EDGAR HTML
Vanguard Bond Funds
Prospectus
May 28, 2021
Investor Shares & Admiral™ Shares
Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Fund Investor Shares (VFISX)
Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Fund Admiral Shares (VFIRX)
Vanguard Short-Term Federal Fund Investor Shares (VSGBX)
Vanguard Short-Term Federal Fund Admiral Shares (VSGDX)
Vanguard Short-Term Investment-Grade Fund Investor Shares (VFSTX)
Vanguard Short-Term Investment-Grade Fund Admiral Shares (VFSUX)
Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury Fund Investor Shares (VFITX)
Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury Fund Admiral Shares (VFIUX)
Vanguard Intermediate-Term Investment-Grade Fund Investor Shares (VFICX)
Vanguard Intermediate-Term Investment-Grade Fund Admiral Shares (VFIDX)
Vanguard GNMA Fund Investor Shares (VFIIX)
Vanguard GNMA Fund Admiral Shares (VFIJX)
Vanguard Long-Term Treasury Fund Investor Shares (VUSTX)
Vanguard Long-Term Treasury Fund Admiral Shares (VUSUX)
Vanguard Long-Term Investment-Grade Fund Investor Shares (VWESX)
Vanguard Long-Term Investment-Grade Fund Admiral Shares (VWETX)
 This prospectus contains financial data for the Funds through the fiscal year ended January 31, 2021.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is
a criminal offense.
 
 

Contents

Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Fund
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks to provide current income while maintaining limited price volatility.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell Investor Shares or Admiral Shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
Shareholder Fees
(Fees paid directly from your investment)
 
Investor Shares
Admiral Shares
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases
None
None
Purchase Fee
None
None
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends
None
None
Redemption Fee
None
None
Account Service Fee Per Year
(for certain fund account balances below $10,000)
$20
$20
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
Investor Shares
Admiral Shares
Management Fees
0.18%
0.09%
12b-1 Distribution Fee
None
None
Other Expenses
0.02%
0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.20%
0.10%
1

Examples
The following examples are intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund's Investor Shares or Admiral Shares with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. They illustrate the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over various periods if you were to invest $10,000 in the Fund's shares. These examples assume that the shares provide a return of 5% each year and that total annual fund operating expenses remain as stated in the preceding table. You would incur these hypothetical expenses whether or not you were to redeem your investment at the end of the given period. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
 
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Investor Shares
$20
$64
$113
$255
Admiral Shares
$10
$32
$56
$128
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in more taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the previous expense examples, reduce the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 357% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in U.S. Treasury securities, which include bills, bonds, and notes issued by the U.S. Treasury. The Fund is expected to maintain a dollar-weighted average maturity of 1 to 4 years.
Principal Risks
The Fund is designed for investors with a low tolerance for risk, but you could still lose money by investing in it. The Fund is subject to the following risks, which could affect the Fund's performance, and the level of risk may vary based on market conditions:
•  Income risk, which is the chance that the Fund’s income will decline because of falling interest rates. Income risk is generally high for short-term bond funds, so investors should expect the Fund’s monthly income to fluctuate.
•  Interest rate risk, which is the chance that bond prices overall will decline because of rising interest rates. Although inflation-indexed bonds seek to provide inflation protection, their prices may decline when interest rates rise and vice
2

versa. Interest rate risk should be low for the Fund because it invests primarily in short-term bonds, whose prices are less sensitive to interest rate changes than are the prices of longer-term bonds.
•  Manager risk, which is the chance that poor security selection will cause the Fund to underperform relevant benchmarks or other funds with a similar investment objective.
An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Annual Total Returns
The following bar chart and table are intended to help you understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the performance of the Fund's Investor Shares has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the share classes presented compare with those of a relevant market index and another comparative index, which have investment characteristics similar to those of the Fund. Keep in mind that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on our website at vanguard.com/performance or by calling Vanguard toll-free at 800-662-7447.
Annual Total Returns — Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Fund Investor Shares1

1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on March 31, 2021, was -0.18%.
During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were:
 
Total Return
Quarter
Highest
%2.67
March 31, 2020
Lowest
-0.70%
December 31, 2016
3

Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2020
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Fund Investor Shares
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
%3.96
%2.05
%1.42
Return After Taxes on Distributions
3.07
1.30
0.89
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
2.38
1.24
0.87
Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Fund Admiral Shares
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
%4.06
%2.15
%1.52
Comparative Indexes
(reflect no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
 
 
 
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Treasury Bond Index
%4.38
%2.35
%1.79
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index
7.51
4.44
3.84
Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown in the preceding table. When after-tax returns are calculated, it is assumed that the shareholder was in the highest individual federal marginal income tax bracket at the time of each distribution of income or capital gains or upon redemption. State and local income taxes are not reflected in the calculations. Please note that after-tax returns are shown only for the Investor Shares and may differ for each share class. After-tax returns are not relevant for a shareholder who holds fund shares in a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account or a 401(k) plan. Also, figures captioned Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other figures for the same period if a capital loss occurs upon redemption and results in an assumed tax deduction for the shareholder.
Investment Advisor
The Vanguard Group, Inc. (Vanguard)
Portfolio Manager
Gemma Wright-Casparius, Principal of Vanguard. She has managed the Fund since 2015.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
You may purchase or redeem shares online through our website (vanguard.com), by mail (The Vanguard Group, P.O. Box 982901, El Paso, TX 79998-2901), or by telephone (800-662-2739). The minimum investment amount required to open and maintain a Fund account for Investor Shares or Admiral Shares is $3,000 or $50,000, respectively. The minimum investment amount required to add to an existing Fund account is generally $1. Financial intermediaries, institutional clients, and Vanguard-advised clients should contact Vanguard for information on
4

special eligibility rules that may apply to them regarding Admiral Shares. If you are investing through an intermediary, please contact that firm directly for more information regarding your eligibility. If you are investing through an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, your plan administrator or your benefits office can provide you with detailed information on how you can invest through your plan.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions may be taxable as ordinary income or capital gain. If you are investing through a tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA or an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, special tax rules apply.
Payments to Financial Intermediaries
The Fund and its investment advisor do not pay financial intermediaries for sales of Fund shares.
5

Vanguard Short-Term Federal Fund
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks to provide current income while maintaining limited price volatility.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell Investor Shares or Admiral Shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
Shareholder Fees
(Fees paid directly from your investment)
 
Investor Shares
Admiral Shares
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases
None
None
Purchase Fee
None
None
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends
None
None
Redemption Fee
None
None
Account Service Fee Per Year
(for certain fund account balances below $10,000)
$20
$20
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
Investor Shares
Admiral Shares
Management Fees
0.18%
0.09%
12b-1 Distribution Fee
None
None
Other Expenses
0.02%
0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.20%
0.10%
6

Examples
The following examples are intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund's Investor Shares or Admiral Shares with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. They illustrate the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over various periods if you were to invest $10,000 in the Fund's shares. These examples assume that the shares provide a return of 5% each year and that total annual fund operating expenses remain as stated in the preceding table. You would incur these hypothetical expenses whether or not you were to redeem your investment at the end of the given period. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
 
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Investor Shares
$20
$64
$113
$255
Admiral Shares
$10
$32
$56
$128
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in more taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the previous expense examples, reduce the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 663% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in short-term bonds issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government and its agencies and instrumentalities, many of which are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. The Fund is expected to maintain a dollar-weighted average maturity of 1 to 4 years.
Principal Risks
The Fund is designed for investors with a low tolerance for risk, but you could still lose money by investing in it. The Fund is subject to the following risks, which could affect the Fund's performance, and the level of risk may vary based on market conditions:
•  Income risk, which is the chance that the Fund’s income will decline because of falling interest rates. Income risk is generally high for short-term bond funds, so investors should expect the Fund’s monthly income to fluctuate.
•  Interest rate risk, which is the chance that bond prices overall will decline because of rising interest rates. Interest rate risk should be low for the Fund
7

because it invests primarily in short-term bonds, whose prices are less sensitive to interest rate changes than are the prices of longer-term bonds.
•  Manager risk, which is the chance that poor security selection will cause the Fund to underperform relevant benchmarks or other funds with a similar investment objective.
•  Derivatives risk. The Fund may invest in derivatives, which may involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, those of investments directly in the underlying securities or assets.
An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Annual Total Returns
The following bar chart and table are intended to help you understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the performance of the Fund's Investor Shares has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the share classes presented compare with those of a relevant market index and another comparative index, which have investment characteristics similar to those of the Fund. Keep in mind that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on our website at vanguard.com/performance or by calling Vanguard toll-free at 800-662-7447.
Annual Total Returns — Vanguard Short-Term Federal Fund Investor Shares1

1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on March 31, 2021, was -0.20%.
8

During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were:
 
Total Return
Quarter
Highest
%2.48
March 31, 2020
Lowest
-0.90%
June 30, 2013
Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2020
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Vanguard Short-Term Federal Fund Investor Shares
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
%4.35
%2.30
%1.72
Return After Taxes on Distributions
3.63
1.57
1.13
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
2.57
1.44
1.08
Vanguard Short-Term Federal Fund Admiral Shares
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
%4.45
%2.40
%1.82
Comparative Indexes
(reflect no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
 
 
 
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Government Bond Index
%4.34
%2.35
%1.79
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index
7.51
4.44
3.84
Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown in the preceding table. When after-tax returns are calculated, it is assumed that the shareholder was in the highest individual federal marginal income tax bracket at the time of each distribution of income or capital gains or upon redemption. State and local income taxes are not reflected in the calculations. Please note that after-tax returns are shown only for the Investor Shares and may differ for each share class. After-tax returns are not relevant for a shareholder who holds fund shares in a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account or a 401(k) plan. Also, figures captioned Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other figures for the same period if a capital loss occurs upon redemption and results in an assumed tax deduction for the shareholder.
Investment Advisor
The Vanguard Group, Inc. (Vanguard)
Portfolio Manager
Brian W. Quigley, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has managed the Fund since 2015.
9

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
You may purchase or redeem shares online through our website (vanguard.com), by mail (The Vanguard Group, P.O. Box 982901, El Paso, TX 79998-2901), or by telephone (800-662-2739). The minimum investment amount required to open and maintain a Fund account for Investor Shares or Admiral Shares is $3,000 or $50,000, respectively. The minimum investment amount required to add to an existing Fund account is generally $1. Financial intermediaries, institutional clients, and Vanguard-advised clients should contact Vanguard for information on special eligibility rules that may apply to them regarding Admiral Shares. If you are investing through an intermediary, please contact that firm directly for more information regarding your eligibility. If you are investing through an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, your plan administrator or your benefits office can provide you with detailed information on how you can invest through your plan.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions may be taxable as ordinary income or capital gain. If you are investing through a tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA or an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, special tax rules apply.
Payments to Financial Intermediaries
The Fund and its investment advisor do not pay financial intermediaries for sales of Fund shares.
10

