Cohen & Steers REIT and Preferred and Income Fund, Inc. (RNP) is a ETF from Cohen & Steers Funds and Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) is a ETF from Vanguard (US). Over the past year RNP returned +0.62% while VTI returned +21.79%. Year to date, RNP is up 7.58% versus a gain of 11.83% for VTI.

Over three years, RNP compounded at +10.42% per year against +20.40% for VTI; over five years the annualized figures are +3.34% and +11.96% respectively. Across the full 23-year window we track, VTI has the edge at +8.06% annualized vs +1.11%. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

RNP has been the more volatile fund, with annualized monthly volatility of 27.4% compared with 15.3% for VTI. 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 -90.8% for RNP and -56.6% for VTI. Drawdown depth is worth weighing if you expect to sell during market stress rather than ride it out.

The two funds' monthly returns correlate at 0.71. They usually move together, but the gap leaves some room for diversification.

RNP charges 1.78% per year while VTI charges 0.03%. On a $10,000 position that is $178 vs $3 annually, a gap of $175 per year that compounds over a long holding period. On income, RNP currently yields 7.44% against 1.07% for VTI.