IWM vs VIG: how much do they really overlap?
IWM (iShares Russell 2000 ETF, tracking the Russell 2000) and VIG (Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF, tracking the S&P US Dividend Growers) overlap by roughly 0% by weight. 0 of IWM's top 10 holdings also appear in VIG. A 50/50 blend of the two behaves like about 229 equally-weighted bets (diversification grade A). In short, the two funds hold almost none of the same securities — they are complementary, not redundant.
The same companies, in both funds
These 0 holdings appear in both IWM and VIG. The weight columns show how much of each fund each name represents.
| Holding | in IWM | in VIG |
|---|
Only in IWM
iShares Russell 2000 ETF — US small-cap. Its biggest holdings that VIG doesn’t have:
| MOGA MOOG INC CLASS A | 0.38% |
| HUT HUT CORP | 0.37% |
| VSAT VIASAT INC | 0.35% |
| BTSG BRIGHTSPRING HEALTH SERVICES INC | 0.35% |
| CYTK CYTOKINETICS INC | 0.35% |
| MXL MAXLINEAR INC | 0.34% |
| AGX ARGAN INC | 0.34% |
| UMBF UMB FINANCIAL CORP | 0.33% |
Only in VIG
Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF — US dividend-growth. Its biggest holdings that IWM doesn’t have:
| AVGO Broadcom Inc. | 5.41% |
| AAPL Apple Inc. | 4.57% |
| MSFT Microsoft Corp. | 4.27% |
| LLY Eli Lilly & Co. | 3.85% |
| JPM JPMorgan Chase & Co. | 3.32% |
| XOM Exxon Mobil Corp. | 2.67% |
| JNJ Johnson & Johnson | 2.39% |
| V Visa Inc. Class A | 2.25% |
So — essentially different. Should you hold both?
IWM and VIG hold almost none of the same securities — they are complementary, not redundant. Held together they genuinely broaden your exposure — a 50/50 blend reaches ~229 effective positions (grade A), because they hold largely different securities.
Holdings as of — IWM: Jun 30, 2026 (iShares (BlackRock)); VIG: May 31, 2026 (Vanguard). Refreshed monthly. Overlap is measured across each fund’s largest holdings (top 50); the diffuse long tail barely moves the math.
See this for YOUR whole portfolio, free →IWM vs VIG — FAQ
- How much do IWM and VIG overlap?
- IWM and VIG overlap by approximately 0% measured by portfolio weight — that is the share of the smaller fund's holdings (by weight) that also sit inside the other. 0 of IWM's 10 largest holdings are also held by VIG. They share 0 of their listed top holdings in total.
- Is it redundant to hold both IWM and VIG?
- Because they hold almost none of the same securities — they are complementary, not redundant, holding both is not redundant — each fund covers largely different holdings, so together they broaden your exposure. A 50/50 blend has an effective 229 positions and a A diversification grade.
- What does VIG hold that IWM doesn't?
- VIG's largest holdings that IWM doesn't hold include AVGO, AAPL, MSFT, LLY, JPM. Its category is US dividend-growth, versus IWM's US small-cap.
- Which is more concentrated, IWM or VIG?
- IWM's top 10 holdings are 26% of its listed weight; VIG's are 45%. The more concentrated fund leans harder on its largest names.