Which returned more over the last year, PFF or VBIL?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PFF returned −4.2% and VBIL +3.7%.

Which is cheaper, PFF or VBIL?

VBIL is cheaper, by 0.39 percentage points a year. That is about $39 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

PFF vs VBIL: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, PFF returned −4.2% to VBIL's +3.7%, and VBIL charges 0.06% to PFF's 0.45%.

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Net assets: $11.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF, and $12.8bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard 0-3 Month Treasury Bill ETF.

PFF on its own →VBIL on its own →

At a glance

−4.2%

PFF total return, 1 year

+3.7%

VBIL total return, 1 year

0.45%

PFF expense ratio

0.06%

VBIL expense ratio

Pair scorecard

VBIL costs 0.39 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 7.9 points.

PFF vs VBIL: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	PFF	VBIL
Return
Measure	PFF	VBIL
Total return, 1 year	−4.2%	+3.7%
Drawdown
Measure	PFF	VBIL
Below its high	7.1%, high on May 8, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	PFF	VBIL
What it tracks	ICE Exchange-Listed Preferred & Hybrid Securities Index	Bloomberg U.S. Treasury Bills 0-3 Months Index
Cost and size
Measure	PFF	VBIL
Expense ratio	0.45%	0.06%
Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026	$12.3bn	$12.8bn
Holdings
Measure	PFF	VBIL
Holdings in common	0%
In the S&P 500, by weight	0%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund	22.7%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jun 30, 2026. Method

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, PFF and VBIL hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first PFF VBIL

Only in one fund ↓

Only in PFF

BOEING COMPANY (THE) 6% SER A DEP SHS REPSTG 1/20TH INT MANDATORY CONV PFD 3.93%

STRATEGY INC VARIABLE RATE SERIES A PERPETUAL STRETCH PREFERRED STOCK 2.95%

WELLS FARGO & COMPANY 7.5% NON-CUMULATIVE PERPETUAL CONVERTIBLE CLASS A PREFERRED STOCK, SERIES L 2.33%

ORACLE CORP DEPOSITARY SHARES EACH REPRESENTING A 1/2,000TH INTEREST IN A SHARE OF 6.50% SERIES D MANDATORY CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK 2.28%

HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE COMPANY 7.625% SERIES C MANDATORY CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK 1.76%

BANK OF AMERICA CORP 7.25% NON-CUMULATIVE PERPETUAL CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK SERIES L 1.45%

CITIGROUP CAPITAL XIII FIXED/FLOAT TRUST PREFERRED SECURITIES 1.31%

ALBEMARLE CORP DEPOSITARY SHARES EACH REPRESENTING A 1/20TH INTEREST IN A SHARE OF 7.25% SERIES A MANDATORY CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK 1.29%

Only in VBIL

TREASURY BILL, due Jul 9, 2026 6.78%

TREASURY BILL, due Aug 6, 2026 6.10%

TREASURY BILL, due Jul 2, 2026 5.61%

TREASURY BILL, due Jul 16, 2026 5.41%

TREASURY BILL, due Jul 23, 2026 5.18%

TREASURY BILL, due Jul 14, 2026 5.17%

TREASURY BILL, due Jul 21, 2026 5.15%

TREASURY BILL, due Jul 30, 2026 5.12%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

PFF iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF VBIL Vanguard 0-3 Month Treasury Bill ETF

Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF

Issuer iShares Vanguard

What it is Tracks an index of Preferred and Income Securities Tracks an index of 0-3 Month Treasury Bill

Total return, 1 year −4.2% +3.7%

Its benchmark over the same days +13.6% (MLRG) not measured

Gap to its benchmark −17.8 pts vs MLRG not measured

Expense ratio 0.45% 0.06%

Holdings 453 28

Net assets, PFF as of Oct 27, 2026 and VBIL as of Sep 30, 2026 $11.8bn $12.8bn

PFF and VBIL on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Alert

About each fund

PFF

PFF tracks an index of Preferred and Income Securities. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −4.2% with distributions reinvested, against +13.6% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.45% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 453 positions, with the top ten at 22.7%. It sat 7.1% below its high of May 8, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

VBIL

VBIL tracks an index of 0-3 Month Treasury Bill. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +3.7% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% a year.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, PFF or VBIL?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PFF returned −4.2% and VBIL +3.7%.
Which is cheaper, PFF or VBIL?: VBIL is cheaper, by 0.39 percentage points a year. That is about $39 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

BOXX vs PFF PFF vs VUSB PFF vs USFR PFF vs SHV VBIL vs VGLT TIP vs VBIL VBIL vs VCLT FLOT vs VBIL

Where to next

PFF on its own →VBIL on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →PFF dividend history →PFF holdings →VBIL dividend history →VBIL holdings →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

PFF filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

PFF prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for PFF ↗

VBIL filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

VBIL prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Vanguard page for VBIL ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. 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.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, PFF against VBIL, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/pff-vs-vbil

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