Skip to content
etf.net

TIPA vs VTIP

Northern Trust 2030 Inflation-Linked Distributing Ladder ETF

TIPABNYSE Arca

Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities ETF

VTIPANasdaq

Overlap

No data

Expense ratio

VTIP −0.07pt a year

TIPA0.10%VTIP0.03%

Avg volume · 30D

VTIP 1301.6×the volume

TIPA2.13KVTIP2.77M

TIPA vs VTIP Performance

Jul 31, 2026 – Oct 30, 2026

+0.6%TIPA+0.6%VTIP

Jul 31, 2026 to Oct 30, 2026. TIPA +0.6%. VTIP +0.6%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−1%−0.75%−0.5%−0.25%0%Jul 2026Sep 2026Oct 2026
Expense ratio
TIPA 0.10%
VTIP 0.03%, better
Fund size
TIPA $20M
VTIP $73.1B
1Y total return
TIPA No data
VTIP +2.7%
Yield (12M)
TIPA 3.97%
VTIP 4.79%, better
Holdings
TIPA 6
VTIP 27
Avg volume (30D)
TIPA 2.13K sh
VTIP 2.77M sh, better
NAV per share
TIPA $99.17
VTIP $48.95
52W range

ETF.net Grade

TIPA: Cost 68, Risk 68, Mission 59, Tradability 44, Holdings 49, Durability 35. VTIP: Cost 98, Risk 57, Mission 43, Tradability 82, Holdings 68, Durability 96.
Pillar letters and Scores for TIPA, VTIP, with each pillar’s weight
PillarTIPAVTIP
Cost30% weightB68A98Higher
Mission25% weightB59HigherC43
Risk15% weightB68HigherB57
Tradability15% weightC44A82Higher
Holdings10% weightC49B68Higher
Durability5% weightD35A96Higher

Rank among TIPS funds

How we build Categories ›
Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. TIPA and VTIP are both graded against the same 40 TIPS funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

TIPS⁠

Category · 40 funds
See all 40 ›

VTIP ranks 4th and TIPA 18th of 40 funds in the TIPS Category.

  1. Rank 4APBTPInvesco 0-5 Yr US TIPS ETFScore 72
  2. Rank 4AVTIPVanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities ETFScore 72
  3. Rank 6BSPIPState Street SPDR Portfolio TIPS ETFScore 68
  4. Rank 18BIBIEiShares iBonds Oct 2028 Term TIPS ETFScore 58
  5. Rank 18BTIPANorthern Trust 2030 Inflation-Linked Distributing Ladder ETFScore 58
  6. Rank 20BIBIFiShares iBonds Oct 2029 Term TIPS ETFScore 57

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

TIPABNorthern Trust 2030 Inflation-Linked Distributing Ladder ETF

VTIPAVanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities ETF

In short

TIPA Most target-maturity bond funds hand you one lump sum at the finish line. TIPA is a ladder of US inflation-protected Treasuries built to pay you down along the way, income and principal, through 2030.

VTIP Inflation protection without the long-bond whiplash. VTIP holds only Treasury TIPS maturing inside five years, so CPI does most of the driving and rate swings do less of it, for three basis points a year.

Stated mandate

TIPA The Fund seeks periodic inflation-linked distributions from U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities through 2030, providing income and/or principal for a five-year spend-down strategy.

VTIP Tracks a benchmark measuring the investment return of U.S. Treasury inflation-protected public obligations with remaining maturities under five years.

Why people hold it

  • TIPA Built for spending rather than stockpiling: a TIPS ladder designed to distribute income and/or principal across a five-year spend-down runway ending in 2030.flexshares.com
  • Inflation-linked at the source. Distributions are drawn from US Treasury Inflation Protected Securities, not fixed coupons from nominal bonds.flexshares.com
  • Costs 0.10% a year, in line with the median for target-maturity bond funds and level with heavyweights like BSCU and IBDU.
  • Government paper only, so the things that move it are rates and inflation readings rather than corporate credit trouble.
  • VTIP Three basis points a year, against a 0.12% median for Treasury bond ETFs in its group. Vanguard's at-cost setup shows up right in the fee line.vanguard.com
  • TIPS principal ratchets with CPI, and the under-five-year maturity cap keeps duration short, so rate moves land lighter here than in full-curve TIPS funds like SCHP.vanguard.com
  • Open since 2012 and now a multi-billion-dollar, actively traded fund that owns Treasury paper directly. Plain index rules, no swaps, no credit detours.

