EDV alternatives and similar ETFs

EDV alternatives at a glance#

Each fund below can stand in for EDV, closest first. “Same kind” funds hold the same kind of bonds through a different index. “Related” funds make a different bet that often moves the same way.

Fees come from each fund company, checked on the dates shown on each fund’s page.

How EDV and its alternatives did over the same dates#

Each row measures the alternative and EDV on the days both traded, so neither gets a head start. Correlation shows how closely their daily moves matched over about the last five years. A value of 1 means they always moved together.

Prices through October 16, 2026. Figures use daily closing prices adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. They do not include taxes or the cost of buying and selling. Past results do not tell you what will happen next.

Each EDV alternative, compared#

VGLT: Vanguard Long-Term Treasury ETF#

VGLT also holds US government bonds that pay back in 20 years or more. It tracks the Bloomberg US Long Treasury Bond Index, while EDV tracks the Bloomberg U.S. Treasury STRIPS 20-30 Year Equal Par Bond Index.

It charges 0.03% a year, about $3 on $10,000, against $5 for EDV. It held 101 holdings, against 80 for EDV.

From January 2010 to October 2026, VGLT returned about 2.4% a year and EDV returned about 2.4% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 0.99).

Read the VGLT fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

TLT: iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF#

TLT also holds US government bonds that pay back in 20 years or more. It tracks the ICE US Treasury 20+ Year Bond Index, while EDV tracks the Bloomberg U.S. Treasury STRIPS 20-30 Year Equal Par Bond Index.

It charges 0.15% a year, about $15 on $10,000, against $5 for EDV. It held 47 holdings, against 80 for EDV.

From January 2008 to October 2026, TLT returned about 2.2% a year and EDV returned about 2.0% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 0.99).

Read the TLT fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

IEF: iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF#

IEF is a looser match. It holds US government bonds that pay back in about 3 to 10 years, while EDV holds US government bonds that pay back in 20 years or more.

It charges 0.15% a year, about $15 on $10,000, against $5 for EDV. It held 17 holdings, against 80 for EDV.

From January 2008 to October 2026, IEF returned about 2.6% a year and EDV returned about 2.0% a year. Over about the last five years they moved together on most days (correlation 0.88).

Read the IEF fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

VGIT: Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury ETF#

VGIT is a looser match. It holds US government bonds that pay back in about 3 to 10 years, while EDV holds US government bonds that pay back in 20 years or more.

It charges 0.03% a year, about $3 on $10,000, against $5 for EDV. It held 102 holdings, against 80 for EDV.

From November 2009 to October 2026, VGIT returned about 2.0% a year and EDV returned about 1.8% a year. Over about the last five years they often moved together, but not always (correlation 0.80).

Read the VGIT fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

EDV versions from other fund companies#

Some people keep all their funds with one company. Here is the closest fund to EDV from each other company on this page:

• iShares (BlackRock): TLT, iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (same kind of fund, 0.15% a year)

Most brokers let you buy any ETF, whoever runs it. Mutual fund versions, such as a fund company’s index mutual fund, are not listed here.

How to choose between EDV and its alternatives#

• What it tracks. A fund on the same index holds the same bonds. A different index can mean different weights, more or fewer holdings, or a different mix.
• The fee. The difference is often small. On $10,000, EDV costs about $5 a year. VGLT costs about $3.
• History. An older fund has been through more bad markets, so you can see how far it fell.
• What you already own. Two funds that move together add little variety. A fund with a low correlation behaves more on its own.

Swapping EDV to harvest a tax loss#

Some investors sell a fund at a loss to lower their taxes, then buy a similar fund so they stay invested. This is called tax-loss harvesting.

The IRS wash sale rule blocks the loss if you buy a “substantially identical” security within 30 days before or after the sale. The IRS has not said exactly when two funds count. Funds on the same index are more likely to. Funds on a different index, such as VGLT, TLT or IEF, are less likely to.

Ask a tax professional before you rely on this. Read the IRS rules in Publication 550.

Test EDV and its alternatives in a backtest#

Tactfolio is a platform where you build rules-based investing strategies, backtest them on decades of real prices, share them, and run them automatically in your own Alpaca account. Open the builder, add EDV and VGLT, and see how each would have done on the same dates, or how a mix of both would have done.

The details#

Alternatives are picked from facts, not from returns. First come funds that track the same index as EDV. Then come funds that hold the same kind of bonds through another index. Last come funds from a close category that make a different bet. Leveraged funds are only listed as alternatives to other leveraged funds.

Within each group, the funds whose daily returns moved most like EDV over about the last five years come first. Returns and worst drops use Tactfolio’s stored daily prices, adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. Each alternative is measured with EDV only on days both traded. Read what a backtest simulates for more on these measures.