ETF Versus

IWF vs VWO

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF vs Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund

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
VWO Vanguard

Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund (VWO) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to stocks in emerging market economies with higher growth potential. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.06%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 2.76%. Launched in 2005, the fund has a 21-year track record.

AUM: $107.3B ER: 0.06% Yield: 2.76% Since: Mar 4, 2005

Quick Verdict

VWO is significantly cheaper at 0.06% vs 0.18% expense ratio, saving you approximately $237 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. VWO has edged ahead over the past year (19.4% vs 18.2%). Income investors may prefer VWO for its higher yield (2.8% vs 0.4%).

Key Metrics

Metric IWF VWO
Expense Ratio 0.18% 0.06%
Dividend Yield 0.4% 2.8%
Fund Family iShares Vanguard
Category US Large Cap Growth Emerging Markets

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

65 91 117 143 169 195 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
IWF +71.3%
VWO +3.0%

Performance Comparison

Period IWF VWO Difference
1 Month -4.73% -5.29% +0.56%
3 Months -8.83% -1.31% -7.52%
6 Months -8.48% -1.06% -7.42%
YTD -8.83% -1.31% -7.52%
1 Year +18.20% +19.38% -1.18%
3 Years +75.80% +33.62% +42.18%
5 Years +71.26% +3.00% +68.26%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period IWF Fees VWO Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $357 $120 $237
$10.000 20 years $1.529 $515 $1.014
$10.000 30 years $4.912 $1.664 $3.248
$50.000 10 years $1.786 $598 $1.187
$50.000 30 years $24.558 $8.318 $16.240
$100.000 30 years $49.116 $16.637 $32.479

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric IWF VWO
Annualized Volatility 21.4% 17.3%
Max Drawdown -33.1% -35.9%
Sharpe Ratio 0.40 -0.14

Dividend Comparison

Metric IWF VWO
Annual Dividend (per share) $1.69 $1.45
Dividend Yield 0.39% 2.68%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

0 of top 8 holdings overlap (0% overlap in 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%

VWO Top Holdings

NameWeight
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited!tpe/233012.71%
Tencent Holdings Limited!hkg/07003.44%
Alibaba Group Holding Limited!hkg/99882.74%
HDFC Bank Limited!nse/HDFCBANK0.93%
Reliance Industries Limited!nse/RELIANCE0.88%
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.!tpe/23170.78%
MediaTek Inc.!tpe/24540.76%
China Construction Bank Corporation!hkg/09390.75%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose VWO if...

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

Choose VWO if...

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

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