500 ft. The Dragon Score

Rate a fund from 1 to 100.

One number for the fund, built from five weighted parts you can read one by one. Open an example below, or move the five scores yourself.

Open an example score How it is calculated

500 ft Example lookup

Search a fund, get its reading.

This search runs over three fictional example funds kept on this page. In an account it runs over the fund universe your plan covers.

Example fund AA US large-cap index ETF

Example data

71Dragon Score, 1 to 100

Scores 71. Fees cost it the most. Expense efficiency gives up 10.4 of its 20 points, more than any other dimension. 70.6 before rounding.

Historical performance25% weight
78score
19.5 of 25 points
Risk-adjusted returns25% weight
76score
19 of 25 points
Expense efficiency20% weight
48score
9.6 of 20 pointsCosts it the most
Manager tenure stability15% weight
80score
12 of 15 points
Peer-group ranking15% weight
70score
10.5 of 15 points

Each bar is as long as the dimension's weight. The filled part is the points the fund earned and the hatched part is what it gave up. Gold marks the dimension that costs it the most.

A reading of what the fund has done, not a forecast of what it will do.

Example funds A, B, and C are fictional. Past performance is not indicative of future results. IQ Dragon is not a registered investment adviser, broker-dealer, or financial planner. Informational and educational, not personalized advice.

Edge of the free sheet Premium, for this fund

What Premium would show for Example fund A.

A free account gives you 10 Dragon Scores a month. When you reach the limit, IQ Dragon shows what Premium adds for the fund you just opened, so you can decide with that fund in front of you.

Free: 10 Dragon Scores a month

Example: 3 of 10 used

Unlimited Dragon ScoresScore every rival to Example fund A in its category, not ten funds a month.
The five dimensions over timeHow each of its five scores has moved across past readings, side by side, so a drop in one part stands out.
Peer-group detailWhere it places among US large-cap index ETF peers on each dimension, not only the combined rank.

Premium is $12 a month or $120 a year.

Compare Free and Premium

The fund named here is fictional example data. IQ Dragon is not a registered investment adviser, broker-dealer, or financial planner. Informational and educational, not personalized advice.

Cross-section Try your own numbers

Move a score. Watch the summit.

Seen from the side, each dimension is a layer of rock. Its thickness is the points it adds, and the summit is the Dragon Score. The dashed outline is full marks, so the gap above the summit is what the fund gives up. Point at or tap a layer to name it.

Cross-section. 500 ft. Your numbers, starting from Example fund A Layer: points one dimension adds Summit: the Dragon Score Full marksA reading of what the fund has done, not a forecast of what it will do.

Your numbers

Starts from example data

Starting values are Example fund A, a fictional fund. Past performance is not indicative of future results. IQ Dragon is not a registered investment adviser, broker-dealer, or financial planner. Informational and educational, not personalized advice.

Survey notes The method

Five dimensions, fixed weights, one sum.

Each dimension is scored from 0 to 100 against funds in the same category. The score for each is multiplied by its weight, and the five results are added and rounded.

Example fund A, worked through

19.5 + 19 + 9.6 + 12 + 10.5 = 70.6, shown as 71

Weights: Performance 25%, Risk-adjusted 25%, Expense 20%, Tenure 15%, Peer rank 15%. They add to 100% and are the same for every fund.

Historical performance25% of the score: What it measuresTotal return after fees over one, three, five, and ten years where the fund has that history, set against funds in the same category.; What would lower itReturns that trail similar funds, most of all over the longer periods.
Risk-adjusted returns25% of the score: What it measuresThe return earned for each unit of volatility over three and five years, and how deep the worst drops from a high were.; What would lower itWide swings or deep drops for the return the fund delivered.
Expense efficiency20% of the score: What it measuresThe expense ratio against funds with the same strategy, and what that fee compounds to over ten years on the same starting balance.; What would lower itFees above what similar funds charge. For an index fund, where the holdings are close to identical, a small gap counts.
Manager tenure stability15% of the score: What it measuresHow long the current managers have run the fund and how often the team has changed.; What would lower itA recent change of lead manager, or a team that turns over often.
Peer-group ranking15% of the score: What it measuresWhere the fund places among funds in the same category on return and consistency over five years.; What would lower itA place in the lower half of its category.

Off this sheet The limits

What the Dragon Score cannot tell you.

A score reads a fund's record against its peers. Three things sit outside that record, and they are yours to weigh.

Read the field note on the limits

Whether it fits your plan: A 71 says nothing about your goals, your timeline, or what else you hold. A high-scoring fund can still duplicate one you own, or carry more risk than you want.
What it will return: The score reads what a fund has done. It is not a forecast, and a fund that scored well last year can do worse next year.
What it costs you in taxes: Account type, capital gains distributions, and your own bracket change what you keep. The score does not see any of them.

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