ETF Versus

IEFA vs ITOT

iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF vs iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-02

IEFA iShares

iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF (IEFA) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to equities in developed international markets outside the U.S.. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.07%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.46%. Launched in 2012, the fund has a 14-year track record.

AUM: $164.3B ER: 0.07% Yield: 3.46% Since: Oct 18, 2012
ITOT iShares

iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF (ITOT) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to the total U.S. stock market across all capitalizations. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.03%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.12%. Launched in 2004, the fund has a 22-year track record.

AUM: $77.6B ER: 0.03% Yield: 1.12% Since: Jan 20, 2004

Quick Verdict

ITOT has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.03% vs 0.07%), saving about $80 per $10,000 over 10 years. IEFA has edged ahead over the past year (21.2% vs 17.2%). Income investors may prefer IEFA for its higher yield (3.5% vs 1.1%).

Key Metrics

Metric IEFA ITOT
Expense Ratio 0.07% 0.03%
Dividend Yield 3.5% 1.1%
Fund Family iShares iShares
Category International Developed US Total Market

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

70 89 108 127 146 165 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
IEFA +24.0%
ITOT +52.8%

Performance Comparison

Period IEFA ITOT Difference
1 Month -4.68% -4.55% -0.13%
3 Months +1.73% -3.83% +5.56%
6 Months +3.46% -2.08% +5.54%
YTD +1.73% -3.83% +5.56%
1 Year +21.19% +17.17% +4.02%
3 Years +36.36% +57.97% -21.61%
5 Years +23.97% +52.82% -28.85%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period IEFA Fees ITOT Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $140 $60 $80
$10.000 20 years $600 $258 $342
$10.000 30 years $1.938 $835 $1.103
$50.000 10 years $698 $299 $398
$50.000 30 years $9.692 $4.176 $5.516
$100.000 30 years $19.383 $8.352 $11.032

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric IEFA ITOT
Annualized Volatility 16.6% 17.4%
Max Drawdown -33.1% -26.2%
Sharpe Ratio 0.07 0.32

Dividend Comparison

Metric IEFA ITOT
Annual Dividend (per share) $3.18 $1.61
Dividend Yield 3.46% 1.13%
Distribution Frequency Semi-Annual or Annual Quarterly

Top Holdings

0 of top 9 holdings overlap (0% overlap in top holdings)

IEFA Top Holdings

NameWeight
ASML Holding N.V.!ams/ASML2.18%
AstraZeneca PLC!lon/AZN1.25%
Novartis AG!swx/NOVN1.21%
Roche Holding AG!swx/ROP1.17%
HSBC Holdings plc!lon/HSBA1.16%
Shell plc!lon/SHEL1.12%
Nestlé S.A.!swx/NESN1.05%
Toyota Motor Corporation!tyo/72030.85%
Commonwealth Bank of Australia!asx/CBA0.85%
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.!tyo/83060.81%

ITOT Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA6.59%
Apple Inc.AAPL5.91%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT4.29%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN3.15%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO2.31%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG2.07%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META1.86%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA1.65%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.BRK.B1.39%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose ITOT if...

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

Choose IEFA if...

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

Choose IEFA if...

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

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