Symbol: VEA
Expense Ratio: 0.09%
We chose Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets because it tracks a FTSE foreign-market index over one that follows the better-known MSCI EAFE index. Both indexes perform similarly, despite the fact that the FTSE developed-market index includes South Korea and the EAFE benchmark does not (MSCI deems South Korea an emerging nation). But we prefer the Vanguard ETF over iShares Core MSCI EAFE (IEFA), the best fund for EAFE lovers, because Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets is bigger, with $28 billion in assets, and more widely traded. It also charges 0.03 percentage point per year less than the iShares ETF.
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