25 important things you should know about IVV ETF before you buy it

Jennalyn Sobrevilla Updated: May 22, 2019

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Are you evaluating IVV ETF as a potential investment? Are you looking to get the full scoop on this fund, as well as learn about alternatives to investing in it? If so, you came to the right place.

In this IVV ETF review, we’ll address key questions our readers have been asking us about this fund, above and beyond what you can find in its prospectus, and on Morningstar or Yahoo Finance.

Here is what you’ll be able to find in this review:

The Basics: IVV performance, returns, expense ratio, holdings and dividend yield;
The Analysis: the pros and cons of investing in IVV ETF;
The Alternatives: other ETFs and mutual funds you should consider as alternatives to IVV.
The Bonus:

And here is the list of questions we’ll answer:

Describe iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV).
What is IVV underlying index?
What are IVV holdings?
How did IVV perform historically? What were the historical returns?
How many up and down years did IVV have historically?
What is IVV dividend yield?
What is IVV expense ratio?
What is IVV tax efficiency (tax-cost ratio)?
What is IVV beta? How would you assess IVV risk?
What is IVV Sharpe ratio?
What are the pros of investing in IVV? What are IVV positives?
What are the cons of investing in IVV? What are IVV negatives?
Compare and contrast: IVV vs SCHB.
Compare and contrast: IVV vs SPHQ.
Compare and contrast: IVV vs SPLV.
Compare and contrast: IVV vs SPHB.
Compare and contrast: IVV vs VQT.
Compare and contrast: IVV vs RSP.
Compare and contrast: IVV vs VOO.
Compare and contrast: IVV vs SPY.
Compare and contrast: IVV vs ITOT.
Compare and contrast: IVV vs VTI.
Compare and contrast: IVV vs IVW.
Compare and contrast: IVV vs QQQ.
Compare and contrast: IVV vs VTSAX.

So let’s start. Scroll down to the question that interests you the most.

The Basics

1. Describe iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV).

The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the S&P 500 Index. Uses a replication strategy to try to track the Index, which includes approximately 77% of the market capitalization of all publicly traded US equity securities.

2. What is IVV underlying index?

S&P 500.

3. What are IVV top holdings?

IVV has 505 stock holdings and 0 bond holdings.

The top 10 holdings represent 21.51% of total assets. Here are the top holdings:

Name	Symbol	% Assets
Microsoft Corp	MSFT	3.82%
Apple Inc	AAPL	3.67%
Amazon.com Inc	AMZN	3.13%
Facebook Inc A	FB	1.76%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc B	BRK.B	1.68%
Alphabet Inc Class C	GOOG	1.54%
Alphabet Inc A	GOOGL	1.51%
JPMorgan Chase & Co	JPM	1.50%
Johnson & Johnson	JNJ	1.49%
Exxon Mobil Corp	XOM	1.41%

4. How did IVV perform historically? What were the historical returns?

IVV has generated the following returns:

1-month return is -1.19%;
3-month return is 3.55%;
1-year return is 7.24%;
3-year return is 14.02%;
5-year return is 10.99%;
10-year return is 14.76%;
15-year return is 8.85%.

5. How many up and down years did IVV have historically?

In the last 10 years, IVV had 9 up years and 1 down year.

6. What is IVV dividend yield?

IVV yield is 1.92%.

7. What is IVV expense ratio?

IVV expense ratio is 0.04%. The expense ratio of a fund is the total percentage of fund assets used for administrative, management, and all other expenses.

8. What is IVV tax efficiency (tax-cost ratio)?

1-year ax cost ratio is 0.55%;
3-year ax cost ratio is 0.49%.

9. What is IVV beta? How would you assess IVV risk?

3-year beta is 1.00;
5-year beta is 1.00;
10-year beta is 1.00;
15-year beta is 1.00.

10. What is IVV Sharpe ratio?

3-year Sharpe ratio is 1.11;
5-year Sharpe ratio is 0.91;
10-year Sharpe ratio is 1.19;
15-year Sharpe ratio is 0.57.

The Analysis

11. What are the pros of investing in IVV? What are IVV positives?

The following are IVV strengths from our perspective:

IVV net assets are $175.25 billion. This fund is a popular choice with retail and institutional investors.
IVV 3-year return is 14.02%, which is in line with the 3-year return of the benchmark index (S&P 500 TR USD), 14.07%.
IVV 5-year return is 10.99%, which is in line with the 5-year return of the benchmark index (S&P 500 TR USD), 11.04%.
IVV 10-year return is 14.76%, which is in line with the 10-year return of the benchmark index (S&P 500 TR USD), 14.85%.
IVV 15-year return is 8.85%, which is in line with the 15-year return of the benchmark index (S&P 500 TR USD), 8.91%.
IVV expense ratio is 0.04%, which is considered low. Nice job picking a low-cost fund.

