Which is cheaper, EEM or TDEC?

EEM charges 0.72% a year and TDEC charges 0.95%, so EEM is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Are EEM and TDEC the same kind of fund?

No. EEM is an index ETF and TDEC is a buffer ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.

Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

EEM vs TDEC: how they differ

EEM and TDEC are measured over different days, and EEM charges 0.72% against 0.95%.

iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF and FT Vest Emerging Markets Buffer ETF - December.

EEM and TDEC on the fields both publish, as of Sep 12, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	EEM iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF	TDEC FT Vest Emerging Markets Buffer ETF - December
Where it sits	Core index fund	Buffer ETF
Issuer	iShares	First Trust
What it is	Emerging markets	Defined outcome, 10% on EEM
Total return, 1 year	+32.3%	not published
S&P 500 over the same days	+17.5%	not published
Gap to the S&P 500	+14.8 pts	not available
Expense ratio	0.72%	0.95%
Holdings	1245	not filed

EEM in plain words

EEM is an index equity fund tracking the Emerging markets. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +32.3% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.72% a year. By its holdings filed for May 31, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1245 positions, with the top ten at 38.9%. It sat 4.7% below its high of Jun 22, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.

TDEC in plain words

EEM had already risen past this fund's cap of +19.8% for the period on Sep 12, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 3.7% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 13.6% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, EEM can fall 20.8% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 10.0% of the 10.0% buffer still sits below today's EEM level. 98 days remained on Sep 12, 2026. On Dec 18, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which is cheaper, EEM or TDEC?: EEM charges 0.72% a year and TDEC charges 0.95%, so EEM is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Are EEM and TDEC the same kind of fund?: No. EEM is an index ETF and TDEC is a buffer ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.

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Where these figures came from

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.

EEM against TDEC, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 12, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, EEM against TDEC, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/EEM-TDEC Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources