With $9.6 billion in net assets and a 0.15% expense ratio, the fund provides institutional-grade access to systematic value investing at a fraction of active management costs. The timing matters now because value has sharply outpaced growth in recent months. VLUE posted a 38.25% one-year return through February 17, 2026, more than tripling the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust ( NYSEARCA:SPY)'s performance.
The SPDR Portfolio S&P 1500 Composite Stock Market ETF ( NYSEARCA:SPTM) generates income by collecting dividends from its holdings and passing them through to investors. With 1,500 holdings spanning the entire U.S. market, SPTM offers broad exposure at an ultra-low 0.03% expense ratio. The fund yields 1.1%, modest compared to the 10-year Treasury at 4.16% - a dynamic we explored in today's Daily Profit newsletter - but the story is capital appreciation combined with steady income rather than yield chasing.
The average actively managed mutual fund charges around 1% annually, and even popular index funds from legacy providers can run 0.10% to 0.20%. Those differences sound trivial until you calculate what they cost over decades. SCHK charges just 0.03%, making it one of the lowest-cost ways to own broad U.S. equity exposure. This pricing advantage becomes meaningful over decades as the difference between paying $30 versus $1,000 annually on a $100,000 investment compounds into substantial wealth preservation.