12. What are the cons of investing in IVV? What are IVV negatives?

There are no visible red flags.

The Alternatives

13. Compare and contrast: IVV vs SCHB.

Both IVV and SCHB are ETFs. IVV has a higher 5-year return than SCHB (10.99% vs 10.58%). IVV has a higher expense ratio than SCHB (0.04% vs 0.03%). Below is the comparison between IVV and SCHB.

	IVV	SCHB
Segment	Equity: U.S. - Large Cap	Equity: U.S. - Total Market
Net Assets	$175.25B	$14.72B
Expense Ratio	0.04%	0.03%
Management Style	passive (index-based)	passive (index-based)
Underlying Index	S&P 500	Dow Jones U.S. Broad Stock Market Index
YTD Return	14.88%	15.19%
1-Year Return	7.24%	6.16%
3-Year Return	14.02%	13.96%
5-Year Return	10.99%	10.58%
10-Year Return	14.76%	N/A
Dividend Yield	1.92%	1.89%

SCHB profile: The Fund seeks diversified exposure across large- and small-cap U.S. stocks. It seeks investment results that track performance, before fees and expenses, of the approximately 2,500-stock Dow Jones U.S. Broad Stock Market Index.

14. Compare and contrast: IVV vs SPHQ.

Both IVV and SPHQ are ETFs. IVV has a lower 5-year return than SPHQ (10.99% vs 11.12%). IVV has a lower expense ratio than SPHQ (0.04% vs 0.29%). Below is the comparison between IVV and SPHQ.

	IVV	SPHQ
Segment	Equity: U.S. - Large Cap	Equity: U.S. - Large Cap
Net Assets	$175.25B	$1.44B
Expense Ratio	0.04%	0.29%
Management Style	passive (index-based)	passive (index-based)
Underlying Index	S&P 500	S&P 500 Quality Index
YTD Return	14.88%	16.91%
1-Year Return	7.24%	8.44%
3-Year Return	14.02%	11.75%
5-Year Return	10.99%	11.12%
10-Year Return	14.76%	14.89%
Dividend Yield	1.92%	1.56%

SPHQ profile: The Fund seeks investment results that correspond to an equity index called the Value Line Timeliness Select Index. The Fund will normally invest at least 90% of its total assets in common stocks that comprise the Value Line Index.

15. Compare and contrast: IVV vs SPLV.

Both IVV and SPLV are ETFs. IVV has a lower 5-year return than SPLV (10.99% vs 11.74%). IVV has a lower expense ratio than SPLV (0.04% vs 0.25%). Below is the comparison between IVV and SPLV.

	IVV	SPLV
Segment	Equity: U.S. - Large Cap	Equity: U.S. - Large Cap
Net Assets	$175.25B	$10.30B
Expense Ratio	0.04%	0.25%
Management Style	passive (index-based)	passive (index-based)
Underlying Index	S&P 500	S&P 500 Low Volatility Index
YTD Return	14.88%	16.14%
1-Year Return	7.24%	18.39%
3-Year Return	14.02%	12.45%
5-Year Return	10.99%	11.74%
10-Year Return	14.76%	N/A
Dividend Yield	1.92%	2.02%

SPLV profile: The Fund seeks investment results that correspond to the S&P 500 Low Volatility Index. This Index consists of the 100 stocks from the S&P 500 Index with the lowest realized volatility over the past 12 months. The Fund will invest at least 90% of its total assets in common stocks that comprise the Underlying Index.

16. Compare and contrast: IVV vs SPHB.

Both IVV and SPHB are ETFs. IVV has a higher 5-year return than SPHB (10.99% vs 7.56%). IVV has a lower expense ratio than SPHB (0.04% vs 0.25%). Below is the comparison between IVV and SPHB.

	IVV	SPHB
Segment	Equity: U.S. - Large Cap	Equity: U.S. - Large Cap
Net Assets	$175.25B	$351.11M
Expense Ratio	0.04%	0.25%
Management Style	passive (index-based)	passive (index-based)
Underlying Index	S&P 500	S&P 500 High Beta Index
YTD Return	14.88%	17.53%
1-Year Return	7.24%	-5.44%
3-Year Return	14.02%	13.86%
5-Year Return	10.99%	7.56%
10-Year Return	14.76%	N/A
Dividend Yield	1.92%	1.5%

SPHB profile: The Fund seeks investment results that correspond to the S&P 500 High Beta Index. This Index consists of the 100 stocks from the S&P 500 Index with the highest sensitivity to market movements, or beta, over the past 12 months. The Fund will typically invest at least 90% of its assets in stocks in the Underlying Index.

17. Compare and contrast: IVV vs VQT.

Both IVV and VQT are ETFs. IVV has a higher 5-year return than VQT (10.99% vs 2.41%). Below is the comparison between IVV and VQT.

