ITDF vs. TLT

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Ishares Lifepath Target Date 2050 ETF (ITDF) and iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT).

ITDF and TLT are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. ITDF is an actively managed fund by iShares. It was launched on Oct 17, 2023. TLT is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the ICE U.S. Treasury 20+ Year Bond Index. It was launched on Jul 22, 2002.

Performance

ITDF vs. TLT - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Ishares Lifepath Target Date 2050 ETF (ITDF) and iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

ITDF vs. TLT - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023
ITDF Ishares Lifepath Target Date 2050 ETF	-1.48%	20.86%	16.15%	12.92%
TLT iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF	0.17%	4.25%	-8.05%	20.64%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, ITDF achieves a -1.48% return, which is significantly lower than TLT's 0.17% return.

ITDF

• 1D: 2.81%
• 1M: -6.25%
• YTD: -1.48%
• 6M: 1.38%
• 1Y: 20.07%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

TLT

• 1D: -0.10%
• 1M: -4.23%
• YTD: 0.17%
• 6M: -0.87%
• 1Y: -0.49%
• 3Y*: -2.78%
• 5Y*: -5.85%
• 10Y*: -1.38%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

ITDF vs. TLT - Expense Ratio Comparison

ITDF has a 0.11% expense ratio, which is lower than TLT's 0.15% expense ratio. Despite the difference, both funds are considered low-cost compared to the broader market, where average expense ratios usually range from 0.3% to 0.9%.

TLT

iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF

ITDF

Ishares Lifepath Target Date 2050 ETF

Return for Risk

ITDF vs. TLT — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

ITDF

ITDF Risk / Return Rank: 73
ITDF Sharpe Ratio Rank: 71
ITDF Sortino Ratio Rank: 74
ITDF Omega Ratio Rank: 74
ITDF Calmar Ratio Rank: 71
ITDF Martin Ratio Rank: 77

TLT

TLT Risk / Return Rank: 12
TLT Sharpe Ratio Rank: 11
TLT Sortino Ratio Rank: 10
TLT Omega Ratio Rank: 10
TLT Calmar Ratio Rank: 14
TLT Martin Ratio Rank: 13

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

ITDF vs. TLT - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Ishares Lifepath Target Date 2050 ETF (ITDF) and iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	ITDF	TLT	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.24	-0.04	+1.28
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.83	0.02	+1.81
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.27	1.00	+0.27
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.77	0.05	+1.72
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	8.13	0.11	+8.02
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

ITDF vs. TLT - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current ITDF Sharpe Ratio is 1.24, which is higher than the TLT Sharpe Ratio of -0.04. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of ITDF and TLT, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	ITDF	TLT	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.24	-0.04	+1.28
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	-0.37	—
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	-0.09	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	1.45	0.26	+1.19

Correlation

The correlation between ITDF and TLT is 0.22, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

ITDF vs. TLT - Dividend Comparison

ITDF's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.67%, less than TLT's 4.49% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
ITDF Ishares Lifepath Target Date 2050 ETF	1.67%	1.65%	1.55%	0.85%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
TLT iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF	4.49%	4.43%	4.30%	3.38%	2.67%	1.50%	1.50%	2.27%	2.63%	2.43%	2.60%	2.61%

Drawdowns

ITDF vs. TLT - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum ITDF drawdown since its inception was -15.67%, smaller than the maximum TLT drawdown of -48.35%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for ITDF and TLT.

Drawdown Indicators

	ITDF	TLT	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-15.67%	-48.35%	+32.68%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-11.43%	-9.23%	-2.20%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-43.70%	—
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-48.35%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-6.77%	-40.17%	+33.40%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-1.54%	-13.62%	+12.08%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.49%	4.38%	-1.89%

Volatility

ITDF vs. TLT - Volatility Comparison

Ishares Lifepath Target Date 2050 ETF (ITDF) has a higher volatility of 6.03% compared to iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) at 3.71%. This indicates that ITDF's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than TLT based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	ITDF	TLT	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	6.03%	3.71%	+2.32%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	9.34%	6.61%	+2.73%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	16.23%	11.44%	+4.79%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	13.89%	15.90%	-2.01%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	13.89%	14.93%	-1.04%