DFAU vs VIG: Differences, Returns & Fees
DFAU and VIG hold 40% of their weight in the same names, and DFAU returned +17.2% over the year. Net assets: $12.4bn on Jul 31, 2026 for Dimensional US Core Equity Market ETF, and $109.1bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Div Appreciation ETF.
VIG costs 0.08 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 5.2 points; VIG is 10.5 times larger.
| DFAU | VIG | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.12% | 0.04% |
| Net assets, as of Jul 31, 2026 | $12.4bn | $130.9bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +17.2% | +12.0% |
| What it tracks | No index, actively managed | S&P U.S. Dividend Growers Index |
| Holdings in common | 40% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 33.7% | 33.5% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, DFAU and VIG hold 40% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026.
half
40% in common
On the same fields
DFAU and VIG on the fields both publish, as of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
About DFAU
DFAU is actively managed and tracks no index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.12% a year. By its holdings filed for Jul 31, 2026, 87% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 2,192 positions, with the top ten at 33.7%.
Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +17.2% with distributions reinvested, against +16.7% for its benchmark, the Russell 3000 Index.
About VIG
VIG tracks an index of Dividend growth. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +12.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.04% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Aug 31, 2026, 93% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 335 positions, with the top ten at 33.5%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, DFAU or VIG?
- In the year to Oct 9, 2026, with distributions reinvested, DFAU returned +17.2% and VIG +12.0%.
- Which is cheaper, DFAU or VIG?
- VIG is cheaper, by 0.08 percentage points a year. That is about $8 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, DFAU against VIG, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dfau-vs-vig
ETFIQ. (Oct 9, 2026). DFAU against VIG. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dfau-vs-vig
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