$1,000 invested in biggest Vanguard ETFs at start 2026 would have returned

The operator of some of the world’s biggest exchange-traded funds (ETFs), Vanguard, announced it would execute a stock split for some of its biggest products on March 24 in hopes of improving affordability for investors.

Considering the recent decision and the fact that most of the affected ETFs were, in fact, in the red in 2026 by the date, Finbold decided to examine just how valuable a $1,000 investment in the company’s three biggest funds would have actually been by March 30.

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO)

The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) is the world’s biggest such product with about $830 million in assets under management (AUM), per the data Finbold retrieved from ETF Db on Monday, March 30.

As the name implies, the fund tracks the performance of the benchmark S&P 500 stock market index and boasts an impressive average daily volume of approximately $11 million.

VOO is also an attractive investment due to its low 0.03% expense ratio. However, the ETF would not have been a particularly successful trade if bought at the start of 2026, as it is, year-to-date (YTD), 7.22% in the red at $582.96.

Thus, a $1,000 investment made on January 2 – the first regular session of the year – would, at press time on March 30, be worth $927.80.

Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI)

Though Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) is even broader than VOO as it tracks the total U.S. stock market, thus offering exceptionally wide exposure, it is also slightly smaller with an AUM of just under $567 million and an average daily volume of $7 million.

It boasts, on the other hand, the same attractive expense ratio as the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF at 0.03%.

It is also similar to VOO in that it lost 6.90% YTD – a loss that led VTI shares to trade at $313.09 at press time.

Therefore, investing $1,000 in the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF at the start of 2026 would have led to a position worth $931 on the morning of March 30.

Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF (VEA)

Vanguard’s FTSE Developed Markets ETF (VEA) is different than both VTI and VOO in that, though it offers exposure to developed markets, it avoids investing in the American stock market.

Specifically, VEO tracks the performance of equities in Western Europe, Japan, and Australia.

Still, much like the other two major Vanguard ETFs, the FTSE Developed Markets is a large product in terms of AUM with $202.5 million, per the data Finbold retrieved from ETF Db on the final Monday of March, and boasts a daily volume of approximately $23 million according to the same source.

Elsewhere, though it also boasts the expense ratio of 0.03%, it has performed significantly better than either VTI or VOO despite still being down in 2026. Indeed, VEA is 1.82% in the red YTD at $62.05.

Thus, a $1,000 investment on January 2 would have turned into $981.80 at press time.

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