ETF Versus

SGOV vs VTI

iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF vs Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares

Last updated: 2026-04-02

iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (SGOV) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to short-duration U.S. Treasury bonds with low interest rate risk. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.09%. The fund offers a high dividend yield of 4.01%. Launched in 2020, the fund has a 6-year track record.

AUM: $83.3B ER: 0.09% Yield: 4.01% Since: May 26, 2020
VTI Vanguard

Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares (VTI) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard 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 1.17%. Launched in 2001, the fund has a 25-year track record.

AUM: $546.0B ER: 0.03% Yield: 1.17% Since: May 24, 2001

Quick Verdict

VTI has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.03% vs 0.09%), saving about $119 per $10,000 over 10 years. Over the past year, VTI has significantly outperformed with a 17.2% return vs 0.0%. Income investors may prefer SGOV for its higher yield (4.0% vs 1.2%).

Key Metrics

Metric SGOV VTI
Expense Ratio 0.09% 0.03%
Dividend Yield 4.0% 1.2%
Fund Family N/A Vanguard
Category US Short-Term Treasury US Total Market

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

80 97 114 131 148 165 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
SGOV +0.4%
VTI +52.7%

Performance Comparison

Period SGOV VTI Difference
1 Month +0.01% -4.68% +4.69%
3 Months -0.02% -3.89% +3.87%
6 Months -0.03% -2.04% +2.01%
YTD -0.02% -3.89% +3.87%
1 Year +0.04% +17.21% -17.17%
3 Years +0.16% +57.96% -57.80%
5 Years +0.37% +52.67% -52.30%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period SGOV Fees VTI Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $179 $60 $119
$10.000 20 years $771 $258 $512
$10.000 30 years $2.486 $835 $1.650
$50.000 10 years $896 $299 $597
$50.000 30 years $12.428 $4.176 $8.252
$100.000 30 years $24.855 $8.352 $16.503

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric SGOV VTI
Annualized Volatility 1.1% 17.4%
Max Drawdown -0.7% -26.2%
Sharpe Ratio -4.13 0.32

Dividend Comparison

Metric SGOV VTI
Annual Dividend (per share) $4.02 $3.77
Dividend Yield 4.00% 1.17%
Distribution Frequency Monthly Quarterly

Top Holdings

VTI Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA6.17%
Apple Inc.AAPL5.89%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT4.40%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN3.05%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO2.28%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG2.16%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META2.13%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA1.72%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.BRK.B1.37%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose VTI if...

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

Choose VTI if...

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

Choose SGOV if...

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

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