ETF Evaluator:
Vanguard Core-Plus Bond ETF ()
Follow This ETF
(as of Aug 26)
Best Performing in Intermediate Core-Plus Bond Over the Last Year
| 8.9% | Infrastructure Capital Bond Income ETF (BNDS) |
| 5.2% | Monarch Ambassador Income ETF (MAMB) |
| 4.1% | SanJac Alpha Core Plus Bond ETF (SJCP) |
| 4.1% | F/m Opportunistic Income ETF (ZHOG) |
| 3.9% | PIMCO Active Bond ETF (BOND) |
Risk
Index
Risk
Index
ETF Details
Vanguard Core-Plus Bond ETF Overview
Vanguard Core-Plus Bond ETF (VPLS) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Intermediate Core-Plus Bond exchange-traded fund (ETF). Vanguard launched the ETF in 2023.
The investment seeks to track the performance of a Bloomberg U.S. Universal Float Adjusted Index a broad, market-weighted bond index.
The Target Index includes U.S. government and agencyobligations, corporate bonds, mortgage-backed securities, asset-backedsecurities, and emerging market bonds, all denominated in the U.S. dollar andwith maturities of at least one year. Under normal circumstances, the fundinvests at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings forinvestment purposes, in the bonds that make up the Target Index.
About Vanguard Core-Plus Bond ETF (VPLS)
There are 4 members of the management team with an average tenure of 2.65 years: Daniel Shaykevich (2023), Brian Quigley (2023), Arvind Narayanan (2023) and Michael Chang (2023). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 1 primary benchmark: Bloomberg US Universal TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Vanguard Core-Plus Bond ETF has 2859 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 13.3% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Vanguard Core-Plus Bond ETF is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond ETF group. Vanguard Core-Plus Bond ETF has 27.7% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.0% There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 98.1% (70.4% domestic bond, 27.7% foreign bond and 0.1% convertible bond). Vanguard Core-Plus Bond ETF has 1.9% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $1 billion in total assets, which is below the $2 billion average for the Intermediate Core-Plus Bond category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
VPLS Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The Vanguard Core-Plus Bond ETF expense ratio is below average compared to funds in the Intermediate Core-Plus Bond category. Vanguard Core-Plus Bond ETF has an expense ratio of 0.20%, which is 54% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a A. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. Vanguard Core-Plus Bond ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 392%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 157% for the Intermediate Core-Plus Bond category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Vanguard Core-Plus Bond ETF returned -1.3%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Intermediate Core-Plus Bond category had an average return of -1.2%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all ETFs in that category.
Vanguard Core-Plus Bond ETF has a trailing yield of 4.59%, which is below the 4.67% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income monthly and its capital gains annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
Vanguard Core-Plus Bond ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned -0.2%, 0.1 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of B. The fund has returned 3.3% over the past year (grade of B).
For more ETF grades, analysis and screening tools to help your investment discovery, join AAII for a $2, full-access trial. Learn more here: https://invest.aaii.com/membership.
Otherwise, for more information about Vanguard Core-Plus Bond ETF, including its riskiness, submit your email to unlock the rest of the article.
Gain access to exclusive AAII member-only content.
VPLS Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| VPLS Return (NAV) | -1.3% | -0.6% | 3.3% | na | na | na |
| VPLS Return (Price) | -1.2% | -0.4% | 3.4% | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | -0.085% | -0.160% | -0.062% | na | na | na |
| Intermediate Core-Plus Bond Avg | -1.2% | -0.6% | 3.2% | 4.6% | 0.4% | 2.1% |
| VPLS Grade (NAV) | C | C | B | na | na | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | -0.1% | 0.0% | 0.2% | na | na | na |
| VPLS Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.9% | na | na | na |
VPLS Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| VPLS Return (NAV) | -0.2% | 8.1% | 2.8% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| VPLS Return (Price) | -0.1% | 7.9% | 2.7% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | -0.603% | -0.031% | -0.048% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Intermediate Core-Plus Bond Avg | -0.2% | 7.5% | 3.0% | 6.6% | -13.2% | -0.7% | 8.0% | 9.8% | -0.2% | 4.3% | 4.9% |
| VPLS Grade (NAV) | B | A | B | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | 0.1% | 0.6% | -0.1% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | na |
| R-Squared: | na |
| Standard Deviation: | na |
| Category Risk Index: | na |
| Category Risk Rating: | |
| Total Risk Index: | na |
| Total Risk Rating: | |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 4.6% |
| Total Assets: | $ 1,747 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 1,747 Mil |
| Turnover: | 392.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.20% |
| Index Fund: | No |
| Index Tracked: | Bloomberg US Universal TR USD |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Monthly |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 4 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 2.7 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 2.7 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Shaykevich Daniel (2023), Quigley Brian (2023), Narayanan Arvind (2023), Chang Michael (2023) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 2859 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 13.3% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 27.7% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 70.4% |
| Foreign Bond: | 27.7% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.1% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 1.9% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | Vanguard |
| Phone Number: | 866-499-8473 |
| Website: | www.vanguard.com |
| Inception Date: | December 7, 2023 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.20% (Rating: Below Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.44% |
