ETF Versus

BND vs SGOV

Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund vs iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-02

BND Vanguard

Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund (BND) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard 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 3.93%. Launched in 2007, the fund has a 19-year track record.

AUM: $150.4B ER: 0.03% Yield: 3.93% Since: Apr 3, 2007
SGOV

iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (SGOV) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to short-duration U.S. Treasury bonds with low interest rate risk. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.09%. The fund offers a high dividend yield of 4.01%. Launched in 2020, the fund has a 6-year track record.

AUM: $83.3B ER: 0.09% Yield: 4.01% Since: May 26, 2020

Quick Verdict

BND has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.03% vs 0.09%), saving about $119 per $10,000 over 10 years. Both funds have delivered similar 1-year returns (-0.0% vs 0.0%), tracking closely.

Key Metrics

Metric BND SGOV
Expense Ratio 0.03% 0.09%
Dividend Yield 3.9% 4.0%
Fund Family Vanguard N/A
Category US Aggregate Bond US Short-Term Treasury

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

80 85 90 95 100 105 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
BND -13.3%
SGOV +0.4%

Performance Comparison

Period BND SGOV Difference
1 Month -1.63% +0.01% -1.64%
3 Months -0.84% -0.02% -0.82%
6 Months -1.20% -0.03% -1.17%
YTD -0.84% -0.02% -0.82%
1 Year -0.03% +0.04% -0.07%
3 Years -0.73% +0.16% -0.89%
5 Years -13.29% +0.37% -13.66%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period BND Fees SGOV Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $60 $179 $119
$10.000 20 years $258 $771 $512
$10.000 30 years $835 $2.486 $1.650
$50.000 10 years $299 $896 $597
$50.000 30 years $4.176 $12.428 $8.252
$100.000 30 years $8.352 $24.855 $16.503

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric BND SGOV
Annualized Volatility 6.0% 1.1%
Max Drawdown -21.7% -0.7%
Sharpe Ratio -1.19 -4.13

Dividend Comparison

Metric BND SGOV
Annual Dividend (per share) $2.88 $4.02
Dividend Yield 3.92% 4.00%
Distribution Frequency Monthly Monthly

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose BND if...

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

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