What is the expense ratio of AGG vs IWF?

AGG has an expense ratio of 0.03%, while IWF has an expense ratio of 0.18%.

AGG vs IWF

iShares Core US Aggregate Bond ETF vs iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-02

AGG iShares

iShares Core US Aggregate Bond ETF (AGG) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to the broad U.S. investment-grade bond market. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.03%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.94%. Launched in 2003, the fund has a 23-year track record.

AUM: $137.9B ER: 0.03% Yield: 3.94% Since: Sep 22, 2003

IWF iShares

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. growth stocks with above-average earnings potential. It charges a moderate expense ratio of 0.18%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.39%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $108.0B ER: 0.18% Yield: 0.39% Since: May 22, 2000

Quick Verdict

AGG is significantly cheaper at 0.03% vs 0.18% expense ratio, saving you approximately $297 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Over the past year, IWF has significantly outperformed with a 18.2% return vs 0.0%. Income investors may prefer AGG for its higher yield (3.9% vs 0.4%).

Key Metrics

Metric	AGG	IWF
Expense Ratio	0.03%	0.18%
Dividend Yield	3.9%	0.4%
Fund Family	iShares	iShares
Category	US Aggregate Bond	US Large Cap Growth

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

AGG -13.0%

IWF +71.3%

Performance Comparison

Period	AGG	IWF	Difference
1 Month	-1.67%	-4.73%	+3.06%
3 Months	-0.85%	-8.83%	+7.98%
6 Months	-1.18%	-8.48%	+7.30%
YTD	-0.85%	-8.83%	+7.98%
1 Year	+0.04%	+18.20%	-18.16%
3 Years	-0.82%	+75.80%	-76.62%
5 Years	-13.01%	+71.26%	-84.27%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment	Period	AGG Fees	IWF Fees	You Save
$10.000	10 years	$60	$357	$297
$10.000	20 years	$258	$1.529	$1.271
$10.000	30 years	$835	$4.912	$4.076
$50.000	10 years	$299	$1.786	$1.486
$50.000	30 years	$4.176	$24.558	$20.382
$100.000	30 years	$8.352	$49.116	$40.764

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric	AGG	IWF
Annualized Volatility	6.1%	21.4%
Max Drawdown	-21.4%	-33.1%
Sharpe Ratio	-1.17	0.40

Dividend Comparison

Metric	AGG	IWF
Annual Dividend (per share)	$3.90	$1.69
Dividend Yield	3.94%	0.39%
Distribution Frequency	Monthly	Quarterly

Top Holdings

IWF Top Holdings

Name	Weight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA	12.82%
Apple Inc.AAPL	11.79%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT	8.78%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO	4.81%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN	4.61%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA	3.57%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META	3.28%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG	2.83%
Eli Lilly and CompanyLLY	2.62%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose AGG if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Choose IWF if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

Choose AGG if...

you prioritize dividend income and want higher regular distributions from your portfolio.

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