BIV vs VFIFX: 4% overlap

Vanguard Intermediate-Term Bond ETF and Vanguard Target Retirement 2050 share 4.1% of their portfolios by weight — computed as Σ min(wA, wB) over every holding both funds own.

Different holding dates. These holdings were published about 3 months apart — VFIFX as of 2026-03-31, the rest through 2026-06-30. Each fund is compared using its most recent file, so any trading in between shows up as a difference.

Hold both, 50/50
2.0Effective Funds

You would hold two tickers and get the diversification of 2.0. Two funds that shared nothing would score 2.0; two identical funds score 1.0.

Overlap
4.1%
BIV expense ratio
0.03%
VFIFX expense ratio
0.08%

Top shared holdings

BIV and VFIFX hold 839 of the same securities. The ten contributing most to the overlap figure:

Holdingin BIVin VFIFXΔ
UST-3-10Y55.9%1.6%54.4%
AGENCY-MBS0.3%1.5%1.2%
CASH0.3%1.9%1.6%
46647P1.1%0.0%1.0%
06051G0.9%0.0%0.8%
4590580.4%0.0%0.4%
68389X0.5%0.0%0.4%
0231350.4%0.0%0.3%
2987850.6%0.0%0.5%
38141G0.6%0.0%0.6%

Where BIV and VFIFX differ

Sector weights as a share of each fund, ordered by the size of the gap rather than the size of the sector — two funds that overlap heavily still usually diverge somewhere.

SectorBIVVFIFXΔ
Treasuries55.9%3.6%+52.4pp
Information Technology0.0%26.1%26.1pp
Corporate — industrial & other20.2%1.1%+19.0pp
Industrials0.0%10.5%10.5pp
Consumer Discretionary0.0%7.5%7.5pp
Health Care0.0%6.9%6.9pp
Unclassified0.2%6.3%6.1pp
Communication Services0.0%5.9%5.9pp

Δ is BIV minus VFIFX, in percentage points. Sector data is not published by every issuer, so “Unclassified” is a real category rather than a gap in the table.

What each fund holds alone

Only in BIV
15 positions

0.1% of BIV by weight, held in no part of VFIFX.

Only in VFIFX
15,843 positions

93.0% of VFIFX by weight, held in no part of BIV.

A large count with a small weight is the usual shape: the positions one fund adds are typically its smallest ones.

Concentration and cost

BIVVFIFX
Top 10 holdings62.1%19.3%
Positions held8546
Cost per $10,000 held, per year$3$8

Cost is the expense ratio applied to $10,000; it excludes any brokerage commission, bid-ask spread or tax consequence. Figures are facts about the funds, not a suggestion about which to hold.

Frequently asked

How much do BIV and VFIFX overlap?

BIV and VFIFX overlap 4.1% by portfolio weight — largely distinct portfolios. They share 839 holdings. The figure comes from current issuer holdings files (BIV as of 2026-06-30, VFIFX as of 2026-03-31).

How is the overlap between BIV and VFIFX calculated?

As the sum of the smaller weight in each fund, over every holding both funds own: Σ min(wA, wB). If BIV holds a stock at 6% and VFIFX holds the same stock at 4%, 4% counts as shared. The result is bounded between 0% and 100%, and it is computed after looking through any fund-of-funds to the underlying holdings.

Is it redundant to hold both BIV and VFIFX?

That depends on your goals — we state facts, not advice. At 4.1% overlap, each fund still contributes meaningfully distinct exposure.

What does BIV own that VFIFX doesn't?

BIV holds 854 positions and VFIFX holds 6; 15 of BIV's positions don't appear in VFIFX at all, and they are 0.1% of BIV by weight.

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Related comparisons

Sources: issuer holdings files, BIV as of 2026-06-30, VFIFX as of 2026-03-31. Weights are fractions of each fund. Diagnostics, not advice.