Core Insights - The article compares two leading U.S. bond market ETFs: Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND) and iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (AGG), both of which provide broad, investment-grade exposure to taxable U.S. bonds [1] Cost & Size - Both BND and AGG have an expense ratio of 0.03% [2] - As of January 24, 2026, BND has a one-year return of 3.11% and AGG has a one-year return of 3.2% [2] - The dividend yield for BND is 3.85% while AGG's is slightly higher at 3.88% [2] - BND has assets under management (AUM) of $384.63 billion, significantly larger than AGG's AUM of $136.5 billion [2] Performance & Risk Comparison - The maximum drawdown over five years for BND is -17.93%, while AGG's is slightly lower at -17.83% [4] - An investment of $1,000 would have grown to $852 with BND and $857 with AGG over five years [4] Holdings Composition - AGG has a track record of 22 years and tracks the total U.S. investment-grade bond market with 13,067 holdings, 74% of which are AA-rated bonds [5] - BND is similar to AGG, with around 50% of its holdings in U.S. government bonds, but 72% of BND's bonds are AAA-rated [5] Investment Implications - BND's higher concentration of AAA-rated bonds indicates a lower risk investment compared to AGG, which has more lower-rated bonds that may offer higher yields [6] - The choice between BND and AGG depends on investor preference for risk and reward, with both ETFs providing monthly dividends [7]