Approximating total international stock market

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 shows how funds can be combined in order to mimic the composition of the international stock market. Funds can be mutual funds, index funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

Investors wishing to invest in the Vanguard Total International Stock Market Index Fund often face a situation where they have to approximate it with the funds available in their employer sponsored plans and quite possibly some other funds available in other accounts such as a Roth IRA. Thrift Savings Plan investors, for example, face this issue with the I Fund (based on MSCI EAFE index), which lacks emerging markets, small-cap stocks, and Canadian stocks.

Examples

 * The style box numbers were computed by Morningstar Instant XRay.

TSP I Fund investors
The fourth and fifth collections of funds above were designed specifically for TSP I Fund investors who need to hold all or some of their TSP in the I Fund, or for any investors who need to hold assets in a MSCI EAFE fund such as the Schwab International Index Fund (SWISX).

The I Fund tracks the MSCI EAFE index which does not include:
 * International small-caps
 * Emerging markets
 * Canadian stocks

Investors may wish to use the fourth or fifth box depending on whether they have access to an MSCI or FTSE emerging markets index fund. Note that FTSE classifies South Korea as a developed market, while MSCI considers it an emerging market ; this is why box 5 uses a separate South Korea index fund. The blended expense ratios of boxes 4 and 5 are 0.10% and 0.12% respectively, assuming that the I Fund (0.055%) takes the place of the MSCI EAFE index fund. The expense ratios can be reduced by using the Franklin FTSE Canada ETF (FLCA) (0.09%) and Franklin FTSE South Korea ETF (FLKR) (0.09%). These are smaller and more lightly traded than their iShares equivalents, meaning a larger bid/ask spread, but they have much lower expense ratios.

The collection of funds was weighted in a manner to approximate the Morningstar Style Box, average market cap, industry and regional weightings of Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS) (0.08%). The collection of funds making up the fourth box is weighted in the following way:


 * Small-cap stocks are weighted at 10% per Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Small-Cap Index.
 * Canadian stocks are 6.6% of Vanguard's Total International Stock ETF and 14.8% of Vanguard's FTSE All-World ex-US Small Cap ETF . Given that Vanguard's international small cap fund overlaps the total international market fund, it was decided to weight the Canadian MSCI fund at 5% of the overall collection of funds (which is 6.6% - (14.8% * 10%)).
 * Emerging markets (per MSCI) are 29.6% of Vanguard's Total International Stock ETF, and are 28.3% of the Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Small-Cap ETF . Given that these funds overlap, the MSCI Emerging Markets ETF was weighted at 27% (which is 29.6% - (28.3% * 10%)).
 * Europe, Australasia, and the Far East (EAFE) is everything left over, which is 58%. The MSCI EAFE index fund is a proxy for the I Fund, Schwab International Index Fund (SWISX) or any MSCI EAFE fund.

When Vanguard's International Total Stock ETF and the collection of funds were compared in Morningstar's X-Ray's different measurements, both were similar. For example, X-Ray compared the geographic regions as (rounded to the nearest 1%):

When X-Ray compares the stock sectors, the numbers (rounded to the nearest 1%) are:

Note that to hold the portfolio in box 4 in the recommended percentage, using the Admiral Class share of the Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Small Cap Index Fund (VFSAX), the minimum amount needed for all four funds together is $30,000. This is because 10% of that amount equals the $3,000 fund minimum for VFSAX. Of that $30,000, at least $12,600 must be in the IRA to hold the three funds, with the remaining $17,400 in the I Fund. This may be avoided by owning ETF share classes of the Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Small Cap Index.

For Canadians, most Registered Retirement Savings Plans have a brokerage function and allow for purchase of securities based in the United States. Consider investing in Vanguard Total World Stock Index ETF which samples securities from throughout the entire investable world market. The investor then could use Vanguard MSCI Canada Index ETF and iShares S&P/TSX Completion Index Fund to balance to their desired domestic exposure.