Which returned more over the last year, TLT or VCSH?

In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, TLT returned −6.4% and VCSH returned +1.6%, so VCSH returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, TLT or VCSH?

TLT charges 0.15% a year and VCSH charges 0.03%, so VCSH is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

TLT vs VCSH: how they differ

TLT and VCSH hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and VCSH returned more over the year.

iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF and Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond Index Fund.

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, TLT and VCSH hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.

Largest positions each one holds and the other does not
Only in TLT	Only in VCSH
TREASURY BOND (2OLD) 4.16%	United States Treasury Note/Bond 0.85%
TREASURY BOND (OLD) 4.05%	Bank of America Corp 0.24%
TREASURY BOND (OTR) 1.03%	AbbVie Inc 0.21%
TREASURY BOND 0.02%	CVS Health Corp 0.21%
	T-Mobile USA Inc 0.20%
	Boeing Co/The 0.20%
	Wells Fargo & Co 0.18%
	JPMorgan Chase & Co 0.18%

Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Sep 10, 2026.

TLT and VCSH on the fields both publish, as of Sep 13, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	TLT iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF	VCSH Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond Index Fund
Where it sits	Core index fund	Core index fund
Issuer	iShares	Vanguard
What it is	20+ year Treasuries	Short-Term Corporate Bond
Total return, 1 year	−6.4%	+1.6%
S&P 500 over the same days	+17.5%	+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500	−23.9 pts	−15.9 pts
Expense ratio	0.15%	0.03%
Holdings	41	2999

TLT in plain words

TLT is a bond fund tracking the 20+ year Treasuries. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned −6.4% 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. It sat 42.9% below its high of Aug 4, 2020 on Sep 11, 2026.

VCSH in plain words

VCSH is a bond fund tracking the Short-Term Corporate Bond. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +1.6% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, TLT or VCSH?: In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, TLT returned −6.4% and VCSH returned +1.6%, so VCSH returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, TLT or VCSH?: TLT charges 0.15% a year and VCSH charges 0.03%, so VCSH is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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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.

TLT against VCSH, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 13, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, TLT against VCSH, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/tlt-vs-vcsh Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources