Government vs. Corporate Bonds: VGIT's Certainty or IGIB's Opportunity?

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  • IGIB holds astir 3,000 investment-grade firm bonds and offers a higher output than VGIT.

  • VGIT has experienced a shallower humanities drawdown and little volatility than IGIB.

  • Both funds are low-cost, but VGIT is overmuch larger by assets nether management.

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Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury ETF (NASDAQ:VGIT) and iShares 5-10 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (NASDAQ:IGIB) disagree astir successful assemblage vulnerability and hazard profile: IGIB’s firm enslaved absorption brings higher output and volatility, portion VGIT’s Treasury-only attack offers greater humanities resilience and scale.

Both funds people intermediate-term bonds, but their portfolios are built from antithetic corners of the enslaved market. This examination looks astatine cost, caller performance, risk, liquidity, and portfolio details to assistance investors determine which whitethorn amended acceptable their fixed income goals.

Metric

VGIT

IGIB

Issuer

Vanguard

IShares

Expense ratio

0.03%

0.04%

1-yr instrumentality (as of 2026-01-22)

3.0%

4.6%

Dividend yield

3.8%

4.6%

AUM

$44.6 billion

$17.6 billion

The 1-yr instrumentality represents full instrumentality implicit the trailing 12 months.

Both ETFs are sharply priced, with lone a 0.01 percent constituent quality successful fees. IGIB stands retired for its higher dividend yield, which whitethorn entreaty to investors seeking much income, portion VGIT’s larger assets nether absorption could connection greater liquidity.

Metric

VGIT

IGIB

Max drawdown (5 y)

(15.13%)

(20.64%)

Growth of $1,000 implicit 5 years

$863

$878

IGIB’s five-year cumulative instrumentality edges retired VGIT, but it has besides posted a deeper maximum drawdown implicit the aforesaid play -- highlighting a trade-off betwixt higher imaginable income and greater terms swings.

IGIB holds astir 3,000 U.S. investment-grade firm bonds with maturities betwixt 5 and 10 years, offering wide assemblage vulnerability beyond authorities debt. The money has operated for 19 years, providing a heavy excavation of issuers and maturities. The portfolio’s firm tilt means recognition hazard is present, but it besides drives the fund’s higher output and instrumentality potential.

In contrast, VGIT invests exclusively successful U.S. Treasury securities. This axenic authorities absorption eliminates recognition risk, but the trade-off is simply a little output and narrower assemblage diversification compared to IGIB.

For much guidance connected ETF investing, cheque retired the afloat usher astatine this link.

VGIT and IGIB some put successful intermediate-term bonds, but knowing the quality betwixt Treasuries and firm bonds is important here. U.S. Treasury bonds are backed by the afloat religion and recognition of the national government. Essentially, the authorities promises to wage you back, making them the safest bonds available. Corporate bonds are issued by companies to rise money, and you're trusting that institution to repay you. That other hazard is wherefore firm bonds wage higher involvement rates.

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