In the vast expanse of the financial plains, where fortunes rise like dust storms and fall like weary travelers, two Vanguard funds tread divergent paths. The Vanguard S&P 500 Growth ETF (VOOG 1.48%) and its broader sibling Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO 1.06%) both sip from the same index well, yet their thirst is quenched in different corners of the market desert.
VOOG, the restless prospector, sifts only for growth-the shimmering nuggets of companies racing ahead like jackrabbits. VOO, the steady farmer, casts its net wide, harvesting both growth’s wild wheat and value’s rooted potatoes. Let us walk their trails.
The Ledger of Numbers
| Metric | VOOG | VOO |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Vanguard | Vanguard |
| Expense ratio | 0.07% | 0.03% |
| 1-yr return (as of Oct. 28, 2025) | 28.6% | 18.3% |
| Dividend yield | 0.49% | 1.15% |
| Beta | 1.03 | 1.00 |
| AUM | $20.7 billion | $1.4 trillion |
Beta measures a fund’s dance with the S&P 500’s rhythm-five years of weekly steps etched into its shoes.
VOO’s ledger whispers of thrift, its expense ratio a lean 0.03%-a penny saved where VOOG spends a nickel. Its dividend, a ripe 1.15%, feeds those who hunger for steady crumbs in volatile times.
Storms and Sunshine
| Metric | VOOG | VOO |
|---|---|---|
| Max drawdown (5 y) | -32.73% | -24.52% |
| Growth of $1,000 over 5 years | $2,200 | $2,083 |
The Seeds They Sow
VOO’s basket holds 504 stocks-a harvest of America’s economic orchard. Technology looms largest, 35% of its bounty (as of Oct. 29, 2025), with financial services and consumer whims trailing like dust behind a plow. Nvidia, Microsoft, Apple-these giants root quietly, each less than 10% of the soil. Fifteen years it’s weathered storms, no quirks but its own stubborn resilience.
VOOG, meanwhile, narrows its furrow to 217 growth stocks-a hotter blend of tech (43%), chatty communication services (15%), and capricious consumer whims (12%). Its titans wear heavier cloaks: Nvidia, Microsoft, Apple again, but with deeper pockets. Here, the ground shakes more when tech’s thunder rolls.
The Fool’s Parable
Both funds walk the S&P 500’s road, yet VOO’s boots tread broader, trampling more terrain. Less tech’s thrall, it weathers storms with the patience of a sharecropper waiting out hail. VOOG, though-a gambler’s grin in a bull market-has averaged 17.49% returns these past ten years, outpacing VOO’s 15.26% crawl.
Choose not by the shine of VOOG’s gold, nor VOO’s plain-spun coat. The former dances with lightning; the latter walks with steady cane. One sows to the winds, the other reaps what’s sown. Your hunger for gain, your fear of loss-these are the scales that must tip.
The Words They Live By
ETF: A bundle of dreams traded like apples at market.
Expense ratio: The toll they pay each year for the road they travel.
Dividend yield: The fruit dropped annually for those who wait.
Beta: How closely a fund shadows the market’s heartbeat.
AUM: The mountain of money a fund’s hands must carry.
Max drawdown: The deepest well a fund’s bucket must descend.
Growth stock: A sapling racing the sky, roots sometimes shallow.
Value stock: An old oak, gnarled but bearing acorns.
Sector tilt: When a fund leans too hard toward one tree in the forest.
Track record: The years etched into a fund’s bark.
Concentration: Too many eggs in one trader’s basket.
Walk wise, traveler. The market’s dust will coat your lashes, but clarity lies in knowing which path bends your knee. 🌾
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2025-10-31 08:33