Vanguard Short-Term Investment-Grade Fund
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks to provide current income while maintaining limited price volatility.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell Investor Shares or Admiral Shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
Shareholder Fees
(Fees paid directly from your investment)
 
Investor Shares
Admiral Shares
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases
None
None
Purchase Fee
None
None
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends
None
None
Redemption Fee
None
None
Account Service Fee Per Year
(for certain fund account balances below $10,000)
$20
$20
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
Investor Shares
Admiral Shares
Management Fees
0.19%
0.09%
12b-1 Distribution Fee
None
None
Other Expenses
0.01%
0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.20%
0.10%
11

Examples
The following examples are intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund's Investor Shares or Admiral Shares with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. They illustrate the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over various periods if you were to invest $10,000 in the Fund's shares. These examples assume that the shares provide a return of 5% each year and that total annual fund operating expenses remain as stated in the preceding table. You would incur these hypothetical expenses whether or not you were to redeem your investment at the end of the given period. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
 
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Investor Shares
$20
$64
$113
$255
Admiral Shares
$10
$32
$56
$128
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in more taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the previous expense examples, reduce the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 89% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund invests in a variety of high-quality and medium-quality fixed income securities, at least 80% of which will be short- and intermediate-term investment-grade securities. High-quality fixed income securities are those rated the equivalent of A3 or better by Moody‘s Investors Service, Inc. (Moody’s) or another independent rating agency or, if unrated, are determined to be of comparable quality by the Fund’s advisor. Medium-quality fixed income securities are those rated the equivalent of Baa1, Baa2, or Baa3 by Moody‘s or another independent rating agency or, if unrated, are determined to be of comparable quality by the Fund’s advisor. Investment-grade fixed income securities are those rated the equivalent of Baa3 and above by Moody’s or another independent rating agency or, if unrated, are determined to be of comparable quality by the Fund’s advisor. The Fund is expected to maintain a dollar-weighted average maturity of 1 to 4 years.
12

Principal Risks
The Fund is designed for investors with a low tolerance for risk, but you could still lose money by investing in it. The Fund is subject to the following risks, which could affect the Fund's performance, and the level of risk may vary based on market conditions:
•  Income risk, which is the chance that the Fund’s income will decline because of falling interest rates. Income risk is generally high for short-term bond funds, so investors should expect the Fund’s monthly income to fluctuate.
•  Interest rate risk, which is the chance that bond prices overall will decline because of rising interest rates. Interest rate risk should be low for the Fund because it invests primarily in short-term bonds, whose prices are less sensitive to interest rate changes than are the prices of longer-term bonds.
•  Credit risk, which is the chance that a bond issuer will fail to pay interest or principal in a timely manner or that negative perceptions of the issuer’s ability to make such payments will cause the price of that bond to decline. Credit risk should be low to moderate for the Fund because it invests primarily in bonds that are considered high-quality or medium-quality.
•  Call risk, which is the chance that during periods of falling interest rates, issuers of callable bonds may call (redeem) securities with higher coupon rates or interest rates before their maturity dates. The Fund would then lose any price appreciation above the bond’s call price and would be forced to reinvest the unanticipated proceeds at lower interest rates, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income. Such redemptions and subsequent reinvestments would also increase the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate.
•  Extension risk, which is the chance that during periods of rising interest rates, certain debt securities will be paid off substantially more slowly than originally anticipated, and the value of those securities may fall.
•  Liquidity risk, which is the chance that the Fund may not be able to sell a security in a timely manner at a desired price.
•  Manager risk, which is the chance that poor security selection will cause the Fund to underperform relevant benchmarks or other funds with a similar investment objective. In addition, significant investment in the financial sector subjects the Fund to proportionately higher exposure to the risks of this sector.
•  Derivatives risk. The Fund may invest in derivatives, which may involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, those of investments directly in the underlying securities or assets.
An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
13

Annual Total Returns
The following bar chart and table are intended to help you understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the performance of the Fund's Investor Shares has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the share classes presented compare with those of relevant market indexes, which have investment characteristics similar to those of the Fund. Keep in mind that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on our website at vanguard.com/performance or by calling Vanguard toll-free at 800-662-7447.
Annual Total Returns — Vanguard Short-Term Investment-Grade Fund Investor Shares1

1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on March 31, 2021, was -0.49%.
During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were:
 
Total Return
Quarter
Highest
%4.82
June 30, 2020
Lowest
%1.53-
March 31, 2020
14

Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2020
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Vanguard Short-Term Investment-Grade Fund
Investor Shares
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
%5.14
%3.28
2.66%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
4.18
2.27
1.69
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
3.03
2.07
1.63
Vanguard Short-Term Investment-Grade Fund
Admiral Shares
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
%5.25
%3.38
2.76%
Comparative Indexes
(reflect no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
 
 
 
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Credit Bond Index
%5.19
%3.54
%3.04
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index
7.51
4.44
3.84
Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown in the preceding table. When after-tax returns are calculated, it is assumed that the shareholder was in the highest individual federal marginal income tax bracket at the time of each distribution of income or capital gains or upon redemption. State and local income taxes are not reflected in the calculations. Please note that after-tax returns are shown only for the Investor Shares and may differ for each share class. After-tax returns are not relevant for a shareholder who holds fund shares in a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account or a 401(k) plan. Also, figures captioned Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other figures for the same period if a capital loss occurs upon redemption and results in an assumed tax deduction for the shareholder.
Investment Advisor
The Vanguard Group, Inc. (Vanguard)
Portfolio Managers
Samuel C. Martinez, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has co-managed the Fund since 2018.
Arvind Narayanan, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has co-managed the Fund since 2019.
Daniel Shaykevich, Principal of Vanguard. He has co-managed the Fund since 2018.
15

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
You may purchase or redeem shares online through our website (vanguard.com), by mail (The Vanguard Group, P.O. Box 982901, El Paso, TX 79998-2901), or by telephone (800-662-2739). The minimum investment amount required to open and maintain a Fund account for Investor Shares or Admiral Shares is $3,000 or $50,000, respectively. The minimum investment amount required to add to an existing Fund account is generally $1. Financial intermediaries, institutional clients, and Vanguard-advised clients should contact Vanguard for information on special eligibility rules that may apply to them regarding Admiral Shares. If you are investing through an intermediary, please contact that firm directly for more information regarding your eligibility. If you are investing through an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, your plan administrator or your benefits office can provide you with detailed information on how you can invest through your plan.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions may be taxable as ordinary income or capital gain. If you are investing through a tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA or an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, special tax rules apply.
Payments to Financial Intermediaries
The Fund and its investment advisor do not pay financial intermediaries for sales of Fund shares.
16

Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury Fund
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks to provide a moderate and sustainable level of current income.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell Investor Shares or Admiral Shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
Shareholder Fees
(Fees paid directly from your investment)
 
Investor Shares
Admiral Shares
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases
None
None
Purchase Fee
None
None
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends
None
None
Redemption Fee
None
None
Account Service Fee Per Year
(for certain fund account balances below $10,000)
$20
$20
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
Investor Shares
Admiral Shares
Management Fees
0.18%
0.09%
12b-1 Distribution Fee
None
None
Other Expenses
0.02%
0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.20%
0.10%
17

Examples
The following examples are intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund's Investor Shares or Admiral Shares with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. They illustrate the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over various periods if you were to invest $10,000 in the Fund's shares. These examples assume that the shares provide a return of 5% each year and that total annual fund operating expenses remain as stated in the preceding table. You would incur these hypothetical expenses whether or not you were to redeem your investment at the end of the given period. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
 
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Investor Shares
$20
$64
$113
$255
Admiral Shares
$10
$32
$56
$128
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in more taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the previous expense examples, reduce the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 309% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in U.S. Treasury securities, which include bills, bonds, and notes issued by the U.S. Treasury. The Fund is expected to maintain a dollar-weighted average maturity of 5 to 10 years.
Principal Risks
An investment in the Fund could lose money over short or long periods of time. You should expect the Fund's share price and total return to fluctuate within a wide range. The Fund is subject to the following risks, which could affect the Fund's performance, and the level of risk may vary based on market conditions:
•  Income risk, which is the chance that the Fund’s income will decline because of falling interest rates. Income risk is generally moderate for intermediate-term bond funds, so investors should expect the Fund’s monthly income to fluctuate accordingly.
•  Interest rate risk, which is the chance that bond prices overall will decline because of rising interest rates. Interest rate risk should be moderate for the
18

Fund because it invests primarily in short- and intermediate-term bonds, whose prices are less sensitive to interest rate changes than are the prices of long-term bonds.
•  Manager risk, which is the chance that poor security selection will cause the Fund to underperform relevant benchmarks or other funds with a similar investment objective.
An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Annual Total Returns
The following bar chart and table are intended to help you understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the performance of the Fund's Investor Shares has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the share classes presented compare with those of a relevant market index and another comparative index, which have investment characteristics similar to those of the Fund. Keep in mind that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on our website at vanguard.com/performance or by calling Vanguard toll-free at 800-662-7447.
Annual Total Returns — Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury Fund Investor Shares1

1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on March 31, 2021, was -2.64%.
During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were:
 
Total Return
Quarter
Highest
%6.73
March 31, 2020
Lowest
-3.42%
December 31, 2016
19

Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2020
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury Fund
Investor Shares
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
%8.21
%3.61
%3.28
Return After Taxes on Distributions
6.30
2.48
2.22
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
5.01
2.30
2.15
Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury Fund
Admiral Shares
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
%8.32
%3.71
%3.39
Comparative Indexes
(reflect no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
 
 
 
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. 5-10 Year Treasury Bond Index
%9.09
%4.17
%4.05
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index
7.51
4.44
3.84
Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown in the preceding table. When after-tax returns are calculated, it is assumed that the shareholder was in the highest individual federal marginal income tax bracket at the time of each distribution of income or capital gains or upon redemption. State and local income taxes are not reflected in the calculations. Please note that after-tax returns are shown only for the Investor Shares and may differ for each share class. After-tax returns are not relevant for a shareholder who holds fund shares in a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account or a 401(k) plan. Also, figures captioned Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other figures for the same period if a capital loss occurs upon redemption and results in an assumed tax deduction for the shareholder.
Investment Advisor
The Vanguard Group, Inc. (Vanguard)
Portfolio Manager
Gemma Wright-Casparius, Principal of Vanguard. She has managed the Fund since 2015.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
You may purchase or redeem shares online through our website (vanguard.com), by mail (The Vanguard Group, P.O. Box 982901, El Paso, TX 79998-2901), or by telephone (800-662-2739). The minimum investment amount required to open and maintain a Fund account for Investor Shares or Admiral Shares is $3,000 or $50,000, respectively. The minimum investment amount required to add to an
20

existing Fund account is generally $1. Financial intermediaries, institutional clients, and Vanguard-advised clients should contact Vanguard for information on special eligibility rules that may apply to them regarding Admiral Shares. If you are investing through an intermediary, please contact that firm directly for more information regarding your eligibility. If you are investing through an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, your plan administrator or your benefits office can provide you with detailed information on how you can invest through your plan.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions may be taxable as ordinary income or capital gain. If you are investing through a tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA or an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, special tax rules apply.
Payments to Financial Intermediaries
The Fund and its investment advisor do not pay financial intermediaries for sales of Fund shares.
21

