ETF Versus

IVV vs TLT

iShares Core S&P 500 ETF vs iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-02

IVV iShares

iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. equities across growth and value styles. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.03%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.23%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $702.1B ER: 0.03% Yield: 1.23% Since: May 15, 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

IVV is significantly cheaper at 0.03% vs 0.15% expense ratio, saving you approximately $238 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Over the past year, IVV has significantly outperformed with a 16.7% return vs -5.7%. Income investors may prefer TLT for its higher yield (4.5% vs 1.2%).

Key Metrics

Metric IVV TLT
Expense Ratio 0.03% 0.15%
Dividend Yield 1.2% 4.5%
Fund Family iShares iShares
Category US Large Cap Blend US Long-Term Treasury

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

60 83 106 129 152 175 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
IVV +61.3%
TLT -37.0%

Performance Comparison

Period IVV TLT Difference
1 Month -4.55% -3.74% -0.81%
3 Months -4.10% -0.88% -3.22%
6 Months -2.14% -3.49% +1.35%
YTD -4.10% -0.88% -3.22%
1 Year +16.72% -5.72% +22.44%
3 Years +59.51% -19.08% +78.59%
5 Years +61.35% -37.00% +98.35%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period IVV Fees TLT Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $60 $298 $238
$10.000 20 years $258 $1.278 $1.020
$10.000 30 years $835 $4.109 $3.274
$50.000 10 years $299 $1.490 $1.190
$50.000 30 years $4.176 $20.547 $16.371
$100.000 30 years $8.352 $41.094 $32.742

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric IVV TLT
Annualized Volatility 16.9% 15.9%
Max Drawdown -25.4% -46.4%
Sharpe Ratio 0.39 -0.79

Dividend Comparison

Metric IVV TLT
Annual Dividend (per share) $8.06 $3.89
Dividend Yield 1.22% 4.51%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Monthly

Top Holdings

IVV Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA7.45%
Apple Inc.AAPL6.68%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT4.85%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN3.56%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO2.61%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG2.34%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META2.10%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA1.86%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.BRK.B1.57%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose IVV if...

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

Choose IVV 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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