6. Finish an ETF comparison sheet for your own purpose

Official sources checked September 6, 2026. Unnamed candidates and numerical illustrations are hypothetical.

ETF comparison tables tend to expand. Trading volume joins fees; distribution rates join performance. Yet without the purpose of your money in the first column, more numbers can make the decision harder.

Download the ETF comparison CSV and fill in the purpose and spending date before entering any candidate names. This is a blank spreadsheet-compatible worksheet, without live prices or automatic tax calculations.

Exclude candidates that fail your requirements

Consider a hypothetical reader living in Korea and investing money intended for use in fifteen years. Near-term expenses are funded separately. This decision concerns only the US large-cap equity portion of the plan. All distributions will be reinvested, and the reader is considering a brokerage ISA. This is an exercise, not a universal allocation recommendation.

These are fictional candidates. B is excluded because its strategy differs from the intended plain index exposure, not because of its distribution ranking. C fails this account constraint, not a performance test. Verify option-writing mechanics and ISA eligibility in the actual candidate’s official documents.¹²

A surviving candidate is not automatically a purchase. Missing cost information or unsuitable quotes for the intended order size can justify deferral. A table that rejects every candidate has still done useful work.

Put a source and date next to each figure

Record the effective date for fees, measurement period for tracking difference, holdings date for exposures and observation time for quotes. These dates serve different purposes. Last month’s holdings should not be presented as today’s portfolio.

Downloading holdings files helps move the analysis beyond product names. The official IVV page illustrates how an issuer organizes these materials. Read KRX’s calculation definitions before interpreting its indicators.³⁴

Count overlapping exposures, not just ETFs

If you already own funds, compare the candidate with the existing portfolio too. Suppose half the money goes to A and half to B. Company X represents 8% of A and 12% of B.

Combined weight of X = 50% × 8% + 50% × 12% = 10%

This simple illustration uses physical equity weights. Derivatives and leverage can make holding-value weights insufficient measures of economic exposure. Start with comparable physical funds and matching observation dates. The amount exposed to the same company says more than the number of ETF names in the account.

Leave a sentence for your future self

Finish with a purchase rationale that can be checked later. “US equity money for use in fifteen years; benchmark and currency exposure match the purpose, and account eligibility is confirmed” is more useful than “looks attractive.”

Add a review date and specific triggers. One possible routine is a six-month document refresh, with an earlier review if benchmark, hedging policy or account conditions change. This is a suggested workflow, not a regulatory schedule. A changing short-term performance ranking need not restart the entire shopping process.

The useful result of these six installments is an explainable decision. Record what you bought, the costs you accepted and when you intend to spend the money. The same worksheet can then serve the next investment decision too.

Continue the series

1. Are ETFs tracking the same index really the same?
2. The costs a headline expense ratio leaves out
3. Does a larger distribution mean a better investment?
4. Does currency matter when you buy an overseas ETF in won?
5. What changes across a regular account, ISA and pension account?
6. Finish an ETF comparison sheet for your own purpose