Vanguard Intermediate-Term Investment-Grade Fund
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks to provide a moderate and sustainable level of current income.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell Investor Shares or Admiral Shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
Shareholder Fees
(Fees paid directly from your investment)
 
Investor Shares
Admiral Shares
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases
None
None
Purchase Fee
None
None
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends
None
None
Redemption Fee
None
None
Account Service Fee Per Year
(for certain fund account balances below $10,000)
$20
$20
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
Investor Shares
Admiral Shares
Management Fees
%0.18
0.09%
12b-1 Distribution Fee
None
None
Other Expenses
%0.02
0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.20%
0.10%
22

Examples
The following examples are intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund's Investor Shares or Admiral Shares with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. They illustrate the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over various periods if you were to invest $10,000 in the Fund's shares. These examples assume that the shares provide a return of 5% each year and that total annual fund operating expenses remain as stated in the preceding table. You would incur these hypothetical expenses whether or not you were to redeem your investment at the end of the given period. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
 
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Investor Shares
$20
$64
$113
$255
Admiral Shares
$10
$32
$56
$128
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in more taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the previous expense examples, reduce the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 113% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund invests in a variety of high-quality and medium-quality fixed income securities, at least 80% of which will be short- and intermediate-term investment-grade securities. High-quality fixed income securities are those rated the equivalent of A3 or better by Moody‘s Investors Service, Inc. (Moody’s) or another independent rating agency or, if unrated, are determined to be of comparable quality by the Fund’s advisor. Medium-quality fixed income securities are those rated the equivalent of Baa1, Baa2, or Baa3 by Moody‘s or another independent rating agency or, if unrated, are determined to be of comparable quality by the Fund’s advisor. Investment-grade fixed income securities are those rated the equivalent of Baa3 and above by Moody‘s or another independent rating agency or, if unrated, are determined to be of comparable quality by the Fund’s advisor. The Fund is expected to maintain a dollar-weighted average maturity of 5 to 10 years.
23

Principal Risks
An investment in the Fund could lose money over short or long periods of time. You should expect the Fund's share price and total return to fluctuate within a wide range. The Fund is subject to the following risks, which could affect the Fund's performance, and the level of risk may vary based on market conditions:
•  Income risk, which is the chance that the Fund’s income will decline because of falling interest rates. Income risk is generally moderate for intermediate-term bond funds, so investors should expect the Fund’s monthly income to fluctuate accordingly.
•  Interest rate risk, which is the chance that bond prices overall will decline because of rising interest rates. Interest rate risk should be moderate for the Fund because it invests primarily in short- and intermediate-term bonds, whose prices are less sensitive to interest rate changes than are the prices of long-term bonds.
•  Liquidity risk, which is the chance that the Fund may not be able to sell a security in a timely manner at a desired price.
•  Call risk, which is the chance that during periods of falling interest rates, issuers of callable bonds may call (redeem) securities with higher coupon rates or interest rates before their maturity dates. The Fund would then lose any price appreciation above the bond’s call price and would be forced to reinvest the unanticipated proceeds at lower interest rates, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income. Such redemptions and subsequent reinvestments would also increase the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate. Call risk should be moderate for the Fund.
•  Extension risk, which is the chance that during periods of rising interest rates, certain debt securities will be paid off substantially more slowly than originally anticipated, and the value of those securities may fall. Extension risk is generally moderate for intermediate-term bond funds.
•  Credit risk, which is the chance that a bond issuer will fail to pay interest or principal in a timely manner or that negative perceptions of the issuer’s ability to make such payments will cause the price of that bond to decline. Credit risk should be low to moderate for the Fund because it invests primarily in bonds that are considered high-quality or medium-quality.
•  Manager risk, which is the chance that poor security selection will cause the Fund to underperform relevant benchmarks or other funds with a similar investment objective. In addition, significant investment in the financial sector subjects the Fund to proportionately higher exposure to the risks of this sector.
24

•  Derivatives risk. The Fund may invest in derivatives, which may involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, those of investments directly in the underlying securities or assets.
An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Annual Total Returns
The following bar chart and table are intended to help you understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the performance of the Fund's Investor Shares has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the share classes presented compare with those of a relevant market index and another comparative index, which have investment characteristics similar to those of the Fund. Keep in mind that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on our website at vanguard.com/performance or by calling Vanguard toll-free at 800-662-7447.
Annual Total Returns — Vanguard Intermediate-Term Investment-Grade Fund Investor Shares1

1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on March 31, 2021, was -3.54%.
During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were:
 
Total Return
Quarter
Highest
%7.28
June 30, 2020
Lowest
-3.28%
June 30, 2013
25

Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2020
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Vanguard Intermediate-Term Investment-Grade Fund
Investor Shares
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
%10.31
%5.54
%4.99
Return After Taxes on Distributions
8.05
3.98
3.35
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
6.34
3.60
3.22
Vanguard Intermediate-Term Investment-Grade Fund
Admiral Shares
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
%10.42
%5.64
%5.10
Comparative Indexes
(reflect no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
 
 
 
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. 5-10 Year Credit Bond Index
%9.49
%6.40
%5.69
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index
7.51
4.44
3.84
Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown in the preceding table. When after-tax returns are calculated, it is assumed that the shareholder was in the highest individual federal marginal income tax bracket at the time of each distribution of income or capital gains or upon redemption. State and local income taxes are not reflected in the calculations. Please note that after-tax returns are shown only for the Investor Shares and may differ for each share class. After-tax returns are not relevant for a shareholder who holds fund shares in a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account or a 401(k) plan. Also, figures captioned Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other figures for the same period if a capital loss occurs upon redemption and results in an assumed tax deduction for the shareholder.
Investment Advisor
The Vanguard Group, Inc. (Vanguard)
Portfolio Managers
Samuel C. Martinez, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has co-managed the Fund since 2018.
Arvind Narayanan, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has co-managed the Fund since 2019.
Daniel Shaykevich, Principal of Vanguard. He has co-managed the Fund since 2018.
26

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
You may purchase or redeem shares online through our website (vanguard.com), by mail (The Vanguard Group, P.O. Box 982901, El Paso, TX 79998-2901), or by telephone (800-662-2739). The minimum investment amount required to open and maintain a Fund account for Investor Shares or Admiral Shares is $3,000 or $50,000, respectively. The minimum investment amount required to add to an existing Fund account is generally $1. Financial intermediaries, institutional clients, and Vanguard-advised clients should contact Vanguard for information on special eligibility rules that may apply to them regarding Admiral Shares. If you are investing through an intermediary, please contact that firm directly for more information regarding your eligibility. If you are investing through an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, your plan administrator or your benefits office can provide you with detailed information on how you can invest through your plan.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions may be taxable as ordinary income or capital gain. If you are investing through a tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA or an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, special tax rules apply.
Payments to Financial Intermediaries
The Fund and its investment advisor do not pay financial intermediaries for sales of Fund shares.
27

Vanguard GNMA Fund
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks to provide a moderate level of current income.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell Investor Shares or Admiral Shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
Shareholder Fees
(Fees paid directly from your investment)
 
Investor Shares
Admiral Shares
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases
None
None
Purchase Fee
None
None
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends
None
None
Redemption Fee
None
None
Account Service Fee Per Year
(for certain fund account balances below $10,000)
$20
$20
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
Investor Shares
Admiral Shares
Management Fees
0.20%
0.10%
12b-1 Distribution Fee
None
None
Other Expenses
0.01%
0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.21%
0.11%
28

Examples
The following examples are intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund's Investor Shares or Admiral Shares with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. They illustrate the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over various periods if you were to invest $10,000 in the Fund's shares. These examples assume that the shares provide a return of 5% each year and that total annual fund operating expenses remain as stated in the preceding table. You would incur these hypothetical expenses whether or not you were to redeem your investment at the end of the given period. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
 
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Investor Shares
$22
$68
$118
$268
Admiral Shares
$11
$35
$62
$141
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in more taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the previous expense examples, reduce the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 638% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA) pass-through certificates, which are fixed income securities representing part ownership in a pool of mortgage loans supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. The balance of the Fund’s assets may be invested in other types of securities, such as U.S. Treasury or other U.S. government agency securities, including pass-through certificates, as well as in repurchase agreements collateralized by such securities. Securities issued by most U.S. government agencies, other than the U.S. Treasury and GNMA, are neither guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury nor supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. The Fund’s dollar-weighted average maturity depends on homeowner prepayments of the underlying mortgages. Although the Fund does not observe specific maturity guidelines, its dollar-weighted average maturity will normally fall within an intermediate-term range (3 to 10 years).
29

Principal Risks
An investment in the Fund could lose money over short or long periods of time. You should expect the Fund's share price and total return to fluctuate within a wide range. The Fund is subject to the following risks, which could affect the Fund's performance, and the level of risk may vary based on market conditions:
•  Prepayment risk, which is the chance that during periods of falling interest rates, homeowners will refinance their mortgages before their maturity dates, resulting in prepayment of mortgage-backed securities held by the Fund. The Fund would then lose any price appreciation above the mortgage’s principal and would be forced to reinvest the unanticipated proceeds at lower interest rates, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income. Such prepayments and subsequent reinvestments would also increase the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate. Prepayment risk is high for the Fund.
•  Extension risk, which is the chance that during periods of rising interest rates, homeowners will repay their mortgages at slower rates. This will lengthen the duration or average life of mortgage-backed securities held by the Fund and delay the Fund’s ability to reinvest proceeds at higher interest rates. Extension risk is high for the Fund.
•  Income risk, which is the chance that the Fund’s income will decline because of falling interest rates. Income risk is generally moderate for intermediate-term bond funds, so investors should expect the Fund’s monthly income to fluctuate accordingly.
•  Interest rate risk, which is the chance that bond prices overall will decline because of rising interest rates. In addition, when interest rates decline, GNMA prices typically do not rise as much as the prices of comparable bonds. This is because the market tends to discount GNMA prices for prepayment risk when interest rates decline. Interest rate risk should be moderate for the Fund.
•  Manager risk, which is the chance that poor security selection will cause the Fund to underperform relevant benchmarks or other funds with a similar investment objective.
•  Derivatives risk. The Fund may invest in derivatives, which may involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, those of investments directly in the underlying securities or assets.
An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
30

