Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
AOR vs IAU: how they differ
AOR is an equity index fund and IAU a commodity fund, and over the year IAU returned more, +19.2% against +11.3%.
iShares Core 60/40 Balanced Allocation ETF and iShares Gold Trust.
| AOR iShares Core 60/40 Balanced Allocation ETF | IAU iShares Gold Trust | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | iShares |
| What it is | Core 60/40 Balanced Allocation | Gold |
| Total return, 1 year | +11.3% | +19.2% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −6.2 pts | +1.7 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.25% |
| Holdings | 7 | not filed |
AOR in plain words
AOR is an index equity fund tracking the Core 60/40 Balanced Allocation. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +11.3% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 7 positions, with the top ten at 100.0%.
IAU in plain words
IAU is a commodity fund tracking the Gold. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +19.2% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.25% a year. It sat 19.6% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, AOR or IAU?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AOR returned +11.3% and IAU returned +19.2%, so IAU returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, AOR or IAU?
- AOR charges 0.15% a year and IAU charges 0.25%, so AOR is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
Where to next
Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, AOR against IAU, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/AOR-IAU Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources