Wealth Manager Bets Big on International ETF

The Financial Council, a Maryland-based wealth manager, just added shares of the iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF.On Feb. 4, 2026, Financial Council, LLC disclosed a buy of 159,189 shares of iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF (ACWX 0.18%), an estimated $10.55 million trade based on quarterly average pricing.What happenedAccording to a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing dated Feb. 4, 2026, Financial Council, LLC increased its position in iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF (ACWX 0.18%) by 159,189 shares during the fourth quarter of 2025. The estimated value of the buy was $10.55 million, based on the quarterly average price. The quarter-end value of the position increased by $10.80 million, reflecting both new purchases and changes in share price.What else to knowFollowing the buy, ACWX accounts for 5.65% of Financial Council, LLC’s reportable assets under managementFund’s top five holdings after the filing:NYSEMKT:CGGO: $51.40 million (20.5% of AUM)NYSEMKT:CGGR: $20.43 million (8.2% of AUM)NASDAQ:IUSG: $14.44 million (5.8% of AUM)NASDAQ:AAPL: $12.89 million (5.1% of AUM)NYSEMKT:SPYV: $12.85 million (5.1% of AUM)As of Feb. 4, 2026, shares were priced at $71.20, down 1.6% from the 52-week highOne-year total return for ACWX is 35.4%, outperforming the S&P 500 by 21.4 percentage points over the same periodDividend yield stands at 2.7% as of Feb. 5, 2026ETF overviewMetricValueAUMN/APrice (as of market close Feb. 4, 2026)$71.20Dividend yield2.7%1-year total return35.4%ETF snapshotInvestment strategy seeks to track the performance of the MSCI ACWI ex U.S. Index, providing broad exposure to developed and emerging markets outside the United States.Portfolio is diversified across international equities, with holdings spanning multiple sectors and regions, reflecting the composition of the underlying index.Structured as an exchange-traded fund.The iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF offers investors access to a globally diversified portfolio of non-U.S. equities, capturing both developed and emerging markets. The fund's strategy leverages a market capitalization-weighted index methodology to mirror the performance of international equity markets while excluding U.S. exposure. With significant assets under management and a competitive dividend yield, the ETF is positioned as a core international equity holding for institutional portfolios seeking broad diversification and efficient market access.What this transaction means for investorsThis is a sizable purchase for Financial Council, adding some $10 million to its position in ACWX and making the ETF a top-five holding in the entire portfolio.It really reflects a larger trend in the market as investors look for better value and growth opportunities outside the U.S., where many large-cap stocks are overvalued. Over the past year, ACWX blew away the S&P 500, returning about 30%. The S&P 500 has gained roughly 11% over the past 12 months, as of Feb. 19. This all-world ETF is a great diversifier, tracking more than 1,700 large- and mid-cap stocks from both developed countries and emerging markets. The largest holdings are Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM 0.52%), Samsung, and ASML (ASML 0.67%), The ETF is already up 8% year-to-date, offsetting the flat returns for the S&P 500 so far this year. With international and emerging markets expected to perform relatively well versus U.S. stocks again this year, this looks like a good buy and an excellent diversifier. About the AuthorDave mainly covers financials, consumer goods, and technology stocks and ETFs. He wrote for the Fool from 2019-2023 and rejoined the Fool in 2026. In the past he's covered mutual funds and institutional investments for Pensions & Investments, personal finance for S&P, money markets and bonds for Crane Data, and stocks for ValueWalk.TMFdkovaleskiStocks MentionediShares Trust - iShares Msci Acwi Ex U.s. ETFNASDAQ: ACWX$73.22 (0.18%) $0.13Capital Group Growth ETFNYSEMKT: CGGR$43.04 (+0.00%) $+0.00iShares Trust - iShares Core S&P U.s. Growth ETFNASDAQ: IUSG$164.41 (0.16%) $0.26AppleNASDAQ: AAPL$260.42 (1.49%) $3.93SPDR Series Trust - State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Value ETFNYSEMKT: SPYV$58.98 (0.37%) $0.22Capital Group Global Growth Equity ETFNYSEMKT: CGGO$36.29 (0.28%) $0.10*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.