Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
TLT vs VT: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, TLT returned −7.9% to VT's +13.5%; 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 $81.8bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Total World Stock Index ETF.
Pair scorecard
VT costs 0.09 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 21.4 points; VT is 1.8 times larger.
| Measure | TLT | VT |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −7.9% | +13.5% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 42.6%, high on Aug 4, 2020 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | ICE U.S. Treasury 20+ Year Bond Index | FTSE Global All Cap Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.06% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $46.2bn | $81.8bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 55% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 22.5% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jul 3, 2008 to Oct 23, 2026 · 955 weekly returnsVT returned more: +371.6% to +53.7%. TLT swung less: 14.4% to 18.3%. TLT and VT fell about the same at their worst: −47.8% and −48.3%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | TLT | VT | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +53.7% | +371.6% | VT | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +2.4% | +8.8% | VT | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −11.7% | +221.4% | VT | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 14.4% | 18.3% | TLT | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 10.1% | 13.1% | TLT | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −47.8% | −48.3% | Tie | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.13 | 0.48 | VT | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.19 | 0.66 | VT | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.05 | 0.18 | VT | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 955 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, TLT and VT 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 VT on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
TLT and VT 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 VT follows FTSE Global All Cap 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 VT +13.5% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 21.4 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.
VT
VT tracks an index of Total World Stock. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 55% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 10,194 positions, with the top ten at 22.5%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, TLT or VT?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, TLT returned −7.9% and VT +13.5%.
- Which is cheaper, TLT or VT?
- VT is cheaper, by 0.09 percentage points a year. That is about $9 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 VT, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/tlt-vs-vt
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). TLT against VT. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/tlt-vs-vt
[TLT against VT (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/tlt-vs-vt)
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