Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
TLT vs VEA: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, TLT returned −7.9% to VEA's +17.1%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $47.4bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF, and $231.6bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF.
Pair scorecard
VEA costs 0.12 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 25.0 points; VEA is 5.0 times larger.
| Measure | TLT | VEA |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −7.9% | +17.1% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 42.6%, high on Aug 4, 2020 | 4.4%, high on Aug 25, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | ICE U.S. Treasury 20+ Year Bond Index | FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $46.2bn | $231.6bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 13.6% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Aug 3, 2007 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,003 weekly returnsVEA returned more: +160.9% to +67.9%. TLT swung less: 14.3% to 19.5%. TLT fell less at its worst: −47.8% to −59.0%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | TLT | VEA | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +67.9% | +160.9% | VEA | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +2.7% | +5.1% | VEA | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −7.5% | +46.4% | VEA | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 14.3% | 19.5% | TLT | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 10.0% | 14.2% | TLT | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −47.8% | −59.0% | TLT | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.15 | 0.28 | VEA | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.22 | 0.38 | VEA | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.06 | 0.09 | VEA | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,003 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, TLT and VEA hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
TLT and VEA on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
TLT and VEA do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. TLT follows ICE U.S. Treasury 20+ Year Bond Index and VEA follows FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 TLT returned −7.9% and VEA +17.1% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 25.0 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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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.
VEA
VEA tracks an index of Developed markets ex US. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +17.1% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 3,906 positions, with the top ten at 13.6%. It sat 4.4% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, TLT or VEA?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, TLT returned −7.9% and VEA +17.1%.
- Which is cheaper, TLT or VEA?
- VEA 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.
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, TLT against VEA, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/tlt-vs-vea
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). TLT against VEA. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/tlt-vs-vea
[TLT against VEA (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/tlt-vs-vea)
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