Annual Total Returns
The following bar chart and table are intended to help you understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the performance of the Fund's Investor Shares has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the share classes presented compare with those of a relevant market index and another comparative index, which have investment characteristics similar to those of the Fund. Keep in mind that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on our website at vanguard.com/performance or by calling Vanguard toll-free at 800-662-7447.
Annual Total Returns — Vanguard GNMA Fund Investor Shares1

1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on March 31, 2021, was -0.68%.
During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were:
 
Total Return
Quarter
Highest
%3.05
September 30, 2011
Lowest
-2.79%
June 30, 2013
31

Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2020
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Vanguard GNMA Fund Investor Shares
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
%3.73
%2.81
%2.95
Return After Taxes on Distributions
2.94
1.69
1.77
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
2.20
1.65
1.77
Vanguard GNMA Fund Admiral Shares
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
%3.83
%2.92
%3.06
Comparative Indexes
(reflect no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
 
 
 
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. GNMA Bond Index
%3.68
%2.78
%2.92
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index
7.51
4.44
3.84
Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown in the preceding table. When after-tax returns are calculated, it is assumed that the shareholder was in the highest individual federal marginal income tax bracket at the time of each distribution of income or capital gains or upon redemption. State and local income taxes are not reflected in the calculations. Please note that after-tax returns are shown only for the Investor Shares and may differ for each share class. After-tax returns are not relevant for a shareholder who holds fund shares in a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account or a 401(k) plan. Also, figures captioned Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other figures for the same period if a capital loss occurs upon redemption and results in an assumed tax deduction for the shareholder.
Investment Advisor
Wellington Management Company LLP (Wellington Management)
Portfolio Managers
Joseph F. Marvan, CFA, Senior Managing Director and Fixed Income Portfolio Manager of Wellington Management. He has co-managed the Fund since May 2019.
Brian Conroy, CFA, Managing Director and Fixed Income Portfolio Manager of Wellington Management. He has co-managed the Fund since May 2019.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
You may purchase or redeem shares online through our website (vanguard.com), by mail (The Vanguard Group, P.O. Box 982901, El Paso, TX 79998-2901), or by telephone (800-662-2739). The minimum investment amount required to open
32

and maintain a Fund account for Investor Shares or Admiral Shares is $3,000 or $50,000, respectively. The minimum investment amount required to add to an existing Fund account is generally $1. Financial intermediaries, institutional clients, and Vanguard-advised clients should contact Vanguard for information on special eligibility rules that may apply to them regarding Admiral Shares. If you are investing through an intermediary, please contact that firm directly for more information regarding your eligibility. If you are investing through an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, your plan administrator or your benefits office can provide you with detailed information on how you can invest through your plan.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions may be taxable as ordinary income or capital gain. If you are investing through a tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA or an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, special tax rules apply.
Payments to Financial Intermediaries
The Fund and its investment advisor do not pay financial intermediaries for sales of Fund shares.
33

Vanguard Long-Term Treasury Fund
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks to provide a high and sustainable level of current income.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell Investor Shares or Admiral Shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
Shareholder Fees
(Fees paid directly from your investment)
 
Investor Shares
Admiral Shares
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases
None
None
Purchase Fee
None
None
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends
None
None
Redemption Fee
None
None
Account Service Fee Per Year
(for certain fund account balances below $10,000)
$20
$20
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
Investor Shares
Admiral Shares
Management Fees
0.18%
0.09%
12b-1 Distribution Fee
None
None
Other Expenses
0.02%
0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.20%
0.10%
34

Examples
The following examples are intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund's Investor Shares or Admiral Shares with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. They illustrate the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over various periods if you were to invest $10,000 in the Fund's shares. These examples assume that the shares provide a return of 5% each year and that total annual fund operating expenses remain as stated in the preceding table. You would incur these hypothetical expenses whether or not you were to redeem your investment at the end of the given period. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
 
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Investor Shares
$20
$64
$113
$255
Admiral Shares
$10
$32
$56
$128
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in more taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the previous expense examples, reduce the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 172% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in U.S. Treasury securities, which include bills, bonds, and notes issued by the U.S. Treasury. The Fund is expected to maintain a dollar-weighted average maturity of 15 to 30 years.
Principal Risks
An investment in the Fund could lose money over short or long periods of time. You should expect the Fund's share price and total return to fluctuate within a wide range. The Fund is subject to the following risks, which could affect the Fund's performance, and the level of risk may vary based on market conditions:
•  Interest rate risk, which is the chance that bond prices overall will decline because of rising interest rates. Interest rate risk should be high for the Fund because it invests primarily in long-term bonds, whose prices are more sensitive to interest rate changes than are the prices of shorter-term bonds.
35

•  Income risk, which is the chance that the Fund’s income will decline because of falling interest rates. Income risk should be low for the Fund because it invests primarily in long-term bonds.
•  Liquidity risk, which is the chance that the Fund may not be able to sell a security in a timely manner at a desired price.
•  Manager risk, which is the chance that poor security selection will cause the Fund to underperform relevant benchmarks or other funds with a similar investment objective.
An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Annual Total Returns
The following bar chart and table are intended to help you understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the performance of the Fund's Investor Shares has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the share classes presented compare with those of a relevant market index and another comparative index, which have investment characteristics similar to those of the Fund. Keep in mind that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on our website at vanguard.com/performance or by calling Vanguard toll-free at 800-662-7447.
Annual Total Returns — Vanguard Long-Term Treasury Fund Investor Shares1

1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on March 31, 2021, was -13.28%.
36

During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were:
 
Total Return
Quarter
Highest
24.73%
September 30, 2011
Lowest
-12.07%
December 31, 2016
Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2020
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Vanguard Long-Term Treasury Fund Investor Shares
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
%18.29
%7.79
%7.64
Return After Taxes on Distributions
14.76
6.03
5.83
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
11.89
5.40
5.38
Vanguard Long-Term Treasury Fund Admiral Shares
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
%18.41
%7.90
%7.75
Comparative Indexes
(reflect no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
 
 
 
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Long Treasury Bond Index
%17.70
%7.85
%7.80
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index
7.51
4.44
3.84
Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown in the preceding table. When after-tax returns are calculated, it is assumed that the shareholder was in the highest individual federal marginal income tax bracket at the time of each distribution of income or capital gains or upon redemption. State and local income taxes are not reflected in the calculations. Please note that after-tax returns are shown only for the Investor Shares and may differ for each share class. After-tax returns are not relevant for a shareholder who holds fund shares in a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account or a 401(k) plan. Also, figures captioned Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other figures for the same period if a capital loss occurs upon redemption and results in an assumed tax deduction for the shareholder.
Investment Advisor
The Vanguard Group, Inc. (Vanguard)
Portfolio Manager
Gemma Wright-Casparius, Principal of Vanguard. She has managed the Fund since 2015.
37

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
You may purchase or redeem shares online through our website (vanguard.com), by mail (The Vanguard Group, P.O. Box 982901, El Paso, TX 79998-2901), or by telephone (800-662-2739). The minimum investment amount required to open and maintain a Fund account for Investor Shares or Admiral Shares is $3,000 or $50,000, respectively. The minimum investment amount required to add to an existing Fund account is generally $1. Financial intermediaries, institutional clients, and Vanguard-advised clients should contact Vanguard for information on special eligibility rules that may apply to them regarding Admiral Shares. If you are investing through an intermediary, please contact that firm directly for more information regarding your eligibility. If you are investing through an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, your plan administrator or your benefits office can provide you with detailed information on how you can invest through your plan.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions may be taxable as ordinary income or capital gain. If you are investing through a tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA or an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, special tax rules apply.
Payments to Financial Intermediaries
The Fund and its investment advisor do not pay financial intermediaries for sales of Fund shares.
38

Vanguard Long-Term Investment-Grade Fund
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks to provide a high and sustainable level of current income.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell Investor Shares or Admiral Shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
Shareholder Fees
(Fees paid directly from your investment)
 
Investor Shares
Admiral Shares
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases
None
None
Purchase Fee
None
None
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends
None
None
Redemption Fee
None
None
Account Service Fee Per Year
(for certain fund account balances below $10,000)
$20
$20
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
Investor Shares
Admiral Shares
Management Fees
0.20%
0.11%
12b-1 Distribution Fee
None
None
Other Expenses
0.02%
0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.22%
0.12%
39

Examples
The following examples are intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund's Investor Shares or Admiral Shares with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. They illustrate the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over various periods if you were to invest $10,000 in the Fund's shares. These examples assume that the shares provide a return of 5% each year and that total annual fund operating expenses remain as stated in the preceding table. You would incur these hypothetical expenses whether or not you were to redeem your investment at the end of the given period. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
 
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Investor Shares
$23
$71
$124
$280
Admiral Shares
$12
$39
$68
$154
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in more taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the previous expense examples, reduce the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 30% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund invests in a variety of high-quality and, to a lesser extent, medium-quality fixed income securities, at least 80% of which will be intermediate- and long-term investment-grade securities. High-quality fixed income securities are those rated the equivalent of A3 or better by Moody‘s Investors Service, Inc. (Moody’s) or another independent rating agency or, if unrated, are determined to be of comparable quality by the Fund’s advisor. Medium-quality fixed income securities are those rated the equivalent of Baa1, Baa2, or Baa3 by Moody‘s or another independent rating agency or, if unrated, are determined to be of comparable quality by the Fund’s advisor. Investment-grade fixed income securities are those rated the equivalent of Baa3 and above by Moody‘s or another independent rating agency or, if unrated, are determined to be of comparable quality by the Fund’s advisor. The Fund’s dollar-weighted average maturity is expected to fall within a range that is five years shorter than or five years longer than that of its benchmark index, which
40

had a dollar-weighted average maturity of 23.4 years as of January 31, 2019. The Fund uses multiple investment advisors. Each advisor independently selects and maintains a portfolio of securities for the Fund.
Principal Risks
An investment in the Fund could lose money over short or long periods of time. You should expect the Fund's share price and total return to fluctuate within a wide range. The Fund is subject to the following risks, which could affect the Fund's performance, and the level of risk may vary based on market conditions:
•  Interest rate risk, which is the chance that bond prices overall will decline because of rising interest rates. Interest rate risk should be high for the Fund because it invests primarily in long-term bonds, whose prices are more sensitive to interest rate changes than are the prices of shorter-term bonds.
•  Liquidity risk, which is the chance that the Fund may not be able to sell a security in a timely manner at a desired price.
•  Call risk, which is the chance that during periods of falling interest rates, issuers of callable bonds may call (redeem) securities with higher coupon rates or interest rates before their maturity dates. The Fund would then lose any price appreciation above the bond’s call price and would be forced to reinvest the unanticipated proceeds at lower interest rates, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income. Such redemptions and subsequent reinvestments would also increase the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate. Call risk should be moderate for the Fund. To minimize the impact of call risk, the advisors generally seek to purchase bonds that have reasonable protection from being called.
•  Extension risk, which is the chance that during periods of rising interest rates, certain debt securities will be paid off substantially more slowly than originally anticipated, and the value of those securities may fall.
•  Credit risk, which is the chance that a bond issuer will fail to pay interest or principal in a timely manner or that negative perceptions of the issuer’s ability to make such payments will cause the price of that bond to decline. Credit risk should be moderate for the Fund because it invests primarily in bonds that are considered high-quality and, to a lesser extent, in bonds that are considered medium-quality.
•  Income risk, which is the chance that the Fund’s income will decline because of falling interest rates. Income risk should be low for the Fund because it invests primarily in long-term bonds.
•  Manager risk, which is the chance that poor security selection will cause the Fund to underperform relevant benchmarks or other funds with a similar investment objective.
41

