The fund offers broad, unbiased coverage of equities in developed international countries, excluding US and Canada. Unlike many competing funds, it includes smaller firms in marketlike proportion, making it more representative overall. Despite the challenges presented by small-caps, XEF provides the exposure well. The depth of coverage and flexibility of the product makes it suitable for long- and short-term investors alike. XEFs only blemish is common to all funds that track a variant of the popular EAFE index: It excludes Canadian firms. However, XEF is a great choice for long-term exposure to developed markets outside North America.