VS
iShares ESG Conservative Balanced ETF Portfolio (GCNS) and Vanguard Retirement Income ETF Portfolio (VRIF) offer distinct profiles for Canadian ETF investors. A direct comparison shows that GCNS focuses its top 3 sector exposures on Finance, Sovereign, and Technology, while VRIF leans towards Finance, Sovereign, and Energy. When evaluating costs, GCNS features a management fee (MER) of 0.22%, compared to 0.29% for VRIF. Performance-wise, GCNS has returned 6.75% year-to-date with +$26 M in net flows, whereas VRIF is at 4.44% with +$64 M. Use the comparison tool below to benchmark these funds across top 10 holdings, yield, sector weights and historical returns.
NAV Performance and Flows
Key Data
Compare
GCNS
VRIF
| AuM | $88.26 M | $372.82 M |
| Management Fees | 0.22% | 0.29% |
| Exp. ratio | 0.23% | 0.32% |
| Tracking Difference | - | - |
Historical performance and flows
As of September 2, 2026
| 1M | 3M | YTD | 1Y | 3Y | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perf. | GCNS | -1.14% | -0.06% | +6.75% | +11.04% | +41.12% |
VRIF | -1.11% | -0.65% | +4.44% | +8.57% | +34.27% | |
| Flows | GCNS | +$3 M | +$12 M | +$26 M | +$37 M | +$62 M |
VRIF | +$8 M | +$21 M | +$64 M | +$76 M | +$23 M |
GCNS vs VRIF exposure
Countries
GCNS
Canada
63.58%
USA
24.09%
Other
12.33%
VRIF
Canada
62.43%
USA
15.79%
Other
21.78%
Sectors
GCNS
Finance
33.44%
Sovereign
16.79%
Technology
12.65%
Municipal
12.53%
Other
24.59%
VRIF
Finance
29.92%
Sovereign
14.51%
Energy
7.95%
Municipal
7.70%
Other
39.92%
As of September 2, 2026
Top 10 Holdings
GCNS
NVIDIA Corp.
1.98%
Royal Bank of Canada
1.34%
The Toronto-Dominion Bank
1.30%
Canada, Bond 2 1jun2028 10Y
1.29%
Broadcom Inc.
1.25%
Shopify, Inc.
1.00%
Canada, Bond 1.25 1jun2030 10Y
0.97%
Bank of Montreal
0.82%
Canada, Bond 2.25 1jun2029 10Y
0.76%
Canada, Bond 0.5 1oct2030 10Y
0.74%
VRIF
Royal Bank of Canada
0.74%
The Toronto-Dominion Bank
0.51%
NVIDIA Corp.
0.48%
Apple, Inc.
0.47%
Canada, Bonds 2.75% 1mar2031, CAD
0.45%
Canada, Bonds 2.75% 1sep2030, CAD
0.40%
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
0.40%
Canada, Bonds 3.25% 1dec2035, CAD
0.38%
Canada, Bonds 3.25% 1jun2036, CAD
0.38%
Shopify, Inc.
0.36%
Diversification
GCNS
Total weight of top 10 holdings out of 1,382 total
11.45%
VRIF
Total weight of top 10 holdings out of 29,847 total
4.57%
Characteristics
Compare
GCNS
VRIF
| Provider | iShares | Vanguard |
| Management | Actively managed | Actively managed |
| Benchmark | - | - |
| Replication Method | ||
| Asset Class | Equity, Fixed Income | Equity, Fixed Income |
| Dividend Policy | Distributing | Distributing |
| Trailing 12m distribution yield | 2.10% | 3.83% |
| Meets ESG criteria | Yes | No |
| Inception Date | September 14, 2020 | September 9, 2020 |
Frequently asked questions about GCNS and VRIF
Which ETF has performed better year to date: GCNS or VRIF?
As of September 2, 2026, GCNS has returned 6.75% year to date, while VRIF has returned 4.44%. GCNS is ahead on YTD performance.
Which ETF is larger by assets under management: GCNS or VRIF?
As of September 2, 2026, GCNS manages $88.26 M in assets, while VRIF manages $372.82 M. VRIF is the larger fund by AUM.
How are GCNS and VRIF managed?
GCNS is actively managed by iShares. It does not track an index. VRIF is actively managed by Vanguard. It does not track an index.
What sectors do GCNS and VRIF emphasize?
GCNS is most exposed to Finance, Sovereign, and Technology. VRIF is most exposed to Finance, Sovereign, and Energy.
Which ETF is attracting more investor flows: GCNS or VRIF?
Year to date, GCNS has seen +$26.21 M in net flows, compared with +$64.42 M for VRIF. VRIF has attracted more net investor money so far.
How do the fees of GCNS and VRIF compare?
GCNS has an expense ratio of 0.23%, while VRIF has an expense ratio of 0.32%.
What are the top holdings of GCNS and VRIF?
GCNS's largest holdings include NVIDIA Corp., Royal Bank of Canada, and The Toronto-Dominion Bank. VRIF's top holdings include Royal Bank of Canada and The Toronto-Dominion Bank.
Which ETF is more diversified: GCNS or VRIF?
GCNS holds 1375 securities, while VRIF holds 24900. On holdings count, VRIF is the more diversified portfolio.
The ETF Market Canada is brought to you by Cboe in partnership with Trackinsight SA who is providing all the data, analysis and editorial content on this site. Unless explicitly stated as such, any information that you receive is not real-time.
All content on the ETF Market Canada is for your general information use only, Cboe is not responsible for any use of content by you outside this scope. In particular, the content does not constitute any form of advice, recommendation, representation, endorsement or arrangement by Cboe and is not intended to be relied upon by users in making (or refraining from making) any specific investment or other decisions.
All content on the ETF Market Canada is for your general information use only, Cboe is not responsible for any use of content by you outside this scope. In particular, the content does not constitute any form of advice, recommendation, representation, endorsement or arrangement by Cboe and is not intended to be relied upon by users in making (or refraining from making) any specific investment or other decisions.