What is the expense ratio of IJR vs TLT?

IJR has an expense ratio of 0.06%, while TLT has an expense ratio of 0.15%.

IJR vs TLT

iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF vs iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-02

IJR iShares

iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to small-cap U.S. equities with higher growth potential and volatility. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.06%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.28%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $90.2B ER: 0.06% Yield: 1.28% Since: May 22, 2000

TLT iShares

iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to long-duration U.S. Treasury bonds with high interest rate sensitivity. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.15%. The fund offers a high dividend yield of 4.51%. Launched in 2002, the fund has a 24-year track record.

AUM: $41.7B ER: 0.15% Yield: 4.51% Since: Jul 22, 2002

Quick Verdict

IJR has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.06% vs 0.15%), saving about $178 per $10,000 over 10 years. Over the past year, IJR has significantly outperformed with a 19.2% return vs -5.7%. Income investors may prefer TLT for its higher yield (4.5% vs 1.3%).

Key Metrics

Metric	IJR	TLT
Expense Ratio	0.06%	0.15%
Dividend Yield	1.3%	4.5%
Fund Family	iShares	iShares
Category	US Small Cap	US Long-Term Treasury

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

IJR +13.0%

TLT -37.0%

Performance Comparison

Period	IJR	TLT	Difference
1 Month	-4.33%	-3.74%	-0.59%
3 Months	+2.92%	-0.88%	+3.80%
6 Months	+4.03%	-3.49%	+7.52%
YTD	+2.92%	-0.88%	+3.80%
1 Year	+19.20%	-5.72%	+24.92%
3 Years	+29.06%	-19.08%	+48.14%
5 Years	+12.98%	-37.00%	+49.98%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment	Period	IJR Fees	TLT Fees	You Save
$10.000	10 years	$120	$298	$178
$10.000	20 years	$515	$1.278	$763
$10.000	30 years	$1.664	$4.109	$2.446
$50.000	10 years	$598	$1.490	$892
$50.000	30 years	$8.318	$20.547	$12.229
$100.000	30 years	$16.637	$41.094	$24.458

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric	IJR	TLT
Annualized Volatility	21.6%	15.9%
Max Drawdown	-28.9%	-46.4%
Sharpe Ratio	0.01	-0.79

Dividend Comparison

Metric	IJR	TLT
Annual Dividend (per share)	$1.60	$3.89
Dividend Yield	1.28%	4.51%
Distribution Frequency	Quarterly	Monthly

Top Holdings

IJR Top Holdings

Name	Weight
BLK CSH FND TREASURY SL AGENCYXTSLA	1.37%
Eastman Chemical CompanyEMN	0.54%
Viavi Solutions Inc.VIAV	0.53%
Argan, Inc.AGX	0.52%
Primoris Services CorporationPRIM	0.52%
FormFactor, Inc.FORM	0.51%
Element Solutions IncESI	0.51%
LKQ CorporationLKQ	0.50%
SM Energy CompanySM	0.49%
ESCO Technologies Inc.ESE	0.48%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose IJR if...

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

Choose IJR if...

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

Choose TLT if...

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

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