Advisory fees can eat up 25% of bond income; 3 low-cost ETFs offer a cheaper alternative.

Advisory fees of around 1% can consume a quarter of the income from bond investments yielding about 4%, significantly reducing investors' returns. Three low-cost ETFs—Vanguard Intermediate-Term Corporate Bond ETF (VCIT), Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury ETF (VGIT), and iShares Core High Dividend ETF (HDV)—offer a cost-effective way to maintain quality, diversification, and stable income with expense ratios in the single-digit basis points. These ETFs provide a balanced bond portfolio with corporate and Treasury exposure, plus dividend-paying stocks for growth potential, allowing investors to keep more of their income. While advisers provide valuable planning and risk management, investors paying high fees on low-yield bonds should consider these ETFs to preserve income.

As of Sep 22, 2026 05:22 WIB, VCIT trades near its 52-week low at USD 79.92, just above the low of USD 79.51, while HDV is closer to its 52-week high at USD 28.55 compared to USD 29.93. VCIT shows a modest 1-day gain of +0.29%, contrasting with HDV's 1-day decline of -0.66%. These price movements reflect differing investor preferences for corporate bonds versus high dividend stocks within the fixed income and equity income space on Pluang.