•  Derivatives risk. The Fund may invest in derivatives, which may involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, those of investments directly in the underlying securities or assets.
An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Annual Total Returns
The following bar chart and table are intended to help you understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the performance of the Fund's Investor Shares has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the share classes presented compare with those of a relevant market index and another comparative index, which have investment characteristics similar to those of the Fund. Keep in mind that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on our website at vanguard.com/performance or by calling Vanguard toll-free at 800-662-7447.
Annual Total Returns — Vanguard Long-Term Investment-Grade Fund Investor Shares1

1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on March 31, 2021, was -9.56%.
During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were:
 
Total Return
Quarter
Highest
11.05%
September 30, 2011
Lowest
-7.63%
June 30, 2015
42

Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2020
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Vanguard Long-Term Investment-Grade Fund
Investor Shares
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
%15.36
%9.53
%8.42
Return After Taxes on Distributions
12.72
7.25
6.14
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
9.57
6.48
5.68
Vanguard Long-Term Investment-Grade Fund
Admiral Shares
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
%15.48
%9.64
%8.53
Comparative Indexes
(reflect no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
 
 
 
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Long Credit A or Better Bond Index
%14.46
%9.28
%8.19
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index
7.51
4.44
3.84
Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown in the preceding table. When after-tax returns are calculated, it is assumed that the shareholder was in the highest individual federal marginal income tax bracket at the time of each distribution of income or capital gains or upon redemption. State and local income taxes are not reflected in the calculations. Please note that after-tax returns are shown only for the Investor Shares and may differ for each share class. After-tax returns are not relevant for a shareholder who holds fund shares in a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account or a 401(k) plan. Also, figures captioned Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other figures for the same period if a capital loss occurs upon redemption and results in an assumed tax deduction for the shareholder.
Investment Advisors
Wellington Management Company LLP (Wellington Management)

The Vanguard Group, Inc. (Vanguard)
Portfolio Managers
Scott I. St. John, CFA, Senior Managing Director and Fixed Income Portfolio Manager of Wellington Management. He has managed a portion of the Fund since 2014.
Samuel C. Martinez, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has co-managed a portion of the Fund since 2018.
Arvind Narayanan, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has co-managed a portion of the Fund since 2019.
43

Daniel Shaykevich, Principal of Vanguard. He has co-managed a portion of the Fund since 2018.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
You may purchase or redeem shares online through our website (vanguard.com), by mail (The Vanguard Group, P.O. Box 982901, El Paso, TX 79998-2901), or by telephone (800-662-2739). The minimum investment amount required to open and maintain a Fund account for Investor Shares or Admiral Shares is $3,000 or $50,000, respectively. The minimum investment amount required to add to an existing Fund account is generally $1. Financial intermediaries, institutional clients, and Vanguard-advised clients should contact Vanguard for information on special eligibility rules that may apply to them regarding Admiral Shares. If you are investing through an intermediary, please contact that firm directly for more information regarding your eligibility. If you are investing through an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, your plan administrator or your benefits office can provide you with detailed information on how you can invest through your plan.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions may be taxable as ordinary income or capital gain. If you are investing through a tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA or an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, special tax rules apply.
Payments to Financial Intermediaries
The Fund and its investment advisors do not pay financial intermediaries for sales of Fund shares.
44

More on the Funds
This prospectus describes the principal risks you would face as a Fund shareholder. It is important to keep in mind one of the main principles of investing: generally, the higher the risk of losing money, the higher the potential reward. The reverse, also, is generally true: the lower the risk, the lower the potential reward. As you consider an investment in any mutual fund, you should take into account your personal tolerance for fluctuations in the securities markets. Look for this   symbol throughout the prospectus. It is used to mark detailed information about the more significant risks that you would confront as a Fund shareholder. To highlight terms and concepts important to mutual fund investors, we have provided Plain Talk® explanations along the way. Reading the prospectus will help you decide whether a Fund is the right investment for you. We suggest that you keep this prospectus for future reference.
Share Class Overview
This prospectus offers the Funds' Investor Shares and Admiral Shares. A separate prospectus offers Institutional Shares of Vanguard Short-Term Investment-Grade Fund, which are generally for investors who invest a minimum of $5 million.
All share classes offered by a Fund have the same investment objective, strategies, and policies. However, different share classes have different expenses; as a result, their investment returns will differ.
Plain Talk About Costs of Investing
Costs are an important consideration in choosing a mutual fund. That is
because you, as a shareholder, pay a proportionate share of the costs of
operating a fund and any transaction costs incurred when the fund buys or
sells securities. These costs can erode a substantial portion of the gross
income or the capital appreciation a fund achieves. Even seemingly small
differences in expenses can, over time, have a dramatic effect on a
fund’s performance.
The following sections explain the principal investment strategies and policies that each Fund uses in pursuit of its investment objective. The Funds' board of trustees, which oversees each Fund's management, may change investment strategies or policies in the interest of shareholders without a shareholder vote, unless those strategies or policies are designated as fundamental. Note that each Fund’s investment objective is not fundamental and may be changed without a shareholder vote. However, each Fund‘s 80% investment policy may be changed only upon 60 days‘ notice to shareholders.
45

Market Exposure
Each Fund offered in this prospectus seeks to provide current income by investing in fixed income securities that meet defined standards for credit quality and maturity. These standards vary among the Funds, as shown in the following table. As a result, the levels of income provided by the Funds will vary, with the Short-Term Treasury Fund generally providing the least income and the Long-Term Investment-Grade Fund generally providing the most income.
Vanguard Fund
Primary Investments
Expected
Dollar-Weighted
Average Maturity
Short-Term Treasury
U.S. Treasury bonds
1–4 years
Short-Term Federal
U.S. government agency bonds
1–4 years
Short-Term Investment-Grade
Investment-grade bonds
1–4 years
Intermediate-Term Treasury
U.S. Treasury bonds
5–10 years
Intermediate-Term Investment-Grade
Investment-grade bonds
5–10 years
GNMA
GNMA pass-through certificates
Generally 3–10 years
Long-Term Treasury
U.S. Treasury bonds
15–30 years
Long-Term Investment-Grade
Investment-grade bonds
Generally 15–30 years
Each Fund is subject to interest rate risk, which is the chance that bond prices overall will decline because of rising interest rates. Interest rate risk should be moderate for intermediate-term bond funds and high for long-term bond funds.
Although fixed income securities (commonly referred to as bonds) are often thought to be less risky than stocks, there have been periods when bond prices have fallen significantly because of rising interest rates. For instance, prices of long-term bonds fell by almost 48% between December 1976 and September 1981.
To illustrate the relationship between bond prices and interest rates, the following table shows the effect of a 1% and a 2% change (both up and down) in interest rates on the values of three noncallable bonds (i.e., bonds that cannot be redeemed by the issuer) of different maturities, each with a face value of $1,000.
46

How Interest Rate Changes Affect the Value of a $1,000 Bond1
Type of Bond (Maturity)
After a 1%
Increase
After a 1%
Decrease
After a 2%
Increase
After a 2%
Decrease
Short-Term (2.5 years)
$ 977
$ 1,024
$ 954
$ 1,049
Intermediate-Term (10 years)
922
1,086
851
1,180
Long-Term (20 years)
874
1,150
769
1,328
1 Assuming a 4% coupon rate.
These figures are for illustration only; you should not regard them as an indication of future performance of the bond market as a whole or the Funds in particular.
Plain Talk About Bonds and Interest Rates
As a rule, when interest rates rise, bond prices fall. The opposite is also true:
Bond prices go up when interest rates fall. Why do bond prices and interest
rates move in opposite directions? Let’s assume that you hold a bond
offering a 4% yield. A year later, interest rates are on the rise and bonds of
comparable quality and maturity are offered with a 5% yield. With
higher-yielding bonds available, you would have trouble selling your 4% bond
for the price you paid—you would probably have to lower your asking price.
On the other hand, if interest rates were falling and 3% bonds were being
offered, you should be able to sell your 4% bond for more than you paid.
How mortgage-backed securities are different: In general, declining interest
rates will not lift the prices of mortgage-backed securities—such as those
guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association—as much as
the prices of comparable bonds. Why? Because when interest rates fall, the
bond market tends to discount the prices of mortgage-backed securities for
prepayment risk—the possibility that homeowners will refinance their
mortgages at lower rates and cause the bonds to be paid off prior to
maturity. In part to compensate for this prepayment possibility,
mortgage-backed securities tend to offer higher yields than other bonds of
comparable credit quality and maturity. In contrast, when interest rates rise,
prepayments tend to slow down, subjecting mortgage-backed securities to
extension risk—the possibility that homeowners will repay their mortgages
at slower rates. This will lengthen the duration or average life of
mortgage-backed securities held by a fund and delay the fund’s ability to
reinvest proceeds at higher interest rates, making the fund more sensitive to
changes in interest rates.
47

