What is the expense ratio of GLD vs IWF?

GLD has an expense ratio of 0.40%, while IWF has an expense ratio of 0.18%.

GLD vs IWF

SPDR Gold Shares vs iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-02

GLD State Street

SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) is an exchange-traded fund issued by State Street that provides exposure to gold securities. It charges an above-average expense ratio of 0.40%. Launched in 2004, the fund has a 22-year track record.

AUM: $151.9B ER: 0.40% Yield: 0.00% Since: Nov 18, 2004

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

Quick Verdict

IWF is significantly cheaper at 0.18% vs 0.40% expense ratio, saving you approximately $429 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Over the past year, GLD has significantly outperformed with a 52.3% return vs 18.2%.

Key Metrics

Metric	GLD	IWF
Expense Ratio	0.40%	0.18%
Dividend Yield	0.0%	0.4%
Fund Family	State Street	iShares
Category	Gold	US Large Cap Growth

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

GLD +170.4%

IWF +71.3%

Performance Comparison

Period	GLD	IWF	Difference
1 Month	-10.65%	-4.73%	-5.92%
3 Months	+9.93%	-8.83%	+18.76%
6 Months	+22.42%	-8.48%	+30.90%
YTD	+9.93%	-8.83%	+18.76%
1 Year	+52.25%	+18.20%	+34.05%
3 Years	+137.25%	+75.80%	+61.45%
5 Years	+170.39%	+71.26%	+99.13%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment	Period	GLD Fees	IWF Fees	You Save
$10.000	10 years	$786	$357	$429
$10.000	20 years	$3.334	$1.529	$1.804
$10.000	30 years	$10.601	$4.912	$5.689
$50.000	10 years	$3.932	$1.786	$2.146
$50.000	30 years	$53.003	$24.558	$28.445
$100.000	30 years	$106.005	$49.116	$56.889

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric	GLD	IWF
Annualized Volatility	17.8%	21.4%
Max Drawdown	-21.0%	-33.1%
Sharpe Ratio	0.96	0.40

Dividend Comparison

Metric	GLD	IWF
Annual Dividend (per share)	$0.00	$1.69
Dividend Yield	0.00%	0.39%
Distribution Frequency	None	Quarterly

Top Holdings

IWF Top Holdings

Name	Weight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA	12.82%
Apple Inc.AAPL	11.79%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT	8.78%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO	4.81%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN	4.61%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA	3.57%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META	3.28%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG	2.83%
Eli Lilly and CompanyLLY	2.62%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose IWF if...

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

Choose GLD if...

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

Choose IWF if...

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

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