Worth knowing

  • TIPA The pot is meant to shrink. Payouts can include return of capital, so this is a melting ice cube by design, not a perpetual income stream.
  • A small fund that trades thinly, which usually means wider bid-ask spreads than the aisle's largest target-maturity names.
  • Launched in 2025, and payouts track inflation adjustments, so amounts vary rather than arriving like a fixed coupon.
  • VTIP Short maturities cut both ways: less sensitivity to rates, and less exposure to shifts in long-run inflation expectations than a full-maturity TIPS fund such as SCHP.
  • Income rides on CPI accruals, so the quarterly payout moves around rather than arriving as a steady coupon.
  • This is one narrow slice of one market, short US Treasury TIPS, not a diversified bond portfolio.

Full TIPA profile⁠

Full VTIP profile⁠

TIPA vs VTIP Holdings

How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

TIPA vs VTIP Cost

Overpaying TIPA vs VTIP

$1,468

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • TIPA 0.10%

    $2,106

  • VTIP 0.03%

    $638

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • TIPA 0.10%
  • VTIP 0.03%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$500$1K$1.5K$2K$2.5K051015202530TIPA $2,106VTIP $638

Year by year

YearTIPAVTIPOverpaying
10$183$55$128
20$717$216$501
30$2,106$638$1,468

Expense ratio

  • 0.10%TIPA
  • 0.03%VTIP, cheaper
  • Middle half of TIPS funds
  • Median 0.10%

VTIP cheapest of 40 funds

TIPA 7th cheapest of 40 funds

TIPA vs VTIP Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026
Yield (12M)
TIPA 3.97%
VTIP 4.79%, better
Payout (12M)
TIPA $3.94
VTIP $2.35
Last payment
TIPA $0.68
VTIP $0.93
Ex-dividend
TIPA Aug 3, 2026
VTIP Oct 1, 2026
Paid on
TIPA Aug 7, 2026
VTIP Oct 5, 2026
Frequency
TIPA Monthly
VTIP Quarterly

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

TIPAMonthly · 10 paymentsAll TIPA payments⁠
One bar per payment. 10 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Sep 2, 2025 $0.18; Oct 1, 2025 $0.23; Nov 3, 2025 $0.15; Dec 1, 2025 $0.36; Dec 19, 2025 $0.33; Apr 1, 2026 $0.15; May 1, 2026 $0.50; Jun 1, 2026 $0.76; Jul 1, 2026 $1.02; Aug 3, 2026 $0.68. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$12017202020232026YTD
VTIPQuarterly · 32 paymentsAll VTIP payments⁠
One bar per payment. 32 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Dec 26, 2017 $0.74; Jun 18, 2018 $0.29; Sep 24, 2018 $0.52; Dec 13, 2018 $0.36; Jun 17, 2019 $0.17; Sep 24, 2019 $0.44; Dec 23, 2019 $0.35; Oct 1, 2020 $0.28; Dec 23, 2020 $0.33; Mar 25, 2021 $0.09; Jul 1, 2021 $0.48; Oct 1, 2021 $0.87; Dec 23, 2021 $0.96; Apr 1, 2022 $0.49; Jul 1, 2022 $0.68; Oct 3, 2022 $0.90; Dec 23, 2022 $1.12; Apr 3, 2023 $0.03; Jul 3, 2023 $0.35; Oct 2, 2023 $0.34; Dec 22, 2023 $0.64; Apr 1, 2024 $0.03; Jul 1, 2024 $0.44; Oct 1, 2024 $0.31; Dec 24, 2024 $0.53; Apr 1, 2025 $0.10; Jul 1, 2025 $0.43; Oct 1, 2025 $0.65; Dec 18, 2025 $0.71; Apr 1, 2026 $0.02; Jul 1, 2026 $0.68; Oct 1, 2026 $0.93. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$12017202020232026YTD

TIPA vs VTIP Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
TIPA No dataVTIP 1.9%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
TIPA No dataVTIP 0.29
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
TIPA No dataVTIP −5.5%
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
TIPA 0.04VTIP 0.21

TIPA and VTIP in the news

All news⁠

Popular comparisons

  • TIPABvsSCHPA

    Northern Trust 2030 Inflation-Linked Distributing Ladder ETF · Schwab US TIPS ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.10% · 0.03%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • VTIPAvsSCHPA

    Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities ETF · Schwab US TIPS ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.03% · 0.03%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • TIPABvsSTIPA

    Northern Trust 2030 Inflation-Linked Distributing Ladder ETF · iShares 0-5 Year TIPS Bond ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.10% · 0.03%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • VTIPAvsSTIPA

    Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities ETF · iShares 0-5 Year TIPS Bond ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.03% · 0.03%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • TIPABvsVTPA

    Northern Trust 2030 Inflation-Linked Distributing Ladder ETF · Vanguard Total Inflation-Protected Securities ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.10% · 0.05%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • VTIPAvsVTPA

    Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities ETF · Vanguard Total Inflation-Protected Securities ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.03% · 0.05%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.