Changes in interest rates can affect bond income as well as bond prices.
Each Fund is subject to income risk, which is the chance that the Fund‘s income will decline because of falling interest rates. A fund‘s income declines when interest rates fall because the fund then must invest new cash flow and cash from maturing bonds in lower-yielding bonds. Income risk is generally higher for short-term bond funds, moderate for intermediate-term bond funds, and lower for long-term bond funds.
Plain Talk About Bond Maturities
A bond is issued with a specific maturity date—the date when the issuer
must pay back the bond’s principal (face value). Bond maturities range from
less than 1 year to more than 30 years. Typically, the longer a bond’s maturity,
the more price risk you, as a bond investor, will face as interest rates
rise—but also the higher the potential yield you could receive. Longer-term
bonds are more suitable for investors willing to take a greater risk of price
fluctuations to get higher and more stable interest income. Shorter-term
bond investors should be willing to accept lower yields and greater income
variability in return for less fluctuation in the value of their investment. The
stated maturity of a bond may differ from the effective maturity of a bond,
which takes into consideration that an action such as a call or refunding may
cause bonds to be repaid before their stated maturity dates.
Although falling interest rates tend to strengthen bond prices, they can cause other problems for bond fund investors—bond calls and prepayments.
Plain Talk About Callable Bonds
Although bonds are issued with clearly defined maturities, in some cases the
bond issuer has a right to call in (redeem) the bond earlier than its maturity
date. When a bond is called, the bondholder must replace it with another
bond that may have a lower yield than the original bond. One way for bond
investors to protect themselves against call risk is to purchase a bond early
in its lifetime, long before its call date. Another way is to buy bonds with
lower coupon rates or interest rates, which make them less likely to
be called.
48

The Short-Term Investment-Grade, Intermediate-Term Investment-Grade, and Long-Term Investment-Grade Funds are subject to call risk, which is the chance that during periods of falling interest rates, issuers of callable bonds may call (redeem) securities with higher coupon rates or interest rates before their maturity dates. A Fund would then lose any price appreciation above the bond’s call price and would be forced to reinvest the unanticipated proceeds at lower interest rates, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income. Such redemptions and subsequent reinvestments would also increase the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate.
Call risk should be moderate for the Long-Term Investment-Grade and Intermediate-Term Investment-Grade Funds.
The GNMA Fund is subject to prepayment risk, which is the chance that during periods of falling interest rates, homeowners will refinance their mortgages before their maturity dates, resulting in prepayment of mortgage-backed securities held by the Fund. The Fund would then lose any price appreciation above the mortgage’s principal and would be forced to reinvest the unanticipated proceeds at lower interest rates, resulting in a decline in the Fund's income. Such prepayments and subsequent reinvestments would also increase the Fund's portfolio turnover rate. Prepayment risk is high for the Fund.
The Short-Term Investment-Grade, Intermediate-Term Investment-Grade, Long-Term Investment-Grade, and GNMA Funds are subject to extension risk. Extension risk is the chance that during periods of rising interest rates, certain debt securities will be paid off substantially more slowly than originally anticipated, and the value of those securities may fall. For funds that invest in mortgage-backed securities, like the GNMA Fund, extension risk is the chance that during periods of rising interest rates, homeowners will repay their mortgages at slower rates. This will lengthen the duration or average life of mortgage-backed securities held by the Fund and delay the Fund’s ability to reinvest proceeds at higher interest rates.
Extension risk is high for the GNMA Fund and moderate for the Long-Term Investment-Grade and Intermediate-Term Investment-Grade Funds.
The Short-Term Investment-Grade, Intermediate-Term Investment-Grade, and Long-Term Investment-Grade Funds are subject to credit risk, which is the chance that a bond issuer will fail to pay interest or principal in a timely manner or that negative perceptions of the issuer’s ability to make such payments will cause the price of that bond to decline.
49

Plain Talk About Credit Quality
A bond’s credit quality rating is an assessment of the issuer’s ability to pay
interest on the bond and, ultimately, to repay the principal. The lower the
credit quality, the greater the perceived chance that the bond issuer will
default, or fail to meet its payment obligations. All things being equal, the
lower a bond’s credit quality, the higher its yield should be to compensate
investors for assuming additional risk.
In relative terms, the Short-Term Treasury, Intermediate-Term Treasury, GNMA, and Long-Term Treasury Funds (which invest primarily in U.S. Treasury-issued or Treasury-backed securities) and the Short-Term Federal Fund generally have the lowest credit risk—and generally the lowest yields—among the Funds. By contrast, the Short-Term Investment-Grade, Intermediate-Term Investment-Grade, and Long-Term Investment-Grade Funds generally have the highest credit risk—and generally the highest yields—among the Funds.
The following table details the Funds’ credit quality policies, which generally apply at the time of investment, and illustrates the comparative credit risk for each Fund. The Funds may continue to hold bonds that are downgraded after purchase, even if they would no longer be eligible as new investments for a Fund.
Credit Ratings of the Funds’ Investments (Percentage of Fund Assets Under Normal Circumstances)
Vanguard Fund
Issued or Backed
by U.S. Gov’t. or
its Agencies and
Instrumentalities
High or
Highest
Quality
(Non-Gov’t.)
Upper-
Medium
Quality
Medium
Quality
Non-
Investment-
Grade
Short-Term Treasury
100%
0%
0%
0%
0%
Short-Term Federal
100%
0%
0%
0%
0%
Short-Term
Investment-Grade
—————————At least 80%———————————
No more
than 5%
Intermediate-Term
Treasury
100%
0%
0%
0%
0%
Intermediate-Term
Investment-Grade
—————————At least 80%———————————
No more
than 5%
GNMA
100%
0%
0%
0%
0%
Long-Term Treasury
100%
0%
0%
0%
0%
Long-Term
Investment-Grade
—————————At least 65%——————
No more
than 30%
No more
than 5%
50

The Long-term Investment Grade Fund may invest no more than 30% of its assets in medium-quality fixed income securities, preferred stocks, and convertible securities, and no more than 5% of its assets in non-investment-grade fixed income securities, preferred stocks, and convertible securities. Each of the Short-Term Investment-Grade Fund and the Intermediate-Term Investment Grade Fund may invest no more than 5% of its assets in non-investment-grade fixed income securities, preferred stocks, and convertible securities. Non-investment-grade fixed income securities are those rated the equivalent of Moody’s Ba1 or below or, if unrated, are determined to be of comparable quality by the Fund’s advisor.
The Short-Term Investment-Grade, Intermediate-Term Investment-Grade, Long-Term Investment-Grade, and Long-Term Treasury Funds are subject to liquidity risk, which is the chance that the Funds may not be able to sell a security in a timely manner at a desired price.
Corporate bonds are traded among dealers and brokers that connect buyers with sellers. Liquidity in the corporate bond market may be challenged depending on overall economic conditions and credit tightening. There may be little trading in the secondary market for particular bonds and other debt securities, which may make them more difficult to value or sell.
To a limited extent, the Investment-Grade Funds are subject to event risk, which is the chance that corporate fixed income securities held by these Funds may suffer a substantial decline in credit quality and market value because of a restructuring of the companies that issued the securities or because of other factors negatively affecting issuers.
Plain Talk About Types of Bonds
Bonds are issued (sold) by many sources: Corporations issue corporate
bonds; the federal government issues U.S. Treasury bonds; agencies of the
federal government issue agency bonds; financial institutions issue
asset-backed bonds; and mortgage holders issue “mortgage-backed”
pass-through certificates. Each issuer is responsible for paying back the
bond’s initial value as well as for making periodic interest payments. Many
bonds issued by government agencies and entities are neither guaranteed
nor insured by the U.S. government.
Market disruptions can adversely affect local and global markets as well as normal market conditions and operations. Any such disruptions could have an adverse impact on the value of a Fund's investments and Fund performance.
51

Security Selection
Long-Term Investment-Grade Fund. The Long-Term Investment-Grade Fund uses multiple investment advisors. Each advisor independently selects and maintains a portfolio of securities for the Fund.
Wellington Management, advisor to a portion of the Long-Term Investment-Grade Fund, uses a process that combines top-down strategy with bottom-up fundamental research and comprehensive risk management. Broad strategy is developed by applying top-down sector, quality, and interest rate outlooks. The portfolio manager establishes the sector allocation and duration guidelines, and also uses Wellington Management’s in-house fixed income credit analysts for bottom-up analysis and security recommendations. Final buy/sell decisions are made by the portfolio manager based on relative valuation and fundamental credit research.
Vanguard’s actively managed fixed income funds follow a portfolio manager-driven process that uses both top-down and bottom-up inputs. Portfolio managers are responsible for portfolio construction and strategy, leveraging the top-down insights of Vanguard’s senior investment leaders and Vanguard’s Investment Strategy Group, the bottom-up insights of the sector teams, and the relative value views across fixed income sectors. Risk optimization measures are present throughout the investment process, and the Senior Investment Committee provides governance and oversight for the entire lineup.
GNMA Fund. Wellington Management, advisor to the GNMA Fund, uses a flexible and diversified strategy that seeks to generate total return in excess of the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. GNMA Bond Index. Wellington Management makes significant use of security selection to add value over a market cycle. The Mortgage Investment Team establishes guidelines for the key drivers of return by analyzing a variety of frameworks for relative value, including cash flow and option-adjusted spreads on representative mortgage-backed securities in a variety of subsectors and maturities. The mortgage-backed securities analysts and portfolio managers use proprietary modeling, structural analysis, liquidity assessments, and trading strategies to develop investment strategies. Using the analyst input, the mortgage-backed portfolio manager is responsible for identifying attractive securities that implement portfolio strategy.
Short-Term Treasury, Short-Term Federal, Short-Term Investment-Grade, Intermediate-Term Treasury, Intermediate-Term Investment-Grade, and Long-Term Treasury Funds. Vanguard’s actively managed fixed income funds follow a portfolio manager-driven process that uses both top-down and bottom-up inputs. Portfolio managers are responsible for portfolio construction and strategy, leveraging the top-down insights of Vanguard’s senior investment
52

leaders and Vanguard’s Investment Strategy Group, the bottom-up insights of the sector teams, and the relative value views across fixed income sectors. Risk optimization measures are present throughout the investment process, and the Senior Investment Committee provides governance and oversight for the entire lineup.
The grid that follows shows, at a glance, the types of financial instruments that may be purchased by each Fund. Explanations of each type of financial instrument follow the grid.
 
