Barbara FriedbergInvesting Expert Writer
Friedberg is a former investment portfolio manager, university finance instructor and author of three books including "Personal Finance; An Encyclopedia of Modern Money Management." Her work has been featured in national investment publications such as Forbes Advisor, Investopedia, U.S.News and World Report, Yahoo Finance, GoBankingRates and InvestorPlace. She is a regular panelist on the Money Tree Investing Podcast and owns BarbaraFriedbergPersonalFinance.com.
Barbara Friedberg
Barbara FriedbergInvesting Expert Writer
Friedberg is a former investment portfolio manager, university finance instructor and author of three books including "Personal Finance; An Encyclopedia of Modern Money Management." Her work has been featured in national investment publications such as Forbes Advisor, Investopedia, U.S.News and World Report, Yahoo Finance, GoBankingRates and InvestorPlace. She is a regular panelist on the Money Tree Investing Podcast and owns BarbaraFriedbergPersonalFinance.com.
Investing Expert Writer
Michael AdamsLead Editor, Investing
Michael Adams is lead editor, investing at Forbes Advisor. He's researched, written about and practiced investing for nearly two decades. As a writer, Michael has covered everything from stocks to cryptocurrency and ETFs for many of the world's major financial publications, including Kiplinger, U.S. News and World Report, The Motley Fool and more. Michael holds a master’s degree in philosophy from The New School for Social Research and an additional master's degree in Asian classics from St. John’s College.
Reviewed
Michael Adams
Michael AdamsLead Editor, Investing
Michael Adams is lead editor, investing at Forbes Advisor. He's researched, written about and practiced investing for nearly two decades. As a writer, Michael has covered everything from stocks to cryptocurrency and ETFs for many of the world's major financial publications, including Kiplinger, U.S. News and World Report, The Motley Fool and more. Michael holds a master’s degree in philosophy from The New School for Social Research and an additional master's degree in Asian classics from St. John’s College.
Lead Editor, Investing
Reviewed
Updated: May 2, 2024, 4:18pm
Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.
With more than 400 funds to choose from in the U.S., there’s something for every investor in the iShares ETF fund family. Financial services giant BlackRock launched the first iShares ETFs in 1996. Since then, it has become the largest issuer of exchange-traded funds in the U.S.
The best iShares ETFs depend entirely upon an individual investor’s goals, strategy and time horizon. For the listing below, we sorted the hundreds of iShares funds to find the best offers for average investors given this unusual time in financial markets. Our picks lean toward conservative funds that offer maximum diversification, low volatility and great value.
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Best Ofs
- Best General ETFs
- Best Dividend ETFs
- Best Bond ETFs
- Best Growth ETFs
- Best Bitcoin ETFs
- Best Brokerage Accounts
Show Summary
- The Best iShares ETFs Of May 2024
- iShares Global 100 ETF (IOO)
- iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF (MTUM)
- iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF (DGRO)
- iShares 1-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (IGSB)
- BlackRock Short Maturity Bond ETF (NEAR)
- Methodology
- Next Up in Investing
BlackRock Short Maturity Bond ETF (NEAR)
Expense Ratio
0.25%
Dividend Yield
4.96%
10-Year Avg. Ann. Return
1.89%
0.25%
4.96%
1.89%
Editor's Take
Providing monthly distributions, BlackRock Short Maturity Bond ETF is suitable for income investors. Part of the iShares family, this actively managed short term bond fund is designed for investors seeking current income.
The average effective duration of 1.94 means the fund’s price should remain relatively stable and income should rise along with interest rates. At the same time, NEAR’s more than 300 holdings minimize credit and default risk. The bonds are well-diversified across asset classes with a large portion of high credit quality issues.
*Data sourced from Morningstar Direct, current as of May 1, 2024, unless noted otherwise. Return since inception is through April 30, 2024.
Methodology
When screening iShares’ 396 ETF offerings, we started by separating out the 254 equity ETFs. From that initial list we categorized the funds by region, sub asset class, three to five year return and expense ratio. Then we eliminated any ETFs launched since 2018. Next we eliminated all sector, country and industry specific ETFs.
From the remaining 98 ETFs, we selected a variety of equity funds that might appeal to the general investor. We chose one core U.S. equity index fund. The remaining selections spanned dividend, value, momentum and global ETFs, which yielded five winners.
For the bond selections we reviewed all of iShares’ 114 fixed income offerings seeking two types of funds: one short term income and another intermediate term corporate. We settled on the BlackRock Short Maturity Bond ETF and iShares 1-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF.
Together, these two bond ETFs could yield a complete bond portfolio for any investor. Ultimately, Blackrock’s iShares ETF offerings are so comprehensive and well-regarded that most investors should be able to find a fund that suits their goals.
To learn more about our rating and review methodology and editorial process, check out our guide onhow Forbes Advisor rates investing products.
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