GOAU provides an alternate take on the mining space by using fundamental analysis and complex tiered weighting. Unlike some competitors, the fund includes royalty and streaming companies, which provide capital to mining start-ups in exchange for a stake in the eventual production. GOAU starts by screening out mining firms that are financed primarily with debt. Miners in the top 10% by revenue per employee are deemed as priority firms. The index scores priority firms by revenue/employees, operating cash flow/employees, and gross margin, and other firms by operating cash flow/enterprise value. GOAU builds its portfolio by filling a fixed, four-tier bracket of 28 names, starting with the highest-scored priority companies and then moving down the list of other firms. Tier 1 contains three names, weighted at 10% each, which must be gold or silver miners directly listed in the US or Canada, with at least a $1 billion market cap. Requirements become less stringent with each succeeding tier.