	IVV	VQT
Segment	Equity: U.S. - Large Cap	Equity: U.S. - Large Cap
Net Assets	$175.25B	$19.53M
Expense Ratio	0.04%	0.95
Management Style	passive (index-based)	passive (index-based)
Underlying Index	S&P 500	S&P 500 Dynamic VEQTOR Index
YTD Return	14.88%	4.9%
1-Year Return	7.24%	-1.74%
3-Year Return	14.02%	5.65%
5-Year Return	10.99%	2.41%
10-Year Return	14.76%	N/A
Dividend Yield	1.92%	N/A

18. Compare and contrast: IVV vs RSP.

Both IVV and RSP are ETFs. IVV has a higher 5-year return than RSP (10.99% vs 9.16%). IVV has a lower expense ratio than RSP (0.04% vs 0.2%). Below is the comparison between IVV and RSP.

	IVV	RSP
Segment	Equity: U.S. - Large Cap	Equity: U.S. - Large Cap
Net Assets	$175.25B	$15.86B
Expense Ratio	0.04%	0.2%
Management Style	passive (index-based)	passive (index-based)
Underlying Index	S&P 500	S&P 500 Equal Weight Index
YTD Return	14.88%	15.09%
1-Year Return	7.24%	4.7%
3-Year Return	14.02%	11.86%
5-Year Return	10.99%	9.16%
10-Year Return	14.76%	15.3%
Dividend Yield	1.92%	1.82%

RSP profile: The Fund seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the performance of the equal-weighted S&P 500 Index. The Fund uses a passive management strategy to track the performance of the underlying index.

19. Compare and contrast: IVV vs VOO.

Both IVV and VOO are ETFs. IVV has a lower 5-year return than VOO (10.99% vs 11%). IVV has a higher expense ratio than VOO (0.04% vs 0.03%). Below is the comparison between IVV and VOO.

	IVV	VOO
Segment	Equity: U.S. - Large Cap	Equity: U.S. - Large Cap
Net Assets	$175.25B	$110.69B
Expense Ratio	0.04%	0.03%
Management Style	passive (index-based)	passive (index-based)
Underlying Index	S&P 500	S&P 500
YTD Return	14.88%	14.91%
1-Year Return	7.24%	7.24%
3-Year Return	14.02%	14.03%
5-Year Return	10.99%	11%
10-Year Return	14.76%	14.8%
Dividend Yield	1.92%	1.97%

VOO profile: The Fund seeks to track the performance of its benchmark index, the S&P 500. The Fund employs an indexing investment approach. The Fund attempts to replicate the target index by investing all of its assets in the stocks that make up the Index with the same approximate weightings as the Index.

20. Compare and contrast: IVV vs SPY.

Both IVV and SPY are ETFs. IVV has a higher 5-year return than SPY (10.99% vs 10.92%). IVV has a lower expense ratio than SPY (0.04% vs 0.09%). Below is the comparison between IVV and SPY.

	IVV	SPY
Segment	Equity: U.S. - Large Cap	Equity: U.S. - Large Cap
Net Assets	$175.25B	$277.52B
Expense Ratio	0.04%	0.09%
Management Style	passive (index-based)	passive (index-based)
Underlying Index	S&P 500	S&P 500
YTD Return	14.88%	14.87%
1-Year Return	7.24%	7.13%
3-Year Return	14.02%	13.95%
5-Year Return	10.99%	10.92%
10-Year Return	14.76%	14.7%
Dividend Yield	1.92%	N/A

SPY profile: The Trust seeks investment results that, before expenses, generally correspond to the price and yield performance of the component common stocks of the S&P 500 Index.

21. Compare and contrast: IVV vs ITOT.

Both IVV and ITOT are ETFs. IVV has a higher 5-year return than ITOT (10.99% vs 10.74%). IVV has a higher expense ratio than ITOT (0.04% vs 0.03%). Below is the comparison between IVV and ITOT.

	IVV	ITOT
Segment	Equity: U.S. - Large Cap	Equity: U.S. - Total Market
Net Assets	$175.25B	$19.38B
Expense Ratio	0.04%	0.03%
Management Style	passive (index-based)	passive (index-based)
Underlying Index	S&P 500	S&P Total Market Index
YTD Return	14.88%	15.1%
1-Year Return	7.24%	6.05%
3-Year Return	14.02%	14%
5-Year Return	10.99%	10.74%
10-Year Return	14.76%	14.76%
Dividend Yield	1.92%	1.87%

ITOT profile: The Fund seeks investment results that correspond to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of its Underlying Index. The Fund Advisor uses a "passive" approach to try to achieve this. The Fund will invest at least 90% of its total assets in the securities of its Underlying Index.

