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FLOT vs FTSM: Differences, Returns & Fees

On Jul 31, 2026 FLOT's duration was 0.0 years and FTSM's 0.7; FLOT charges 0.15% to FTSM's 0.29%. Net assets on Oct 20, 2026: $11.5bn for iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF and $6.7bn for First Trust Enhanced Short Maturity ETF.

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Answers cite the figures on this page.

FLOT costs 0.14 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.9 points; FLOT is 1.7 times larger.

FLOT vs FTSM: Differences, Returns & Fees
FLOTFTSM
Expense ratio0.15%0.29%
Net assets$11.5bn$6.7bn
Total return, 1 year+4.3%+3.4%
What it tracksnot read by ETFIQNo index, actively managed
Holdings in commonnot published
+4.3%
FLOT total return, 1 year
+3.4%
FTSM total return, 1 year
0.15%
FLOT expense ratio
0.29%
FTSM expense ratio

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Client brief · page 1 of 2Report BR-EED0155D02

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

  1. What each follows. FLOT follows not read by ETFIQ and FTSM follows No index, actively managed.
  2. Cost. FLOT charges 0.15% of assets a year and FTSM 0.29%, a gap of 0.14 points.
  3. One-year total return (similar). Over 1 year to Oct 20, 2026 FLOT returned +4.3% and FTSM +3.4% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 0.9 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

FLOT
iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF
FTSM
First Trust Enhanced Short Maturity ETF
Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF
Issuer iShares First Trust
What it is Tracks an index Actively managed
Total return, 1 year +4.3% +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 0.15% 0.29%
Holdings 557 740
Net assets $11.5bn $6.7bn

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

About FLOT

FLOT tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 20, 2026 it returned +4.3% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% 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, FLOT or FTSM?
In the year to Oct 20, 2026, with distributions reinvested, FLOT returned +4.3% and FTSM +3.4%.
Which is cheaper, FLOT or FTSM?
FLOT is cheaper, by 0.14 percentage points a year. That is about $14 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
FLOT vs TFLOFLOT vs TBILFLOT vs GBILFLOT vs ICSHFTSM vs VBILFTSM vs VUSBFTSM vs ICSHFTSM vs GBIL
FLOT on its own →FTSM on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →FLOT dividend history →FLOT holdings →FTSM dividend history →FTSM holdings →Standards and sources →
Where these figures came from
FLOT filings on SEC EDGAR ↗FLOT prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗iShares page for FLOT ↗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, FLOT against FTSM, data as of Oct 20, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/flot-vs-ftsm

Open data

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