRA.
• Cons: Newer, lower volume/liquidity compared to industry giants, and follows Solactive rather than the more common MSCI/FTSE indices.

3. ACWD / SPYY (SPDR MSCI ACWI IMI UCITS ETF - Note: ACWD usually refers to ACWI, sometimes confused with SPYY)

• Best for: Balanced global coverage with better liquidity than WEBN.
• Pros: Tracks the MSCI ACWI (similar to VWRA), covering over 2,500+ companies across developed and emerging markets. Lower TER (0.12%) than Vanguard's VWRA.
• Cons: Higher expense ratio than WEBN (0.07%).

4. IMID (SPDR MSCI ACWI IMI UCITS ETF)

• Best for: Maximum diversification (Small Cap inclusion).
• Pros: Tracks the MSCI ACWI IMI, meaning it includes Large, Mid, and Small Cap companies (8,000+ holdings).
• Cons: Lower liquidity/volume and higher volatility due to small-cap exposure.

---

Key Takeaways for Decision Making

• If you want US-only: CSPX (or VUAA) is the standard choice.
• If you want lowest cost Global: WEBN is currently the cheapest (~0.07% TER).
• If you want a balance of Global + Liquidity: ACWD or similar MSCI ACWI trackers.
• If you want "Everything" (including Small Caps): IMID is the most comprehensive.

Important Context: For Singapore/EU investors, all these are typically bought on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) via brokers like Interactive Brokers (IBKR) to minimize fees. A 50-50 split between CSPX and a global fund is a common strategy to maintain high US exposure while having global coverage.



Not that am obsessing over it, but just that am researching on my own thus hope to perhaps have a discussion with fellow posters on which ETFs amongst the 5 choices above (or if got others to recommend, kindly please do feel free to do so) that have the highest potential chances to surpass VWRA in potential earnings over a long-term horizon (e.g 15 Years or more).

*(I am a long-term trader, that does Not like to spend too much time on monitoring prices, etc. but rather wish to just invest an amount to hold over the long-term)


Of course, am aware that historical performances are not 100% accurate when it comes to predicting future performances and that no one can time the money.

But just to hope to discuss with everyone, and each person can provide their own insights so that each of us can help each to potentially learn more too.

Ok so you do agree that TER is more of a tie breaker for the same type of investment and not a criteria?

 

[reddevil0728]

Either way is fine, at the end of the day is to maximize returns.

Thing is, having a low TER would factor into the earnings potential over the long-term as they would eat into your long-term profits?

Like I asked

a sunset industry etf with damn low ter

vs a sunrise industry ETF with higher ter.

will ter be the focus here at all?

 

[krikering]

Ok so you do agree that TER is more of a tie breaker for the same type of investment and not a criteria?

Yep, for example IMID has a similar kind of investment strategy with VWRA but a lower TER.


ACWD also similar in a sense but that they track slightly lesser entities than VWRA but lower TER might make up for the lesser entities being tracked.

 

[reddevil0728]

Yep, for example IMID has a similar kind of investment strategy with VWRA but a lower TER.


ACWD also similar in a sense but that they track slightly lesser entities than VWRA but lower TER might make up for the lesser entities being tracked.

that's fair. but when you initially start compare CSPX with VWRA or whatever and talk about TER is like???

 

[Shiny Things]

My Main focus is to choose Another ETF with higher potential returns than VWRA

Mate, I gotta admit, this is getting a bit exhausting. You've had multiple people tell you "you're overthinking this", and you keep arguing with us.

Here's the deal:
* Yes, ACWD will in theory deliver slightly higher returns than VWRA over the long term, because it's got a slightly lower expense ratio. You're right about that.
* Does it matter that much? Not really. 5bps is a tiny margin, and it's likely Vanguard will cut their TER in future to be in line with ACWD, because Vanguard loves cost-cutting.
* The other ETFs you found - CSPX, IMID - are not good comparisons for VWRA because they're not direct matches.

Go buy ACWD. It's fine, it's a good choice, we won't disagree with you if you buy it.

 

[CrashWire]

Reposting my post in EDMW here

https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/...ur-s-p-500-etf-options.7184091/post-158366032

Can the gurus advise the following: -

Are both SLV and IAU ETFs or just stocks?

