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

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, TLT returned −7.9% and VCSH +1.3%.

Which is cheaper, TLT or VCSH?

VCSH is cheaper, by 0.12 percentage points a year. That is about $12 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

TLT vs VCSH: Differences, Returns & Fees

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TLT's duration was 15.1 years on Aug 31, 2026 and VCSH's 2.7 on May 31, 2026; VCSH charges 0.03% to TLT's 0.15%.

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Net assets: $47.4bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF, and $43.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF.

TLT on its own →VCSH on its own →

At a glance

−7.9%

TLT total return, 1 year

+1.3%

VCSH total return, 1 year

0.15%

TLT expense ratio

0.03%

VCSH expense ratio

Pair scorecard

VCSH costs 0.12 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 9.2 points; TLT is 1.1 times larger.

TLT vs VCSH: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	TLT	VCSH
Return
Measure	TLT	VCSH
Total return, 1 year	−7.9%	+1.3%
Drawdown
Measure	TLT	VCSH
Below its high	42.6%, high on Aug 4, 2020
Benchmark
Measure	TLT	VCSH
What it tracks	ICE U.S. Treasury 20+ Year Bond Index	Bloomberg U.S. 1-5 Year Corporate Bond Index
Cost and size
Measure	TLT	VCSH
Expense ratio	0.15%	0.03%
Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026	$46.2bn	$43.9bn
Holdings
Measure	TLT	VCSH
Holdings in common	0%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026. Method

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, TLT and VCSH hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first TLT VCSH

Only in one fund ↓

Only in TLT

U.S. Treasury Bonds, due May 15, 2055 4.46%

U.S. Treasury Bonds, due May 15, 2054 4.40%

U.S. Treasury Bonds, due Aug 15, 2053 4.18%

U.S. Treasury Bonds, due Feb 15, 2054 4.03%

U.S. Treasury Bonds, due Feb 15, 2056 3.94%

U.S. Treasury Bonds, due Aug 15, 2054 3.94%

U.S. Treasury Bonds, due Nov 15, 2053 3.92%

U.S. Treasury Bonds, due Feb 15, 2055 3.80%

Only in VCSH

US TREASURY N/B, due May 31, 2028 0.83%

BANK OF AMER CRP, due Dec 20, 2028 0.23%

ABBVIE INC, due Nov 21, 2029 0.21%

CVS HEALTH CORP, due Mar 25, 2028 0.20%

T-MOBILE USA INC, due Apr 15, 2030 0.19%

BOEING CO, due May 1, 2030 0.19%

WELLS FARGO CO, due Jul 25, 2029 0.18%

JPMORGAN CHASE, due Apr 23, 2032 0.18%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

TLT iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF VCSH Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF

Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF

Issuer iShares Vanguard

What it is Tracks an index of 20+ year Treasuries Tracks an index of Short-Term Corporate Bond

Total return, 1 year −7.9% +1.3%

Its benchmark over the same days −7.8% (BBLB) +1.3% (SCHJ)

Gap to its benchmark −0.1 pts vs BBLB 0.0 pts vs SCHJ

Expense ratio 0.15% 0.03%

Holdings 47 3064

Net assets, TLT as of Oct 27, 2026 and VCSH as of Sep 30, 2026 $47.4bn $43.9bn

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

Alert

About each fund

TLT

TLT tracks an index of 20+ year Treasuries. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −7.9% with distributions reinvested, against −7.8% for its benchmark, the ICE U.S. Treasury 20+ Year Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. It sat 42.6% below its high of Aug 4, 2020 on Oct 28, 2026.

VCSH

VCSH tracks an index of Short-Term Corporate Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +1.3% with distributions reinvested, against +1.3% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. 1-5 Year Corporate Bond Index. 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 Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, TLT returned −7.9% and VCSH +1.3%.
Which is cheaper, TLT or VCSH?: VCSH is cheaper, by 0.12 percentage points a year. That is about $12 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

BSV vs TLT IGSB vs TLT SPSB vs TLT BND vs TLT EDV vs VCSH VCSH vs VGLT AGG vs VCSH BND vs VCSH

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

TLT filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

TLT prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for TLT ↗

VCSH filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

VCSH prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Vanguard page for VCSH ↗

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.

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ETFIQ, TLT against VCSH, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/tlt-vs-vcsh

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