Short-,
Intermediate-,
and Long-Term
Treasury Funds
Short-Term
Federal Fund
Short-,
Intermediate-,
and Long-Term
Investment-
Grade Funds
GNMA
Fund
Corporate Debt Obligations
 
 
 
U.S. Government & Agency Bonds
Municipal Bonds
 
 
 
Mortgage-Backed Securities
Mortgage Dollar Rolls
Cash Equivalent Investments Including
Repurchase Agreements
1
1
1
Futures, Options, and Other Derivatives
Asset-Backed Securities
 
 
International Dollar-Denominated Bonds
 
 
 
Foreign Currency Bonds
 
 
 
Preferred Stocks
 
 
 
Convertible Securities
 
 
 
Collateralized Mortgage Obligations
(CMOs)
1 Only repurchase agreements that are collateralized by U.S. Treasury or U.S. government agency securities.
•  Corporate debt obligations—usually called bonds—represent loans by an investor to a corporation.
•  U.S. government and agency bonds represent loans by investors to the U.S. Treasury or a wide variety of government agencies and instrumentalities. Securities issued by most U.S. government entities are neither guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury nor backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. These entities include, among others, the Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLBs), the Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA), and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC). Securities issued by the U.S. Treasury and a small number of U.S. government agencies, such as the Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA), are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S.
53

government. The market values of U.S. government and agency securities and U.S. Treasury securities are subject to fluctuation.
Plain Talk About U.S. Government-Sponsored Enterprises
A variety of U.S. government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs), such as the
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC), the Federal National
Mortgage Association (FNMA), and the Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLBs),
issue debt and mortgage-backed securities. Although GSEs may be chartered
or sponsored by acts of Congress, they are not funded by congressional
appropriations. In September of 2008, the U.S. Treasury placed FNMA and
FHLMC under conservatorship and appointed the Federal Housing Finance
Agency (FHFA) to manage their daily operations. In addition, the U.S. Treasury
entered into purchase agreements with FNMA and FHLMC to provide them
with capital in exchange for senior preferred stock. Generally, a GSE’s
securities are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and are not
backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. In most cases,
these securities are supported only by the credit of the GSE, standing alone. In
some cases, a GSE’s securities may be supported by the ability of the GSE to
borrow from the U.S. Treasury or may be supported by the U.S. government in
some other way. Securities issued by the Government National Mortgage
Association (GNMA), however, are backed by the full faith and credit of the
U.S. government.
•  Municipal bonds represent loans by an investor to state or local governments or to other governmental authorities.
•  Mortgage-backed securities represent partial ownership interest in pools of commercial or residential mortgage loans made by financial institutions to finance a borrower’s real estate purchase. These loans are packaged by private or governmental issuers for sale to investors. As the underlying mortgage loans are paid by borrowers, the investors receive payments of interest and principal. To be announced (TBA) securities represent an agreement to buy or sell mortgage-backed securities with agreed-upon characteristics for a fixed unit price, with settlement on a scheduled future date beyond the typical settlement period for most other securities.
•  Mortgage dollar rolls are transactions in which a fund sells mortgage-backed securities to a dealer and simultaneously agrees to purchase similar securities in the future at a predetermined price. These transactions simulate an investment in mortgage-backed securities and have the potential to enhance a fund’s returns and reduce its administrative burdens, compared with holding mortgage-backed securities directly. These transactions may increase a fund’s portfolio turnover
54

rate. Mortgage dollar rolls will be used only if consistent with a fund's investment objective and risk profile.
•  Cash equivalent investments is a blanket term that describes a variety of short-term fixed income investments, including money market instruments, commercial paper, bank certificates of deposit, banker’s acceptances, and repurchase agreements. Repurchase agreements represent short-term (normally overnight) loans by a fund to banks or large securities dealers. The Treasury Funds, the GNMA Fund, and the Short-Term Federal Fund may invest only in repurchase agreements that are collateralized by U.S. Treasury or U.S. government agency securities. Repurchase agreements can carry several risks. For instance, if the seller is unable to repurchase the securities as promised, a fund may experience a loss when trying to sell the securities to another buyer. Also, if the seller becomes insolvent, a bankruptcy court may determine that the securities do not belong to a fund and order that the securities be used to pay off the seller’s debts. The Funds’ advisors believe that these risks can be controlled through careful security selection and monitoring.
•  Futures, options, and other derivatives are described in detail under Other Investment Policies and Risks.
•  Asset-backed securities are bonds that represent partial ownership in pools of consumer or commercial loans—most often credit card, automobile, or trade receivables. Asset-backed securities, which can be types of corporate fixed income obligations, are issued by entities formed solely for that purpose, but their value ultimately depends on repayments by underlying borrowers. A primary risk of asset-backed securities is that their maturity is difficult to predict, being driven by borrowers’ prepayments.
•  International dollar-denominated bonds are bonds denominated in U.S. dollars and issued by foreign governments and companies. To the extent that a Fund owns foreign bonds, it is subject to country risk, which is the chance that world events—such as political upheaval, financial troubles, or natural disasters—will adversely affect the value and/or liquidity of securities issued by companies in foreign countries. In addition, the prices of foreign bonds and the prices of U.S. bonds have, at times, moved in opposite directions. Because the bond’s value is designated in dollars rather than in the currency of the issuer’s country, the investor is not exposed to currency risk; rather, the issuer assumes that risk, usually to attract U.S. investors. Although currency movements do not affect the value of international dollar-denominated bonds directly, they could affect the value indirectly by adversely affecting the issuer’s ability (or the market’s perception of the issuer’s ability) to pay interest or repay principal.
•  Foreign currency bonds are bonds denominated in the local currency of a non-U.S. country and issued by foreign governments, government agencies, and companies. To the extent that a Fund owns foreign currency bonds, it will hedge
55

its exposure to those bonds back to the U.S. dollar. In addition to country risk, each Fund is subject to currency hedging risk. Currency hedging risk is the chance that the currency hedging transactions entered into by a Fund may not perfectly offset the Fund’s foreign currency exposure.
•  Preferred stocks distribute set dividends from the issuer. The preferred-stock holder’s claim on the issuer’s income and assets ranks before that of common-stock holders, but after that of bondholders.
•  Convertible securities are bonds or preferred stocks that are convertible into, or exchangeable for, common stocks.
•  Collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs) are special bonds that are collateralized by mortgages or mortgage pass-through securities. Cash flow rights on underlying mortgages—the rights to receive principal and interest payments—are divided up and prioritized to create short-, intermediate-, and long-term bonds. CMOs rely on assumptions about the timing of cash flows on the underlying mortgages, including expected prepayment rates. The primary risk of a CMO is that these assumptions are wrong, which would either shorten or lengthen the bond’s maturity. Each Fund will invest only in CMOs that are believed to be consistent with its maturity and credit-quality standards.
Each Fund is subject to manager risk, which is the chance that poor security selection will cause the Fund to underperform relevant benchmarks or other funds with a similar investment objective.
Other Investment Policies and Risks
In addition to investing in bonds and other fixed income securities, each Fund may make other kinds of investments to achieve its investment objective.
Each Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities. Illiquid securities are investments that a Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. Restricted securities are a special type of illiquid security; these securities have not been publicly issued and legally can be resold only to qualified buyers.
Each Fund may invest a small portion of its assets in fixed income futures, which are a type of derivative, and/or shares of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). These fixed income futures and ETFs typically provide returns similar to those of bonds. A Fund may purchase futures or ETFs when doing so will reduce the Fund’s transaction costs, facilitate cash management, mitigate risk, or have the potential to add value because the instruments are favorably priced. Vanguard
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receives no additional revenue from Fund assets invested in ETF Shares of other Vanguard funds. Fund assets invested in ETF Shares are excluded when allocating to the Fund its share of the costs of Vanguard operations.
Each Fund may invest in derivatives. In general, investments in derivatives may involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, those of investments directly in the underlying securities or assets.
Generally speaking, a derivative is a financial contract whose value is based on the value of a financial asset (such as a stock, a bond, or a currency), a physical asset (such as gold, oil, or wheat), a market index, or a reference rate.
Each Fund may invest in derivatives only if the expected risks and rewards of the derivatives are consistent with the investment objective, policies, strategies, and risks of the Fund as disclosed in this prospectus. In particular, derivatives will be used only when they may help the advisor to accomplish one or more of the following:
• Invest in eligible asset classes with greater efficiency and lower cost than is possible through direct investment.
• Add value when these instruments are attractively priced.
• Adjust sensitivity to changes in interest rates.
• Adjust the overall credit risk of the portfolio or actively overweight or underweight credit risk to specific bond issuers.
• Hedge foreign currency exposure.
• Hedge foreign interest rate exposure.
The Funds' derivative investments may include fixed income futures contracts; fixed income options, including options on swaps; currency swaps; foreign currency exchange forwards; interest rate swaps; total return swaps; credit default swaps; or other derivatives. Losses (or gains) involving futures contracts can sometimes be substantial—in part because a relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in an immediate and substantial loss (or gain) for a fund. Similar risks exist for other types of derivatives.
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Plain Talk About Derivatives
Derivatives can take many forms. Some forms of derivatives—such as
exchange-traded futures and options on securities, commodities, or
indexes—have been trading on regulated exchanges for decades. These
types of derivatives are standardized contracts that can easily be bought and
sold and whose market values are determined and published daily. On the
other hand, non-exchange-traded derivatives—such as certain swap
agreements—tend to be more specialized or complex and may be more
difficult to accurately value.
Cash Management
Each Fund‘s daily cash balance may be invested in Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund and/or Vanguard Municipal Cash Management Fund (each, a CMT Fund), which are low-cost money market funds. When investing in a CMT Fund, each Fund bears its proportionate share of the expenses of the CMT Fund in which it invests. Vanguard receives no additional revenue from Fund assets invested in a CMT Fund.
Methods Used to Meet Redemption Requests
Under normal circumstances, each Fund typically expects to meet redemptions with positive cash flows. For the Long-Term Investment-Grade Fund, the Fund seeks first to meet redemptions from a cash or cash equivalent reserve or Vanguard may elect to instruct the advisor to sell a cross section of the Fund’s holdings to meet redemptions, while also factoring in transaction costs. For all other Funds, in the event there are not offsetting positive cash flows, each Fund seeks to maintain its risk exposure by selling a cross section of the Fund’s holdings to meet redemptions, while also factoring in transaction costs. Additionally, a Fund may work with larger clients to implement their redemptions in a manner that is least disruptive to the portfolio; see “Potentially disruptive redemptions” under Redeeming Shares in the Investing With Vanguard section.
Under certain circumstances, including under stressed market conditions, there are additional tools that each Fund may use in order to meet redemptions, including advancing the settlement of market trades with counterparties to match investor redemption payments or delaying settlement of an investor’s transaction to match trade settlement within regulatory requirements. A Fund may also suspend payment of redemption proceeds for up to seven days; see “Emergency circumstances” under Redeeming Shares in the Investing With Vanguard section. Additionally under these unusual circumstances, a Fund may
58

