iShares iBonds Dec 2029 Term Corporate ETF

iShares iBonds Dec 2029 Term Corporate ETF (IBDU) holds investment-grade US dollar corporate bonds that mature in 2029. The fund itself is set to close on or about December 15, 2029, and pay out its remaining assets. That end date sets it apart from ordinary bond funds, which never mature. Its 0.10% annual fee is below the 0.13% average of similar funds but above rivals that charge 0.03% to 0.04%.

• Over the year to Oct 27, 2026, IBDU returned +1.4%, 5th of 8 among similar funds.
• Its 5-year annualized return was +1.1%.
• In the 2020 COVID crash it fell 18.2% and regained its old high 2.7 months after the low.
• Its worst full calendar year was 2022 (-13.0%); its best was 2020 (+10.4%).
• The deepest fall in its price history was 19.4% (Aug 4, 2021 to Oct 20, 2022), recovered by Jul 21, 2025.

As of Jul 31, 2026, the fund held 677 securities; the ten largest made up 6.37% of assets, and 4.99% sat in cash and money-market holdings.

The bonds mature in 2.8 years on average (weighted by size), with an average coupon of 4.34%.

• Over the three months to Jul 31, 2026, investors added a net $362.7M (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
• Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +0.24%, +0.13%, -0.05%.

IBDU tracks the Bloomberg December 2029 Maturity Corporate Index. This index starts with the broader Bloomberg U.S. Corporate Index and keeps only bonds scheduled to mature between January 1 and December 15, 2029. Each bond must be investment grade, which means rated Baa3 or BBB- or higher and seen as less likely to default. It must also pay a fixed rate, be issued in US dollars and have at least $300 million outstanding. Bonds are weighted by market value, and any one issuer is usually capped at 3%. BlackRock's adviser, BFA, uses representative sampling. That means it buys a group of bonds that matches the index's overall profile instead of every single issue.

The index rebalances on the last day of each month until June 30, 2029. After that date it adds no new bonds and only drops any that fall below investment grade. As bonds mature, the fund holds the proceeds in cash. On or about December 15, 2029, it liquidates and pays its remaining assets to shareholders.

This works much like owning a basket of individual bonds, with some differences. The fund doesn't promise any set amount at the end. Its payouts vary, and its yield may drift toward money market rates in the final months. As of July 31, 2026, it held 677 bonds with an average of 2.8 years left to maturity.

• IBDU charges 0.1% a year, versus an average of 0.13% for the similar funds below (6th of 8, cheapest first).
• Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $10 in the first year and $— over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).

It pays monthly income from investment-grade corporate bonds and returns its remaining assets around a fixed date, December 15, 2029.

IBDU may fit a retiree who has a known expense around late 2029, because the fund pays out its remaining assets on or about December 15, 2029. It yielded 4.74% over the 12 months to October 27, 2026, paid monthly. Its annual fee is 0.10%, which is $10 in the first year on a $10,000 investment under the SEC's standard example.

The price still moves before that date. The fund fell 18.2% in March 2020 and recovered in under three months. Its deepest drop was 19.4%, from August 2021 to October 2022, and it took 33 months to recover. Its worst year was 2022, at −13.05%. Anyone who had to sell during that stretch took a loss. The fund launched in 2019, so it has no 2008 record. Price swings tend to shrink as bonds get closer to maturity. Past results don't predict the future, and a plan should look at the whole portfolio, not one fund.

Matched by bond funds with the closest average maturity and issuer mix (N-PORT).