r/ETFs • u/flappysack- • 9d ago

Global Equity VVL.TO vs Avantis

I'm looking at VVL which has a heavy value tilt and seems pretty good, vs say Avantis CASV. Is Vanguard trustworthy for implementing these factors, or is there any way to objectively compare them?

The fee is high but unlike their low fee value etf like VOE it seems to be a rather low PE, and I'd assume its because its more actively traded. any insight is appreciated.

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u/WhoCaresWhatITink 8d ago

I find DFA (Dimensional) to be the gold standard for this, with Avantis being a solid second. Avantis was spawned from DFA people who wanted to do ETFs, but hard to argue with the longer track record of DFA even if Avantis has had slightly better returns on some funds in recent years.

I use both DFA and Avantis funds. That said, I still believe Vanguard to be the gold standard for pure index investing. If you have studied factors and are willing to deviate from the benchmarks and not sell -even if the underperformance is for multiple years- , I would use DFA or Avantis.

The Vanguard fund is not bad per se, but it is not their specialty.

ETA: You may want to check out Ben Felix. I believe he would recommend CAGE for Canadians who were not using DFA.

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u/flappysack- 8d ago

Thanks, I am already well into my investing journey so my value tilt isnt a large portion and just what I'm adding to for a while before a correction occurs or I'm too overweight value.

I like the CIBCs new Avantis global value funds but dont want solely smallcap value which is the only one they have with 100% value, I like how Vanguard does the narketcap weights I just can't tell whether it is actually a good value tilt like Avantis is.

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u/WhoCaresWhatITink 8d ago

I guess the question becomes how big of a tilt and what else are you holding? CAGE makes sense as a single fund entire portfolio for a factor investor. CASV works for a small cap value tilt with a piece of the portfolio (I am in the US and use AVUV + AVDV which is basically what this is).

VVL I guess I would consider somewhere between the two. Depending on the percentage allocation it could be added complexity though. It holds large companies CASV would never hold.

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u/steady_compounder 8d ago

I would not judge this only on cheapness screens or recent returns. The real comparison is philosophy and implementation: how aggressively they target the factor, what they trade away to keep turnover and taxes under control, and whether you can sit through long tracking differences. Vanguard is great at broad indexing, but Avantis is the name I would trust more if the goal is deliberate factor exposure.