VAIGX vs. SPY

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Vanguard Advice Select International Growth Fund (VAIGX) and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY).

VAIGX is managed by Vanguard. It was launched on Nov 9, 2021. SPY is a passively managed fund by State Street that tracks the performance of the S&P 500 Index. It was launched on Jan 22, 1993.

Performance

VAIGX vs. SPY - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Vanguard Advice Select International Growth Fund (VAIGX) and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

VAIGX vs. SPY - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022
VAIGX Vanguard Advice Select International Growth Fund	-10.64%	17.01%	19.11%	15.53%	-28.63%
SPY State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF	-3.65%	17.72%	24.89%	26.18%	-13.62%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, VAIGX achieves a -10.64% return, which is significantly lower than SPY's -3.65% return.

VAIGX

• 1D: 4.17%
• 1M: -6.15%
• YTD: -10.64%
• 6M: -16.56%
• 1Y: 1.60%
• 3Y*: 7.31%
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

SPY

• 1D: 0.75%
• 1M: -4.28%
• YTD: -3.65%
• 6M: -1.42%
• 1Y: 18.14%
• 3Y*: 18.48%
• 5Y*: 11.86%
• 10Y*: 14.06%

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

VAIGX vs. SPY - Expense Ratio Comparison

VAIGX has a 0.42% expense ratio, which is higher than SPY's 0.09% expense ratio.

VAIGX

Vanguard Advice Select International Growth Fund

SPY

State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF

Return for Risk

VAIGX vs. SPY — Risk / Return Rank

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

VAIGX

VAIGX Risk / Return Rank: 6
VAIGX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 6
VAIGX Sortino Ratio Rank: 6
VAIGX Omega Ratio Rank: 6
VAIGX Calmar Ratio Rank: 6
VAIGX Martin Ratio Rank: 6

SPY

SPY Risk / Return Rank: 59
SPY Sharpe Ratio Rank: 51
SPY Sortino Ratio Rank: 56
SPY Omega Ratio Rank: 60
SPY Calmar Ratio Rank: 58
SPY Martin Ratio Rank: 69

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.

VAIGX vs. SPY - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Vanguard Advice Select International Growth Fund (VAIGX) and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY). 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.

	VAIGX	SPY	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.08	0.96	-0.88
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.30	1.49	-1.20
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.04	1.23	-0.19
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	-0.01	1.53	-1.54
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	-0.02	7.27	-7.28
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

VAIGX vs. SPY - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current VAIGX Sharpe Ratio is 0.08, which is lower than the SPY Sharpe Ratio of 0.96. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of VAIGX and SPY, 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

	VAIGX	SPY	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.08	0.96	-0.88
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	0.70	—
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	0.79	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.02	0.56	-0.54

Correlation

The correlation between VAIGX and SPY is 0.80, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

VAIGX vs. SPY - Dividend Comparison

VAIGX's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 5.05%, more than SPY's 1.13% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
VAIGX Vanguard Advice Select International Growth Fund	5.05%	4.52%	0.82%	0.13%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
SPY State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF	1.13%	1.07%	1.21%	1.40%	1.65%	1.20%	1.52%	1.75%	2.04%	1.80%	2.03%	2.06%

Drawdowns

VAIGX vs. SPY - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum VAIGX drawdown since its inception was -41.46%, smaller than the maximum SPY drawdown of -55.19%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for VAIGX and SPY.

Drawdown Indicators

	VAIGX	SPY	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-41.46%	-55.19%	+13.73%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-21.75%	-12.05%	-9.70%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-24.50%	—
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-33.72%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-18.49%	-5.53%	-12.96%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-14.38%	-9.09%	-5.29%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	7.46%	2.54%	+4.92%

Volatility

VAIGX vs. SPY - Volatility Comparison

Vanguard Advice Select International Growth Fund (VAIGX) has a higher volatility of 9.57% compared to State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) at 5.35%. This indicates that VAIGX's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than SPY based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	VAIGX	SPY	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	9.57%	5.35%	+4.22%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	16.26%	9.50%	+6.76%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	24.30%	19.06%	+5.24%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	29.22%	17.06%	+12.16%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	29.22%	17.92%	+11.30%