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VOO · Vanguard S&P 500 ETF · 0.03% expense ratio

VOO calculator: what Vanguard's S&P 500 ETF grows into

VOO tracks the S&P 500 total return index at a 0.03% expense ratio — one of the two cheapest S&P funds available. This calculator applies the same total-return math the index uses (dividends reinvested), letting you model both historical outcomes (1928–2025) and forward projections.

By Snowballr Research Team
Fact-checked against primary sourcesEditorial standards
Coverage: Compound interest · Retirement · FIRE · Debt payoff · Mortgages · Fraud prevention
Built from: IRS · FINRA · SEC · BLS · Federal Reserve · Freddie Mac30+ primary sources verified
Your what-if
$
2010
19282025
You would have
$81K
by end of 2025 — from $10K invested at start of 2010
In 2010 dollars (real, after inflation)$54K
Annualized nominal return13.97%
Annualized real return11.11%
Years held16
Cumulative inflation×1.50

Uses annual S&P 500 total return (with dividends reinvested) and CPI-U inflation, 1928–2025. Source: Damodaran (NYU Stern) + Shiller CAPE + BLS. Excludes fees, taxes, and bid/ask. Real return = nominal ÷ cumulative CPI.

VOO launched September 2010, so any pre-2010 result in the historical mode is a "what-if the same index existed with VOO's fee structure." For 2010 onward, the calculator's result closely matches actual VOO price + dividend history — small deviation from VOO's realized 0.03% drag.

Compared to SPY (0.09%) and IVV (0.03%), VOO is functionally identical for buy-and-hold investors — the underlying index is the same, the expense ratio is the lowest-tier. Where they diverge: options market (SPY deepest liquidity), international tax treatment (VOO is US-domiciled; European investors need UCITS versions), and Vanguard's mutualization structure lowers securities-lending revenue leakage.

Long-run: the stored underlying-index scenario from 2010 through 2025 compounds at roughly 14.0% annualized before ETF fees and taxes. That period is unusually strong context, not a forward-return assumption; test a range and verify the fund's current disclosures.

Frequently asked

What is the historical return of VOO?

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The stored underlying-index scenario from 2010 through 2025 compounds at approximately 14.0% nominal annualized before ETF fees and taxes. This historical window is not a forecast; compare lower and higher assumptions and verify the current fund prospectus.

VOO vs SPY: which is better?

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For buy-and-hold, VOO wins on cost (0.03% vs 0.09% expense ratio, though the gap is tiny — 6 basis points is $60 per $100K per year). SPY wins on options liquidity and premium if you're a trader. IVV (iShares) matches VOO at 0.03%. All three track the same S&P 500 index.

Does VOO pay dividends?

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Yes, quarterly. VOO's dividend yield in 2026 is approximately 1.3%. The calculator assumes dividends are reinvested (DRIP), which is what happens automatically in most brokerages and IRAs.

How much would $10,000 invested in VOO in 2010 be worth today?

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A $10,000 start-of-2010 scenario using the stored S&P 500 total-return series reaches approximately $81,075 nominal and $53,990 in 2010 purchasing power through 2025. The result excludes ETF fees, taxes and tracking difference; it is not a historical VOO NAV quote.

What's VOO's expense ratio and how much does it cost me?

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0.03% annually. On a $100,000 investment that's $30 per year. Over 30 years at 10% growth, the fee drag reduces your final balance by about 0.9% — negligible compared to the fee drag of most mutual funds (0.5-1.5%).
Related tools
S&P 500 calculator
Underlying index — same math, no ETF wrapper.
SPY calculator
SPDR alternative — 0.09% expense ratio.
S&P 500 historical returns
Time machine for any start year 1928+.
S&P 500 DCA calculator
Monthly contribution scenarios.
Fund fee analyzer
How VOO's 0.03% compares to actively-managed funds.
Inflation calculator
What today's dollars are worth in the future.

Historical returns are not indicative of future results. Excludes broker/ETF fees, taxes, and bid-ask spread. Data: Damodaran (NYU Stern), Shiller CAPE, BLS CPI-U. See our sources, editorial standards, and disclaimer.