Fund Evaluator:
Vanguard Shrt-Term Infl-Prot Sec Idx Adm (VTAPX)
Follow This Fund
Best Performing in Short-Term Inflation-Protected Bond Over the Last Year
| 3.6% | Vanguard Shrt-Term Infl-Prot Sec Idx Adm (VTAPX) |
| 3.4% | American Century Short Dur Infl ProBd Y (APOYX) |
| 3.3% | T. Rowe Price US Limited Dtn TIPS Z (TLDZX) |
| 3.3% | Nuveen Inflation Link Bd I (TIIHX) |
| 3.2% | iShares Short-Term TIPS Bond Idx Inv A (BAIPX) |
Fund Details
Vanguard Shrt-Term Infl-Prot Sec Idx Adm Overview
Vanguard Shrt-Term Infl-Prot Sec Idx Adm (VTAPX) is a passively managed Taxable Bond Short-Term Inflation-Protected Bond fund. Vanguard launched the fund in 2012.
The investment seeks to track the performance of a Bloomberg U.S. 0-5 Year Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities Index that measures the investment return of inflation-protected public obligations of the U.S. Treasury with remaining maturities of less than 5 years. The index is a market-capitalization-weighted index that includes all inflation-protected public obligations issued by the U.S. Treasury with remaining maturities of less than 5 years.
About Vanguard Shrt-Term Infl-Prot Sec Idx Adm (VTAPX)
There are 1 members of the management team with an average tenure of 13.72 years: Joshua Barrickman (2012). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Bloomberg US TIPS 0-5 Year TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Vanguard Shrt-Term Infl-Prot Sec Idx Adm has 27 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 50.9% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Vanguard Shrt-Term Infl-Prot Sec Idx Adm is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond fund group. Vanguard Shrt-Term Infl-Prot Sec Idx Adm has 0.0% 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 95.8% (95.8% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Vanguard Shrt-Term Infl-Prot Sec Idx Adm has 4.2% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $25 billion in total assets, which is above the $1 billion average for the Short-Term Inflation-Protected 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.
VTAPX 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 Shrt-Term Infl-Prot Sec Idx Adm expense ratio is low compared to funds in the Short-Term Inflation-Protected Bond category. Vanguard Shrt-Term Infl-Prot Sec Idx Adm has an expense ratio of 0.06%, which is 88% 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 Shrt-Term Infl-Prot Sec Idx Adm has a portfolio turnover rate of 25%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 63% for the Short-Term Inflation-Protected Bond category.
Recently, in the month of June 2026, Vanguard Shrt-Term Infl-Prot Sec Idx Adm returned -0.3%, which earned it a grade of A, as the Short-Term Inflation-Protected Bond category had an average return of -0.5%. 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 funds in that category.
Vanguard Shrt-Term Infl-Prot Sec Idx Adm has a trailing yield of 2.73%, which is below the 4.31% category average. The fund normally distributes its income quarterly.
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 Shrt-Term Infl-Prot Sec Idx Adm Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 1.7%, 0.3 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 3.6% over the past year (grade of B), 5.1% over the past three years (grade of B) and 3.3% per year over the past five years (grade of A) and 3.0% per year over the past 10 years (grade of C).
For more mutual fund 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 Shrt-Term Infl-Prot Sec Idx Adm, including its riskiness, submit your email to unlock the rest of the article.
Gain access to exclusive AAII member-only content.
VTAPX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 6/30/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| VTAPX Return (NAV) | -0.3% | 0.7% | 3.6% | 5.1% | 3.3% | 3.0% |
| VTAPX Grade | A | B | B | B | A | C |
| +/- Category | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.5% | -0.0% |
| Short-Term Inflation-Protected Bond Avg | -0.5% | 0.6% | 3.2% | 4.9% | 2.7% | 3.1% |
| VTAPX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.1% | 1.2% | 1.6% | 1.2% |
VTAPX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 6/30/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| VTAPX Return (NAV) | 1.7% | 6.0% | 4.7% | 4.6% | -2.8% | 5.3% | 5.0% | 4.8% | 0.5% | 0.8% | 2.7% |
| VTAPX Grade | A | D | B | B | A | D | F | C | A | D | F |
| +/- Category | 0.3% | -0.3% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 2.2% | -1.2% | -1.1% | -0.6% | 1.0% | -0.4% | -1.3% |
| Short-Term Inflation-Protected Bond Avg | 1.3% | 6.3% | 4.3% | 4.2% | -5.0% | 6.5% | 6.1% | 5.5% | -0.4% | 1.2% | 4.0% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 1.6% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.13 - Low |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.74 - Low |
| Category Risk Grade: | A (11% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.21 |
| R-Squared: | 49% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | na |
| Bond Investment Style: | High Quality Limited Sensitivity |
| Yield: | 2.7% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Quarterly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | |
| Total Assets: | $70872 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $25,416 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | ADM |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 25% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 1 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 13.7 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 13.7 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Barrickman Joshua (2012) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 5/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 27 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 50.9% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 0.0% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 95.8% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 4.2% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Vanguard |
| Phone Number: | 800-662-7447 |
| Website: | www.vanguard.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | October 16, 2012 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $3,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | Yes |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | na |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.06% ( Rating : Low ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.52% |
| Share Class: | Vanguard Short-Term Infl-Prot Secs ETF |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 1 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
