| VTI | IWM | |
|---|---|---|
| Total return | +298.3% | +156.8% |
| Annualised (CAGR) | +14.8% | +9.9% |
| Volatility (annualised) | +15.7% | +20.8% |
| Sharpe (rf = 0) | 0.94 | 0.47 |
| Deepest drawdown | -35.0% | -41.1% |
| Drawdown peak → trough | 2020-02-19 → 2020-03-23 | 2018-08-31 → 2020-03-23 |
| Fee (annual expense ratio) | 0.03% | 0.19% |
| Dividend yield (12m distributions) | 1.05% (as of 2026-09-29) | 0.98% (as of 2026-09-29) |
Fee (expense ratio): IWM 0.19% a year vs VTI 0.03% — 0.16 percentage points apart, and both already deducted from every number above. What that gap compounds to over a decade: fee impact calculator.
Income: over the last 12 months VTI distributed 1.05% of its price and IWM 0.98% (percentages as of 2026-09-29 / 2026-09-29). Those are past distributions, not a promise of future income — and a lower-paying fund can still end up ahead once price changes are included; see how we count dividends.
Same window, same method: IWM fell further at its worst (-41.1%) than VTI (-35.0%). That difference — not the headline return — is usually what decides whether an investor stays in the fund through the bad part.
| Year | VTI | IWM |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | +12.9% | +13.8% | ▼
| 2025 | +17.1% | +12.7% | ▲
| 2024 | +23.8% | +11.4% | ▲
| 2023 | +26.1% | +16.8% | ▲
| 2022 | -19.5% | -20.5% | ▲
| 2021 | +25.7% | +14.5% | ▲
| 2020 | +21.0% | +20.0% | ▲
| 2019 | +30.7% | +25.4% | ▲
| 2018 | -5.2% | -11.1% | ▲
| 2017 | +21.2% | +14.6% | ▲
| 2016 | +5.0% | +10.2% | ▼
It does not say which one to own. Two funds can look identical here and differ in what they hold, how they are taxed, or how they behave in the next drawdown.
More comparisons: VOO vs VTI · VOO vs SPY · VTI vs ITOT · Related funds: VTI · IWM · Funds · all comparisons