RSP alternatives and similar ETFs

RSP alternatives at a glance#

Each fund below can stand in for RSP, closest first. “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 RSP and its alternatives did over the same dates#

Each row measures the alternative and RSP 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 RSP alternative, compared#

VO: Vanguard Morningstar Mid-Cap ETF#

VO is a looser match. It holds medium-sized US companies, while RSP holds the S&P 500 companies in equal amounts, so the biggest do not dominate.

It charges 0.03% a year, about $3 on $10,000, against $20 for RSP.

From January 2004 to October 2026, VO returned about 10.2% a year and RSP returned about 10.0% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 0.98).

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

IWR: iShares Russell Mid-Cap ETF#

IWR is a looser match. It holds medium-sized US companies, while RSP holds the S&P 500 companies in equal amounts, so the biggest do not dominate.

It charges 0.18% a year, about $18 on $10,000, against $20 for RSP.

From May 2003 to October 2026, IWR returned about 11.3% a year and RSP returned about 11.2% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 0.98).

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

SCHM: Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF#

SCHM is a looser match. It holds medium-sized US companies, while RSP holds the S&P 500 companies in equal amounts, so the biggest do not dominate.

It charges 0.03% a year, about $3 on $10,000, against $20 for RSP.

From January 2011 to October 2026, SCHM returned about 10.9% a year and RSP returned about 11.8% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 0.95).

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

IJH: iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF#

IJH is a looser match. It holds medium-sized US companies, while RSP holds the S&P 500 companies in equal amounts, so the biggest do not dominate.

It charges 0.05% a year, about $5 on $10,000, against $20 for RSP.

From May 2003 to October 2026, IJH returned about 10.9% a year and RSP returned about 11.2% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 0.95).

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

SPYM: State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF#

SPYM is a looser match. It holds about 500 large US companies in the S&P 500, while RSP holds the S&P 500 companies in equal amounts, so the biggest do not dominate.

It charges 0.02% a year, about $2 on $10,000, against $20 for RSP.

From November 2005 to October 2026, SPYM returned about 11.2% a year and RSP returned about 10.0% a year. Over about the last five years they moved together on most days (correlation 0.91).

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

IVV: iShares Core S&P 500 ETF#

IVV is a looser match. It holds about 500 large US companies in the S&P 500, while RSP holds the S&P 500 companies in equal amounts, so the biggest do not dominate.

It charges 0.03% a year, about $3 on $10,000, against $20 for RSP.

From May 2003 to October 2026, IVV returned about 11.5% a year and RSP returned about 11.2% a year. Over about the last five years they moved together on most days (correlation 0.91).

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

VOO: Vanguard S&P 500 ETF#

VOO is a looser match. It holds about 500 large US companies in the S&P 500, while RSP holds the S&P 500 companies in equal amounts, so the biggest do not dominate.

It charges 0.03% a year, about $3 on $10,000, against $20 for RSP.

From September 2010 to October 2026, VOO returned about 14.8% a year and RSP returned about 12.7% a year. Over about the last five years they moved together on most days (correlation 0.91).

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

SPY: State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust#

SPY is a looser match. It holds about 500 large US companies in the S&P 500, while RSP holds the S&P 500 companies in equal amounts, so the biggest do not dominate.

It charges 0.0945% a year, about $9.45 on $10,000, against $20 for RSP.

From May 2003 to October 2026, SPY returned about 11.5% a year and RSP returned about 11.2% a year. Over about the last five years they moved together on most days (correlation 0.91).

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

RSP versions from other fund companies#

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

• Vanguard: VO, Vanguard Morningstar Mid-Cap ETF (related fund, 0.03% a year)
• iShares (BlackRock): IWR, iShares Russell Mid-Cap ETF (related fund, 0.18% a year)
• Schwab: SCHM, Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF (related fund, 0.03% a year)
• SPDR (State Street): SPYM, State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF (related fund, 0.02% 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 RSP and its alternatives#

• What it tracks. A fund on the same index holds the same stocks. 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, RSP costs about $20 a year. SPYM costs about $2.
• 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 RSP 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 VO, IWR or SCHM, are less likely to.

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

Test RSP 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 RSP and VO, 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 RSP. Then come funds that hold the same kind of stocks 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 RSP 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 RSP only on days both traded. Read what a backtest simulates for more on these measures.