ETF Versus

ACWI vs VT

iShares MSCI ACWI ETF vs Vanguard Total World Stock Index Fund ETF Shares

Last updated: 2026-04-10

ACWI iShares

iShares MSCI ACWI ETF (ACWI) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to global equity securities. It charges an above-average expense ratio of 0.32%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.51%. Launched in 2008, the fund has a 18-year track record.

AUM: $29.5B ER: 0.32% Yield: 1.51% Since: Mar 26, 2008
VT Vanguard

Vanguard Total World Stock Index Fund ETF Shares (VT) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to global equity securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.06%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.74%. Launched in 2008, the fund has a 18-year track record.

AUM: $66.1B ER: 0.06% Yield: 1.74% Since: Jun 24, 2008

Quick Verdict

VT is significantly cheaper at 0.06% vs 0.32% expense ratio, saving you approximately $512 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Both funds have delivered similar 1-year returns (32.8% vs 33.3%), tracking closely.

Key Metrics

Metric ACWI VT
Expense Ratio 0.32% 0.06%
Dividend Yield 1.5% 1.7%
Fund Family iShares Vanguard
Category Global Equity Global Equity

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

75 91 107 123 139 155 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
ACWI +48.2%
VT +44.9%

Performance Comparison

Period ACWI VT Difference
1 Month +1.53% +1.41% +0.12%
3 Months -0.17% -0.13% -0.04%
6 Months +5.30% +5.63% -0.33%
YTD +1.85% +2.08% -0.23%
1 Year +32.84% +33.25% -0.41%
3 Years +58.61% +57.14% +1.47%
5 Years +48.15% +44.87% +3.28%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period ACWI Fees VT Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $631 $120 $512
$10,000 20 years $2,686 $515 $2,171
$10,000 30 years $8,571 $1,664 $6,907
$50,000 10 years $3,156 $598 $2,558
$50,000 30 years $42,854 $8,318 $34,535
$100,000 30 years $85,707 $16,637 $69,070

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric ACWI VT
Annualized Volatility 16.1% 16.1%
Max Drawdown -27.7% -28.0%
Sharpe Ratio 0.29 0.26

Dividend Comparison

Metric ACWI VT
Annual Dividend (per share) $2.20 $2.52
Dividend Yield 1.51% 1.73%
Distribution Frequency Semi-Annual or Annual Quarterly

Top Holdings

9 of top 9 holdings overlap (100% overlap in top holdings)

ACWI Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA4.66%
Apple Inc.AAPL4.00%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT2.78%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN2.24%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO1.66%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG1.61%
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited!tpe/23301.59%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META1.40%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA1.02%

VT Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA3.78%
Apple Inc.AAPL3.51%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT2.65%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN1.84%
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited!tpe/23301.38%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO1.34%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG1.34%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META1.29%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA1.03%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose VT if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Either works if...

you just need broad global equity exposure. Both are solid options — pick whichever your brokerage offers commission-free.

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