EFA tracks the MSCI EAFE index (Europe, Australasia, Far East), similar in scope to VEA and IEFA. Its 0.32% expense ratio, however, is the highest among the international ETFs in this batch — a legacy of being an older product that hasn't kept pace with fee competition.

Its 18.0% one-year return has lagged VEA's 25.1%. There's little reason to pay a higher fee for essentially the same regional exposure, so VEA or IEFA is the more sensible choice for new allocations.