ETF Versus

IWF vs VWO

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF vs Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund

Last updated: 2026-04-10

IWF iShares

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. growth stocks with above-average earnings potential. It charges a moderate expense ratio of 0.18%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.38%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $116.5B ER: 0.18% Yield: 0.38% Since: May 22, 2000
VWO Vanguard

Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund (VWO) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to stocks in emerging market economies with higher growth potential. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.06%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 2.64%. Launched in 2005, the fund has a 21-year track record.

AUM: $114.9B ER: 0.06% Yield: 2.64% Since: Mar 4, 2005

Quick Verdict

VWO is significantly cheaper at 0.06% vs 0.18% expense ratio, saving you approximately $237 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Over the past year, VWO has significantly outperformed with a 35.4% return vs 29.9%. Income investors may prefer VWO for its higher yield (2.6% vs 0.4%).

Key Metrics

Metric IWF VWO
Expense Ratio 0.18% 0.06%
Dividend Yield 0.4% 2.6%
Fund Family iShares Vanguard
Category US Large Cap Growth Emerging Markets

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

65 90 115 140 165 190 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
IWF +73.8%
VWO +9.5%

Performance Comparison

Period IWF VWO Difference
1 Month -1.05% +2.17% -3.22%
3 Months -6.42% +0.84% -7.26%
6 Months -4.69% +5.12% -9.81%
YTD -5.33% +3.34% -8.67%
1 Year +29.88% +35.35% -5.47%
3 Years +84.44% +39.47% +44.97%
5 Years +73.81% +9.46% +64.35%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period IWF Fees VWO Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $357 $120 $237
$10,000 20 years $1,529 $515 $1,014
$10,000 30 years $4,912 $1,664 $3,248
$50,000 10 years $1,786 $598 $1,187
$50,000 30 years $24,558 $8,318 $16,240
$100,000 30 years $49,116 $16,637 $32,479

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric IWF VWO
Annualized Volatility 21.4% 17.4%
Max Drawdown -33.1% -35.9%
Sharpe Ratio 0.42 -0.07

Dividend Comparison

Metric IWF VWO
Annual Dividend (per share) $1.69 $1.45
Dividend Yield 0.38% 2.56%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

0 of top 8 holdings overlap (0% overlap in top holdings)

IWF Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA12.99%
Apple Inc.AAPL11.43%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT8.59%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO5.22%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN4.76%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META3.56%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA3.15%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG3.03%
Eli Lilly and CompanyLLY2.65%

VWO Top Holdings

NameWeight
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited!tpe/233012.71%
Tencent Holdings Limited!hkg/07003.44%
Alibaba Group Holding Limited!otc/BABAF2.74%
HDFC Bank Limited!nse/HDFCBANK0.93%
Reliance Industries Limited!nse/RELIANCE0.88%
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.!tpe/23170.78%
MediaTek Inc.!tpe/24540.76%
China Construction Bank Corporation!hkg/09390.75%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose VWO if...

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

Choose VWO if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

Choose VWO if...

you prioritize dividend income and want higher regular distributions from your portfolio.

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