22. Compare and contrast: IVV vs VTI.

Both IVV and VTI are ETFs. IVV has a higher 5-year return than VTI (10.99% vs 10.64%). IVV has a higher expense ratio than VTI (0.04% vs 0.03%). Below is the comparison between IVV and VTI.

	IVV	VTI
Segment	Equity: U.S. - Large Cap	Equity: U.S. - Total Market
Net Assets	$175.25B	$112.34B
Expense Ratio	0.04%	0.03%
Management Style	passive (index-based)	passive (index-based)
Underlying Index	S&P 500	CRSP US Total Market Index
YTD Return	14.88%	15.2%
1-Year Return	7.24%	6.22%
3-Year Return	14.02%	14.05%
5-Year Return	10.99%	10.64%
10-Year Return	14.76%	14.92%
Dividend Yield	1.92%	1.94%

VTI profile: The Fund seeks to track the performance of a benchmark index that measures the investment return of the overall stock market. The Fund employs an indexing investment approach to track the performance of the CRSP US Total Market Index. The Fund invests by holding a collection of securities that approximates the Index.

23. Compare and contrast: IVV vs IVW.

Both IVV and IVW are ETFs. IVV has a lower 5-year return than IVW (10.99% vs 13.45%). IVV has a lower expense ratio than IVW (0.04% vs 0.18%). Below is the comparison between IVV and IVW.

	IVV	IVW
Segment	Equity: U.S. - Large Cap	Equity: U.S. - Large Cap Growth
Net Assets	$175.25B	$22.87B
Expense Ratio	0.04%	0.18%
Management Style	passive (index-based)	passive (index-based)
Underlying Index	S&P 500	S&P 500 Growth Index
YTD Return	14.88%	16.82%
1-Year Return	7.24%	10.19%
3-Year Return	14.02%	16.86%
5-Year Return	10.99%	13.45%
10-Year Return	14.76%	16.16%
Dividend Yield	1.92%	1.19%

IVW profile: The Fund seeks investment results corresponding generally to price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the S&P 500/BARRA Growth Index. Uses a replication strategy to track the Index. The Index is a subset of the S&P 500 Index and consists of firms with the highest price-to-book ratios in the Index.

24. Compare and contrast: IVV vs QQQ.

Both IVV and QQQ are ETFs. IVV has a lower 5-year return than QQQ (10.99% vs 17%). IVV has a lower expense ratio than QQQ (0.04% vs 0.2%). Below is the comparison between IVV and QQQ.

	IVV	QQQ
Segment	Equity: U.S. - Large Cap	Equity: U.S. - Large Cap
Net Assets	$175.25B	$72.64B
Expense Ratio	0.04%	0.2%
Management Style	passive (index-based)	passive (index-based)
Underlying Index	S&P 500	NASDAQ-100 Index
YTD Return	14.88%	18.87%
1-Year Return	7.24%	9.69%
3-Year Return	14.02%	21.28%
5-Year Return	10.99%	17%
10-Year Return	14.76%	19.74%
Dividend Yield	1.92%	0.80%

QQQ profile: The Fund seeks to provide investment results that generally correspond to the price and yield performance of the Nasdaq-100 Index. The Index measures the average performance of a broadly diversified group of equity securities issued by 100 of the largest non-financial companies listed on The NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc.

25. Compare and contrast: IVV vs VTSAX.

IVV is an ETF, whereas VTSAX is a mutual fund. IVV has a higher 5-year return than VTSAX (10.99% vs 10.37%). IVV and VTSAX have the same expense ratio (0.04%). Below is the comparison between IVV and VTSAX.

	IVV	VTSAX
Segment	Equity: U.S. - Large Cap	U.S. Equity: Large Blend
Net Assets	$175.25B	$202.15B
Expense Ratio	0.04%	0.04%
Management Style	passive (index-based)	passive (index-based)
Underlying Index	S&P 500	N/A
YTD Return	14.88%	11.92%
1-Year Return	7.24%	3.89%
3-Year Return	14.02%	17%
5-Year Return	10.99%	10.37%
10-Year Return	14.76%	15.46%
Dividend Yield	1.92%	1.87%

VTSAX profile: The Fund seeks to track the performance of a benchmark index that measures the investment return of the overall stock market. The Fund employs an indexing investment approach to track the performance of the CRSP US Total Market Index. The Fund invests by holding a collection of securities that approximates the Index.

Are you looking for a good video to watch to learn more about IVV and other S&P 500 ETFs? Here is what we recommend watching:

You can also use our ETF and mutual fund comparison tool to find out more about alternatives to investing in IVV. Type any two funds you'd like to compare (e.g., try IVV vs. QQQ, or IVV vs. SPY).

We hope this review was helpful to you and taught you the basics of investing in IVV (return, performance, yield, expense ratio, and holdings), the pros and cons of, and the alternatives to investing in IVV.

If you’d like to leave any comments, feel free to do so below.