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World ETF vs S&P 500: how to compare them

A whole-world ETF and an S&P 500 ETF are both common starting points — they just cover different amounts of the map.

Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF

Vanguard
StocksPays you cashUS
Yearly fee ?0.03%per jaar
1-jaar+21.6%Price Return ?
Fondsomvang ?$1,587BVTI
US9229087690 Weergeven →

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👉 Change the numbers above — it’s your money, your assumptions.

Same idea, different breadth

Both are index ETFs — the difference is how much of the world they cover. The S&P 500 is one country (the US), 500 big companies. A world fund spans many developed countries and thousands of companies. Same simple idea, wider or narrower Het deel van de wereld waarin het fonds beleggingen doet — bijvoorbeeld wereld, VS, Europa of opkomende markten. More → .

How to compare any two funds here

Open the screener, tick two funds and press Compare. Look at the yearly fee ( De jaarlijkse lopende kosten van het fonds, weergegeven als een % van uw geld. €0,20 per €100 per jaar bij 0,20%. Lager is goedkoper. More → ), what each one holds, and the Prestatie die herinvesteerde dividenden omvat — het volledige beeld van wat je werkelijk hebt verdiend. More → basis shown. One important caution: a fund that did well over the last year may not do so next year — past performance is not a prediction. We show the facts; the choice is yours.

🤔 Compared with an S&P 500 ETF, a world ETF generally…

Common questions

Isn’t the world fund mostly US anyway?
A large chunk of a developed-world index is US companies, because they are big — but it still adds many other countries the S&P 500 leaves out. The screener shows what each holds.
Which one is right for me?
We don’t answer that — it depends on your goals and how concentrated you want to be. The compare tool lays out the facts so you can decide. Education, not advice.