ETF Versus

BIL vs VGSH

State Street SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF vs Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index Fund ETF Shares

Last updated: 2026-04-10

BIL SPDR

State Street SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF (BIL) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to short-duration U.S. Treasury bonds with low interest rate risk. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.14%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.95%. Launched in 2007, the fund has a 19-year track record.

AUM: $51.5B ER: 0.14% Yield: 3.95% Since: May 25, 2007
VGSH Vanguard

Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index Fund ETF Shares (VGSH) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to short-duration U.S. Treasury bonds with low interest rate risk. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.03%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.92%. Launched in 2009, the fund has a 17-year track record.

AUM: $28.9B ER: 0.03% Yield: 3.92% Since: Nov 19, 2009

Quick Verdict

VGSH is significantly cheaper at 0.03% vs 0.14% expense ratio, saving you approximately $218 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Both funds have delivered similar 1-year returns (-0.0% vs -0.3%), tracking closely.

Key Metrics

Metric BIL VGSH
Expense Ratio 0.14% 0.03%
Dividend Yield 4.0% 3.9%
Fund Family SPDR Vanguard
Category US Short-Term Treasury US Short-Term Treasury

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

90 93 96 99 102 105 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
BIL +0.0%
VGSH -5.0%

Performance Comparison

Period BIL VGSH Difference
1 Month +0.03% -0.27% +0.30%
3 Months +0.01% -0.51% +0.52%
6 Months -0.10% -0.68% +0.58%
YTD +0.08% -0.53% +0.61%
1 Year -0.03% -0.27% +0.24%
3 Years -0.08% +0.02% -0.10%
5 Years +0.00% -4.98% +4.98%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period BIL Fees VGSH Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $278 $60 $218
$10,000 20 years $1,194 $258 $935
$10,000 30 years $3,841 $835 $3,005
$50,000 10 years $1,391 $299 $1,092
$50,000 30 years $19,203 $4,176 $15,027
$100,000 30 years $38,406 $8,352 $30,054

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric BIL VGSH
Annualized Volatility 1.1% 2.1%
Max Drawdown -0.7% -7.0%
Sharpe Ratio -4.13 -2.58

Dividend Comparison

Metric BIL VGSH
Annual Dividend (per share) $3.62 $2.29
Dividend Yield 3.95% 3.92%
Distribution Frequency Monthly Monthly

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose VGSH 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 us short-term treasury exposure. Both are solid options — pick whichever your brokerage offers commission-free.

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