FLGV vs LDRT

FLGVBFranklin U.S. Treasury Bond ETF

LDRTBiShares iBonds 1-5 Year Treasury Ladder ETF

In short

FLGV Treasuries only, anywhere from 1 to 30 years, in one ticker. Franklin charges 0.09%, under the typical fee in its Treasury peer group, and the income lands monthly.

LDRT A bond ladder in one ticker. LDRT holds a stack of iShares iBonds Treasury funds maturing inside six years, and the index keeps the rungs in place so you are not the one rolling them.

Stated mandate

FLGV The Fund seeks income and normally invests at least 80% of net assets in direct U.S. Treasury obligations and related Treasury exposures. It may hold Treasury securities of any maturity, with primary emphasis on remaining maturities from 1 to 30 years.

LDRT The fund tracks an index of iShares iBonds Treasury ETFs with maturities below six years, providing exposure to a ladder of U.S. Treasury bonds.

Why people hold it

• FLGV One ticker for the whole Treasury curve: at least 80% of net assets in direct U.S. Treasury obligations, with the emphasis on maturities running 1 to 30 years.
• 0.09% a year undercuts the 0.12% median for Treasury funds in its peer group. On government paper, where yields are what they are, the fee is the lever you control.
• Pays monthly, and it is a multi-billion-dollar fund, so the income arrives on a predictable schedule rather than in quarterly lumps.
• Since its 2020 launch it has hewed tightly to its stated Treasury mandate, one of the closer mandate matches in a crowded Treasury peer group.

• LDRT Charges 0.07% a year, under the 0.12% median for its Treasury peer group.
• One ticket covers the whole ladder: iShares iBonds Treasury funds with maturities below six years, maintained by the index rather than by you.ishares.com
• Treasury exposure only, no corporate credit riding along, and it pays on a monthly cadence.

Worth knowing

• FLGV Cheaper shelf-mates exist: VGIT and VTG run 0.03%, a third of this fee. You are paying a bit more for Franklin's version of the same government paper.
• Moderately traded rather than one of the tape's busiest Treasury funds, so spreads matter more on large or hurried orders.
• Holdings can stretch out to 30-year maturities, so this carries real interest-rate sensitivity, not the calm of a T-bill fund.

• LDRT A fund of funds: you own the Treasury ETFs, not the bonds, and the ladder keeps rolling instead of winding down to a maturity date.ishares.com
• Launched in 2024, so the record is short next to Treasury funds that have been through several rate cycles.
• Moderately traded and mid-sized beside the aisle's heavyweights like VGIT, so spreads can run wider.

Full FLGV profile⁠

Full LDRT profile⁠