What is the meaning of expense ratio? I cant seem to find any fees in my Trust a/c.

I don't know why you posted your own question here, but then again the TS opened a new thread on a topic that was just discussed in both ST's and BBCW's threads last week. So let me digress and restate why US ETFs are a bad idea in general:

Both SLV and IAU ETFs are bad for long term hold. If you die, your estate will be subject to up to 40% estate tax (e.g. on $1m, around $322.4k is payable to the US IRS).

NTUC Trust Bank is doing Singaporeans a disservice by suggesting that Singapore residents invest in US-domiciled ETFs for the long term.

ACWD is by State Street though, highly unlikely to close.

State Street will close 4 ETFs soon:

https://investors.statestreet.com/i...-Announces-Changes-to-ETF-Lineup/default.aspx

But I guess they are the unpopular ones?

 

[HoGnix]

Need ask Guru here, on SCB trading platform, two VWRA shares are listed, I should buy VWRA.CH or VWRA.GB?
Similary, there are three CSPX listed. CSPX.NL, CSPX.GB and CSPXJ.CH, which one I should choose?
I do not want to invest in IBKR, I am afread if something happened to me, the account may be lost.

 

[BBCWatcher]

Need ask Guru here, on SCB trading platform, two VWRA shares are listed, I should buy VWRA.CH or VWRA.GB?
Similary, there are three CSPX listed. CSPX.NL, CSPX.GB and CSPXJ.CH, which one I should choose?

"GB" refers to the London Stock Exchange, and that's probably what you want.

You should not choose any CSPX listing. Unless perhaps you plan to retire in the United States or in a country that uses the U.S. dollar (or a currency firmly pegged to the U.S. dollar). VWRA already includes a huge percentage of stocks listed/traded on U.S. exchanges.

I do not want to invest in IBKR, I am afread if something happened to me, the account may be lost.

Huh? Why would Standard Chartered and Interactive Brokers be any different? Literally all of their account holders die eventually. Do you seriously believe a larger broker (Interactive Brokers is larger!) doesn't know how to handle probate matters?

 

[HoGnix]

"GB" refers to the London Stock Exchange, and that's probably what you want.

You should not choose any CSPX listing. Unless perhaps you plan to retire in the United States or in a country that uses the U.S. dollar (or a currency firmly pegged to the U.S. dollar). VWRA already includes a huge percentage of stocks listed/traded on U.S. exchanges.

Huh? Why would Standard Chartered and Interactive Brokers be any different? Literally all of their account holders die eventually. Do you seriously believe a larger broker (Interactive Brokers is larger!) doesn't know how to handle probate matters?

Thanks for clear my doubt.

The problem is if touch wood the account holder die suddenly, the IBKR holder's kids may not know their parent has IBKR account, but SCB is well known, so they may go check. haha.

 

[reddevil0728]

Thanks for clear my doubt.

The problem is if touch wood the account holder die suddenly, the IBKR holder's kids may not know their parent has IBKR account, but SCB is well known, so they may go check. haha.

SCB can be well known but if the parent never tell the kids they got SCB account, why will the kid go look there?

IBKR can be kacang puteh (it’s not) but if the parent tell the kid they got account there, they wouldn’t go look for it, but just go around knocking on doors that they don’t know if their parents got account there???

seems more like a user issue?

 

[HoGnix]

SCB can be well known but if the parent never tell the kids they got SCB account, why will the kid go look there?

IBKR can be kacang puteh (it’s not) but if the parent tell the kid they got account there, they wouldn’t go look for it, but just go around knocking on doors that they don’t know if their parents got account there???

seems more like a user issue?

You have valid reason, but for my case, I have a joint account with my kid in SCB, so definitely my kid will not missed out.

 

[highsulphur]

You have valid reason, but for my case, I have a joint account with my kid in SCB, so definitely my kid will not missed out.

It doesn't seem like a valid reason for me but whatever suits you

 

[reddevil0728]

You have valid reason, but for my case, I have a joint account with my kid in SCB, so definitely my kid will not missed out.

You can also have a joint account on IBKR with your kid.

so it seems more like you just don’t want to do it so just finding a reason why you don’t want to do it even though the reason doesn’t really make sense, but it’s ok cause you shouldn’t be forced to do what you don’t want to do.

Just saying that the reasoning is flawed.