ETF Versus

IWF vs LQD

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF vs iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-02

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
LQD iShares

iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (LQD) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to investment-grade U.S. corporate bonds. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.14%. The fund offers a high dividend yield of 4.53%. Launched in 2002, the fund has a 24-year track record.

AUM: $29.2B ER: 0.14% Yield: 4.53% Since: Jul 22, 2002

Quick Verdict

LQD has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.14% vs 0.18%), saving about $79 per $10,000 over 10 years. Over the past year, IWF has significantly outperformed with a 18.2% return vs 0.0%. Income investors may prefer LQD for its higher yield (4.5% vs 0.4%).

Key Metrics

Metric IWF LQD
Expense Ratio 0.18% 0.14%
Dividend Yield 0.4% 4.5%
Fund Family iShares iShares
Category US Large Cap Growth US Investment Grade Corporate

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

75 99 123 147 171 195 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
IWF +71.3%
LQD -16.4%

Performance Comparison

Period IWF LQD Difference
1 Month -4.73% -2.04% -2.69%
3 Months -8.83% -1.36% -7.47%
6 Months -8.48% -2.59% -5.89%
YTD -8.83% -1.36% -7.47%
1 Year +18.20% +0.00% +18.20%
3 Years +75.80% -1.16% +76.96%
5 Years +71.26% -16.40% +87.66%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period IWF Fees LQD Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $357 $278 $79
$10.000 20 years $1.529 $1.194 $336
$10.000 30 years $4.912 $3.841 $1.071
$50.000 10 years $1.786 $1.391 $395
$50.000 30 years $24.558 $19.203 $5.355
$100.000 30 years $49.116 $38.406 $10.710

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric IWF LQD
Annualized Volatility 21.4% 8.7%
Max Drawdown -33.1% -27.9%
Sharpe Ratio 0.40 -0.89

Dividend Comparison

Metric IWF LQD
Annual Dividend (per share) $1.69 $4.92
Dividend Yield 0.39% 4.53%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Monthly

Top Holdings

IWF Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA12.82%
Apple Inc.AAPL11.79%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT8.78%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO4.81%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN4.61%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA3.57%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META3.28%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG2.83%
Eli Lilly and CompanyLLY2.62%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose LQD 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 LQD if...

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

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