Which returned more over the last year, UCON or VTC?

In the year to Oct 9, 2026, with distributions reinvested, UCON returned −0.7% and VTC −1.9%.

Which is cheaper, UCON or VTC?

VTC is cheaper, by 0.83 percentage points a year. That is about $83 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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UCON vs VTC: Differences, Returns & Fees

On May 31, 2026 UCON's duration was 4.4 years and VTC's 6.6; VTC charges 0.03% to UCON's 0.86%. Net assets: $3.1bn on Oct 9, 2026 for First Trust Smith Unconstrained Bond ETF, and $1.6bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Total Corporate Bond ETF.

VTC costs 0.83 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.2 points; UCON is 1.9 times larger.

UCON vs VTC: Differences, Returns & Fees
	UCON	VTC
Expense ratio	0.86%	0.03%
Net assets, as of May 31, 2026	$3.3bn	$1.8bn
Total return, 1 year	−0.7%	−1.9%
What it tracks	No index, actively managed	Bloomberg U.S. Corporate Bond Index
Holdings in common	3%
Below its high	3.2%, high on Jun 29, 2026	4.0%, high on Feb 27, 2026

Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 31, 2026.

−0.7%

UCON total return, 1 year

−1.9%

VTC total return, 1 year

0.86%

UCON expense ratio

0.03%

VTC expense ratio

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, UCON and VTC hold 3% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated May 31, 2026.

50%

half

3% in common

Positions both hold, largest shared weight first

Holding UCON VTC

BAC V4.477 04/23/30, due Apr 23, 2030 0.38% 0.20%

GS V4.516 01/21/32, due Jan 21, 2032 0.18% 0.13%

AMZN 4.875 03/13/36, due Mar 13, 2036 0.25% 0.12%

ORCL 5.7 02/04/36, due Feb 4, 2036 0.14% 0.10%

WFC V5.499 01/23/35, due Jan 23, 2035 0.14% 0.07%

GOOGL 4.8 02/15/36, due Feb 15, 2036 0.08% 0.07%

WFC V5.605 04/23/36, due Apr 23, 2036 0.20% 0.07%

JPM V2.069 06/01/29, due Jun 1, 2029 0.15% 0.07%

CRM 5.55 03/15/36, due Mar 15, 2036 0.27% 0.06%

ORCL 4.95 02/04/31, due Feb 4, 2031 0.15% 0.06%

MS V4.788 05/10/30 BKNT, due May 10, 2030 0.13% 0.06%

BAC V2.087 06/14/29 MTN, due Jun 14, 2029 0.30% 0.06%

Only in UCON

T 3.375 02/29/28, due Feb 29, 2028 2.33%

T 4.625 11/15/45, due Nov 15, 2045 2.13%

T 4.75 02/15/56, due Feb 15, 2056 2.12%

T 4.375 05/15/36, due May 15, 2036 1.69%

T 3.875 04/30/31, due Apr 30, 2031 1.18%

T 4.625 11/15/55, due Nov 15, 2055 1.04%

FN BM7755, due Jun 1, 2064 0.96%

FNR 2024-82 CF, due Nov 25, 2054 0.73%

Only in VTC

US TREASURY N/B, due May 31, 2028 0.32%

GOLDMAN SACHS GP, due Apr 20, 2034 0.14%

BANK OF AMER CRP, due Jan 24, 2029 0.14%

ANHEUSER-BUSCH, due Feb 1, 2046 0.10%

ANHEUSER-BUSCH, due Feb 1, 2036 0.10%

GOLDMAN SACHS GP, due Jan 21, 2037 0.10%

META PLATFORMS, due Nov 15, 2035 0.10%

MORGAN STANLEY, due Nov 19, 2055 0.09%

Check overlap with more funds →

On the same fields

UCON

First Trust Smith Unconstrained Bond ETF

VTC

Vanguard Total Corporate Bond ETF

Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF

Issuer First Trust Vanguard

What it is Actively managed Tracks an index

Total return, 1 year −0.7% −1.9%

Its benchmark over the same days not published −1.8% (SPBO)

Gap to its benchmark not available −0.1 pts vs SPBO

Expense ratio 0.86% 0.03%

Holdings 453 5316

Net assets, UCON as of Oct 9, 2026 and VTC as of Sep 30, 2026 $3.1bn $1.6bn

UCON and VTC on the fields both publish, as of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

About UCON

UCON is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned −0.7% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.86% a year. It sat 3.2% below its high of Jun 29, 2026 on Oct 9, 2026.

About VTC

VTC tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned −1.9% with distributions reinvested, against −1.8% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Corporate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. It sat 4.0% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Oct 9, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, UCON or VTC?: In the year to Oct 9, 2026, with distributions reinvested, UCON returned −0.7% and VTC −1.9%.
Which is cheaper, UCON or VTC?: VTC is cheaper, by 0.83 percentage points a year. That is about $83 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

CORP vs UCON BSCW vs UCON IBDX vs UCON IGEB vs UCON CGMS vs VTC CORP vs VTC BSCW vs VTC BSCX vs VTC

UCON on its own →VTC on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →Standards and sources →

Where these figures came from

UCON filings on SEC EDGAR ↗UCON prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗First Trust page for UCON ↗VTC filings on SEC EDGAR ↗VTC prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗Vanguard page for VTC ↗

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. 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, UCON against VTC, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ucon-vs-vtc

Open data

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