AGG vs CRXP

AGGAiShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF

CRXPCColumbia Core Plus Bond ETF

In short

AGG Launched in 2003, one of the first funds to pack the entire U.S. investment-grade bond market into a single ticker: Treasuries, corporates and mortgage bonds, three basis points a year, cash paid monthly.

CRXP Columbia's active answer to the Agg: a core bond portfolio with a permission slip, up to 20% high yield and up to 25% foreign debt, for 0.38% net of a waiver through July 31, 2027.

Stated mandate

AGG The fund seeks to track the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, providing broad exposure to the total U.S. investment-grade bond market.

CRXP The Fund seeks total return from current income and capital appreciation.

Why people hold it

• AGG 0.03% a year against a peer-group median near 0.36%. On a bond fund, the fee comes straight out of the coupon, so the gap matters more than it looks.
• A $100 billion-plus fund and very actively traded, the kind of depth that keeps bid-ask costs down for retail-sized orders.
• Tracks the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate closely, with one of the tightest index-following records in its peer group. Income is distributed monthly.
• Running since 2003, giving it one of the longest track records among U.S. bond index ETFs.

• CRXP Core plus means leeway the plain Agg lacks: the prospectus allows up to 20% below investment grade and up to 25% foreign debt, including emerging markets.sec.gov
• 0.38% net of a waiver through July 31, 2027 (0.48% gross) sits near the category median, restrained for an actively run bond fund.
• Managers can dial interest rate and credit exposure using futures and swaps, including credit default swaps, for hedging and for investment.sec.gov

Worth knowing

• AGG Investment grade and U.S. dollar only. High-yield debt and foreign bonds sit outside the mandate, so this is designed as core ballast rather than a yield hunt.
• Rate risk comes as it comes. The index gets tracked whether yields rise or fall, with no manager stepping in to shorten duration.
• The same index is sold by SPAB, SCHZ and BBAG at the same 0.03%. The portfolio is the commodity here; scale and trading depth are the tiebreakers.

• CRXP Index rivals cost a fraction: AGG, BND, SPAB and SCHZ each charge 0.03%. The manager's judgment is what the extra buys.
• The waiver runs only through July 31, 2027. Absent a renewal, the fee reverts toward the 0.48% gross.
• Launched in December 2025, so the record is short and volume runs well below the category's index giants, which can mean wider spreads.sec.gov

Full AGG profile⁠

Full CRXP profile⁠