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BIL vs FTSM: Differences, Returns & Fees

BIL's duration was 0.2 years on Jun 30, 2026 and FTSM's 0.7 on Jul 31, 2026; BIL charges 0.14% to FTSM's 0.29%. Net assets on Oct 20, 2026: $51.1bn for SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF and $6.7bn for First Trust Enhanced Short Maturity ETF.

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Answers cite the figures on this page.

BIL costs 0.15 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.3 points; BIL is 7.6 times larger.

BIL vs FTSM: Differences, Returns & Fees
BILFTSM
Expense ratio0.14%0.29%
Net assets$51.1bn$6.7bn
Total return, 1 year+3.7%+3.4%
What it tracks1-3 month T-billsNo index, actively managed
Holdings in commonreport dates differ

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026.

+3.7%
BIL total return, 1 year
+3.4%
FTSM total return, 1 year
0.14%
BIL expense ratio
0.29%
FTSM expense ratio

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Client brief · page 1 of 2Report BR-7DCE77E6E5

BIL and FTSM are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?

  1. What each follows. BIL follows 1-3 month T-bills and FTSM follows No index, actively managed.
  2. Number of holdings. BIL holds 18 positions and FTSM holds 740.
  3. Cost. BIL charges 0.14% of assets a year and FTSM 0.29%, a gap of 0.15 points.

Data as of Oct 20, 2026. The differences are picked by a fixed rule, in a fixed order; the PDF prints it. Page 2 has the returns, overlap, risks and sources.

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On the same fields

BIL
SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF
FTSM
First Trust Enhanced Short Maturity ETF
Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF
Issuer State Street First Trust
What it is Tracks an index of 1-3 month T-bills Actively managed
Total return, 1 year +3.7% +3.4%
Its benchmark over the same days not measured −1.9% (AGG)
Gap to its benchmark not measured +5.4 pts vs AGG
Expense ratio 0.14% 0.29%
Holdings 18 740
Net assets $51.1bn $6.7bn

BIL and FTSM on the fields both publish, as of Oct 20, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

About BIL

BIL tracks an index of 1-3 month T-bills. Over the year to Oct 20, 2026 it returned +3.7% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.14% a year.

About FTSM

FTSM is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 20, 2026 it returned +3.4% with distributions reinvested, against −1.9% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.29% a year.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, BIL or FTSM?
In the year to Oct 20, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BIL returned +3.7% and FTSM +3.4%.
Which is cheaper, BIL or FTSM?
BIL is cheaper, by 0.15 percentage points a year. That is about $15 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
BIL vs TFLOBIL vs TBILBIL vs BSCRBIL vs FLOTFTSM vs JPSTFTSM vs SHVFTSM vs SGOVFTSM vs PULS
BIL on its own →FTSM on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →BIL dividend history →BIL holdings →FTSM dividend history →FTSM holdings →Standards and sources →
Where these figures came from
BIL filings on SEC EDGAR ↗BIL prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗State Street website ↗FTSM filings on SEC EDGAR ↗FTSM prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗First Trust page for FTSM ↗

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, BIL against FTSM, data as of Oct 20, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bil-vs-ftsm

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Free to use with attribution for figures ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.