ETF Screener Checklist: Fees, Holdings and Comparable Yields

Filter fund attributes deliberately without confusing fund costs, distribution yield and realized investment performance.

Choose a comparable universe

Match asset class, listing market, currency, distribution policy and the intended exposure. A leveraged or inverse fund is not a substitute for an ordinary broad-market fund merely because a recent return column is higher.

Use the right field

An expense ratio is a fund cost measure, not a return forecast. Market capitalization of a listed stock and a fund’s assets under management are different fields. Our canonical marketCap column means equity market capitalization; leave it blank for an ETF when that concept is not applicable.

Do not mix yield definitions

A trailing distribution yield, an indicated stock dividend yield and a standardized fund yield can use different calculations and periods. The local dividendYield field is a user-declared comparable percentage; the tool cannot infer which definition a provider used.

Inspect holdings after screening

A small list does not prove diversification. Check holdings overlap, concentration, trading spread, tracking approach and the fund documents separately. Use holdings records and investing templates for separate record-keeping tasks. The screener’s sector chart counts rows rather than portfolio exposure.