RILA vs SPY

RILA vs SPY

Which is better, RILA or SPY?

Equity-oriented Balanced against Large Cap Blend.

SPY has a lower expense ratio. SPY led over 1Y and the full window. RILA is less concentrated, with 37.5% of the fund in its ten largest positions against 38.0%.

Lower Fees: SPYHigher Returns: SPYLess Concentrated: RILA

MarketXLS is not an investment adviser. This comparison is generated automatically from market data and is for information only. A Best mark means the better reading on that one measure, not a recommendation to buy.

Side-by-Side Comparison

MetricRILASPY
Expense Ratio0.50%0.09%Best
AUM$44M$804.7B
Dividend Yield0.10%0.98%
Holdings171505
YTD Return+4.43%+12.47%Best
1Y Return+2.33%+17.51%Best
3Y Return (annualized)-+21.18%
5Y Return (annualized)-+12.88%
Volatility (annualized)15.5%12.9%Best
Max Drawdown-20.0%-18.8%Best
$10,000 over 1.7 years$11,998$13,320Best
Top 10 Weight37.5%Best38.0%
Fund FamilyIndexpertsState Street Investment Management
CategoryAllocation/BalancedEquity
StyleEquity-oriented BalancedLarge Cap Blend
InceptionDec 31, 2024Jan 22, 1993

Volatility and max drawdown, and the $10,000 over 1.7 years row, are measured over the window both funds cover: Jan 2, 2025 to Sep 11, 2026 (1.7 years).

RILA vs SPY growth

Month-end closes. Both lines start at 0% in the first month shown, so the gap between them is the difference in growth across that window. The full view covers the 1.7 years both funds cover.

RILA vs SPY Performance

Indexperts Gorilla Aggressive Growth ETF (RILA) is an ETF from Indexperts and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) is an ETF from State Street Investment Management. Over the past year RILA returned +2.33% while SPY returned +17.51%. Year to date, RILA is up 4.43% versus a gain of 12.47% for SPY.

Past performance does not guarantee future results.

Risk: Volatility and Drawdowns

RILA has been the more volatile fund, with annualized monthly volatility of 15.5% compared with 12.9% for SPY. Lower volatility generally means a smoother ride, though it often comes with lower long-run returns.

The deepest peak-to-trough decline in our data was -20.0% for RILA and -18.8% for SPY. Drawdown depth is what each fund did in the worst stretch of the window measured above.

The two funds' monthly returns correlate at 0.89. They usually move together, but the gap leaves some room for diversification.

Fees and Cost Over Time

RILA charges 0.50% per year while SPY charges 0.09%. On a $10,000 position that is $50 vs $9 annually, a gap of $41 per year that compounds over a long holding period. On income, RILA currently yields 0.10% against 0.98% for SPY.

Holdings Overlap

RILA already in SPY87.9%
SPY already in RILA36.3%

87.9% of RILA's money is in holdings SPY also owns. 36.3% of SPY's money is in holdings RILA also owns.

Most of RILA is already inside SPY. Owning both mostly buys the same companies twice.

71 positions in common, counted across the 170 positions we hold weights for in RILA and 504 in SPY, against full books of 171 and 505.

What only one of them owns

Our book lists 423 positions for SPY that do not appear in our book for RILA (63.2% of the fund), and 94 for RILA that do not appear in SPY (10.6%).

Some of those will be the same company recorded under a different code in one of the two books, so the real difference in what you would own is no larger than this and may be smaller. We do not name the individual positions here for that reason.

Top Shared Holdings

StockWeight in RILAWeight in SPYDifference
NVDANvidia Corp.5.05%7.71%2.66%
AVGOBroadcom Inc4.84%2.97%1.87%
AMZNAmazon.Com Inc3.61%4.08%0.47%
MSFTMicrosoft Corp 4.100 Feb 06 371.18%5.50%4.32%
LLYEli Lilly & Co.4.37%1.33%3.04%
PANWPalo Alto Networks Inc.4.64%0.45%4.19%
TSLATesla Inc3.03%1.38%1.65%
APHAmphenol Corp. Class A3.56%0.32%3.24%
PLTRPalantir Technologies Inc2.95%0.56%2.39%
METAMeta Platforms, Inc.1.53%1.94%0.41%

87.9% of RILA is already inside SPY.

You probably hold more than these two. Add the rest and see how much of the whole book is the same companies twice.

RILASPY

Free for up to 10 holdings. No account needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is cheaper, RILA or SPY?

RILA has an expense ratio of 0.50% while SPY charges 0.09%. SPY is the cheaper option, by $41 a year on a $10,000 investment.

Which performed better, RILA or SPY?

Over the past year RILA returned +2.33% vs +17.51% for SPY, so SPY leads on 1-year performance. Over the longest common window we track (2 years), RILA annualized +11.31% vs +18.37% for SPY. Past performance does not guarantee future results. This is information, not a recommendation.

Which is riskier, RILA or SPY?

RILA has been the more volatile fund at 15.5% annualized versus 12.9% for SPY. Worst drawdown: RILA -20.0% vs SPY -18.8%.

Should I hold both RILA and SPY?

RILA and SPY have a monthly-return correlation of 0.89, so their returns are far enough apart for the mix to behave differently from either one alone. This is information, not a recommendation.

What is the holdings overlap between RILA and SPY?

87.9% of RILA's money is in holdings SPY also owns. 36.3% of SPY's is in holdings RILA also owns. They hold 71 positions in common, counted across the 170 positions we hold weights for in RILA and 504 in SPY.

Which pays a higher dividend, RILA or SPY?

RILA yields 0.10% while SPY yields 0.98%, so SPY currently pays the higher dividend yield.

Is SPY better than RILA?

SPY has a lower expense ratio. SPY led over 1Y and the full window. RILA is less concentrated, with 37.5% of the fund in its ten largest positions against 38.0%. Which one suits a particular account depends on what it is for. This is information, not a recommendation.