borrow money (subject to certain regulatory conditions and if available under board-approved procedures) through an interfund lending facility; through a bank line-of-credit, including a joint committed credit facility; or through an uncommitted line-of-credit from Vanguard in order to meet redemption requests.
Temporary Investment Measures
Each Fund may temporarily depart from its normal investment policies and strategies when an advisor believes that doing so is in the Fund's best interest, so long as the strategy or policy employed is consistent with the Fund's investment objective. For instance, the Fund may invest beyond its normal limits in derivatives or exchange-traded funds that are consistent with the Fund's investment objective when those instruments are more favorably priced or provide needed liquidity, as might be the case if the Fund is transitioning assets from one advisor to another or receives large cash flows that it cannot prudently invest immediately.
In addition, each Fund may take temporary defensive positions that are inconsistent with its normal investment policies and strategies—for instance, by allocating substantial assets to cash equivalent investments or other less volatile instruments—in response to adverse or unusual market, economic, political, or other conditions. In doing so, the Fund may succeed in avoiding losses but may otherwise fail to achieve its investment objective.
Frequent Trading or Market-Timing
Background. Some investors try to profit from strategies involving frequent trading of mutual fund shares, such as market-timing. For funds holding foreign securities, investors may try to take advantage of an anticipated difference between the price of the fund’s shares and price movements in overseas markets, a practice also known as time-zone arbitrage. Investors also may try to engage in frequent trading of funds holding investments such as small-cap stocks and high-yield bonds. As money is shifted into and out of a fund by a shareholder engaging in frequent trading, the fund incurs costs for buying and selling securities, resulting in increased brokerage and administrative costs. These costs are borne by all fund shareholders, including the long-term investors who do not generate the costs. In addition, frequent trading may interfere with an advisor’s ability to efficiently manage the fund.
Policies to address frequent trading. The Vanguard funds (other than money market funds and short-term bond funds, but including Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities Index Fund) do not knowingly accommodate frequent trading. The board of trustees of each Vanguard fund (other than money market funds and short-term bond funds, but including Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities Index Fund) has adopted policies and procedures
59

reasonably designed to detect and discourage frequent trading and, in some cases, to compensate the fund for the costs associated with it. These policies and procedures do not apply to ETF Shares because frequent trading in ETF Shares generally does not disrupt portfolio management or otherwise harm fund shareholders. Although there is no assurance that Vanguard will be able to detect or prevent frequent trading or market-timing in all circumstances, the following policies have been adopted to address these issues:
• Each Vanguard fund reserves the right to reject any purchase request—including exchanges from other Vanguard funds—without notice and regardless of size. For example, a purchase request could be rejected because the investor has a history of frequent trading or if Vanguard determines that such purchase may negatively affect a fund’s operation or performance.
• Each Vanguard fund (other than money market funds and short-term bond funds, but including Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities Index Fund) generally prohibits, except as otherwise noted in the Investing With Vanguard section, an investor’s purchases or exchanges into a fund account for 30 calendar days after the investor has redeemed or exchanged out of that fund account.
• Certain Vanguard funds charge shareholders purchase and/or redemption fees on transactions.
See the Investing With Vanguard section of this prospectus for further details on Vanguard’s transaction policies.
Each Vanguard fund (other than retail and government money market funds), in determining its net asset value, will use fair-value pricing when appropriate, as described in the Share Price section. Fair-value pricing may reduce or eliminate the profitability of certain frequent-trading strategies.
Do not invest with Vanguard if you are a market-timer.
Turnover Rate
Although the Funds generally seek to invest for the long term, each Fund may sell securities regardless of how long they have been held. The Financial Highlights section of this prospectus shows historical turnover rates for the Funds. A turnover rate of 100%, for example, would mean that a Fund had sold and replaced securities valued at 100% of its net assets within a one-year period. Shorter-term bonds will mature or be sold—and need to be replaced—more frequently than longer-term bonds. As a result, shorter-term bond funds tend to have higher turnover rates than longer-term bond funds. In general, the greater the turnover rate, the greater the impact transaction costs will have on a fund’s return. Also, funds with high turnover rates may be more
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likely to generate capital gains, including short-term capital gains, that must be distributed to shareholders and will be taxable to shareholders investing through a taxable account.
The Funds and Vanguard
Each Fund is a member of The Vanguard Group, a family of over 200 funds. All of the funds that are members of The Vanguard Group (other than funds of funds) share in the expenses associated with administrative services and business operations, such as personnel, office space, and equipment.
Vanguard Marketing Corporation provides marketing services to the funds. Although fund shareholders do not pay sales commissions or 12b-1 distribution fees, each fund (other than a fund of funds) or each share class of a fund (in the case of a fund with multiple share classes) pays its allocated share of the Vanguard funds’ marketing costs.
Plain Talk About Vanguard’s Unique Corporate Structure
The Vanguard Group is owned jointly by the funds it oversees and thus
indirectly by the shareholders in those funds. Most other mutual funds are
operated by management companies that are owned by third parties—either
public or private stockholders—and not by the funds they serve.
Investment Advisors
Two investment advisors manage the Funds, subject to the supervision and oversight of the trustees and officers of the Funds. The Long-Term Investment-Grade Fund uses a multimanager approach. Wellington Management Company LLP serves as the advisor to the GNMA Fund and to a portion of the Long-Term Investment-Grade Fund. The Vanguard Group, Inc., through its Fixed Income Group, serves as the advisor to the remaining Funds, as well as to a portion of the Long-Term Investment-Grade Fund.
Wellington Management Company LLP, 280 Congress Street, Boston, MA 02210, a Delaware limited liability partnership, is an investment counseling firm that provides investment services to investment companies, employee benefit plans, endowments, foundations, and other institutions. Wellington Management and its predecessor organizations have provided investment advisory services for over 80 years. Wellington Management is owned by the
61

partners of Wellington Management Group LLP, a Massachusetts limited liability partnership. As of January 31, 2021, Wellington Management and its investment advisory affiliates had investment management authority with respect to approximately $1.3 trillion in assets.
The Vanguard Group, Inc., P.O. Box 2600, Valley Forge, PA 19482, began operations in 1975. As of January 31, 2021, Vanguard served as advisor for approximately $5.8 trillion in assets.
The GNMA and Long-Term Investment-Grade Funds each pay Wellington Management a fee, which is paid quarterly and is a percentage of average daily net assets under management by Wellington Management during the most recent fiscal quarter. The fee has breakpoints, which means that the percentage declines as assets go up. Vanguard provides investment advisory services to the remaining Funds (as well as to a portion of the Long-Term Investment-Grade Fund) pursuant to the Funds’ Service Agreement and subject to the supervision and oversight of the trustees and officers of the Funds.
For the fiscal year ended January 31, 2021, the advisory expenses or fees for each Fund (other than the Long-Term Investment-Grade Fund) represented an effective annual rate of 0.01% of the Fund’s average net assets. For the Long-Term Investment-Grade Fund, the aggregate advisory fees and expenses represented an effective annual rate of less than 0.01% of the Fund’s average net assets.
Under the terms of an SEC exemption, the Funds‘ board of trustees may, without prior approval from shareholders, change the terms of an advisory agreement with a third-party investment advisor or hire a new third-party investment advisor—either as a replacement for an existing advisor or as an additional advisor. Any significant change in a Fund’s advisory arrangements will be communicated to shareholders in writing. As the Funds‘ sponsor and overall manager, Vanguard may provide investment advisory services to a Fund at any time. Vanguard may also recommend to the board of trustees that an advisor be hired, terminated, or replaced or that the terms of an existing advisory agreement be revised. The Funds have filed an application seeking a similar SEC exemption with respect to investment advisors that are wholly owned subsidiaries of Vanguard. If the exemption is granted, the Funds may rely on the new SEC relief.
For a discussion of why the board of trustees approved each Fund's investment advisory arrangement, see the most recent semiannual reports to shareholders covering the fiscal period ended July 31.
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The managers primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds are:
Joseph F. Marvan, CFA, Senior Managing Director and Fixed Income Portfolio Manager of Wellington Management. He has worked in investment management since 1988, has been with Wellington Management since 2003, and has co-managed the GNMA Fund since May 2019. Education: B.S., Ithaca College; M.B.A., Babson College.
Brian Conroy, CFA, Managing Director and Fixed Income Portfolio Manager of Wellington Management. He has worked in investment management since 2005, has been with Wellington Management since 2012, and has co-managed the GNMA Fund since May 2019. Education: B.A., Harvard College; M.B.A., Harvard Business School.
Scott I. St. John, CFA, Senior Managing Director and Fixed Income Portfolio Manager of Wellington Management. He has worked in investment management since 1995, has been with Wellington Management since 2003, and has managed a portion of the Long-Term Investment-Grade Fund since 2014. Education: B.S., Cornell University; M.B.A., University of Rochester.
Samuel C. Martinez, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has been with Vanguard since 2007, has worked in investment management since 2010, has managed investment portfolios since 2014, has co-managed the Short-Term Investment-Grade and Intermediate-Term Investment-Grade Funds since 2018, and has co-managed a portion of the Long-Term Investment-Grade Fund since 2018. Education: B.S., Southern Utah University; M.B.A., The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Arvind Narayanan, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has been with Vanguard since 2019, has worked in investment management since 2002, has managed investment portfolios since 2006, and has co-managed the Short-Term Investment-Grade and Intermediate-Term Investment-Grade Funds since 2019, and has co-managed a portion of the Long-Term Investment-Grade Fund since 2019. Education: B.A., Goucher College; M.B.A., New York University.
Brian W. Quigley, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has been with Vanguard since 2003, has worked in investment management since 2005, and has managed investment portfolios, including the Short-Term Federal Fund, since 2015. Education: B.S., Lehigh University.
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Daniel Shaykevich, Principal of Vanguard. He has worked in investment management since 2001, has managed investment portfolios since 2004, has been with Vanguard since 2013, and has co-managed the Short-Term Investment-Grade and Intermediate-Term Investment-Grade Funds since 2018, and has co-managed a portion of the Long-Term Investment-Grade Fund since 2018. Education: B.S., Carnegie Mellon University.
Gemma Wright-Casparius, Principal of Vanguard. She has worked in investment management since 2005, has managed investment portfolios since 2008; has been with Vanguard since 2011; and has managed the Short-Term Treasury, Intermediate-Term Treasury, and Long-Term Treasury Funds since 2015. Education: B.B.A. and M.B.A., Bernard M. Baruch College of The City University of New York.
The Funds' Statement of Additional Information provides information about each portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts under management, and ownership of shares of the Funds.
Dividends, Capital Gains, and Taxes
Fund Distributions
Each Fund distributes to shareholders virtually all of its net income (interest less expenses) as well as any net short-term or long-term capital gains realized from the sale of its holdings. From time to time, the Fund may also make distributions that are treated as a return of capital. Income dividends generally are declared daily and distributed monthly. Capital gains distributions, if any, generally occur annually in December. In addition, each Fund may occasionally make a supplemental distribution at some other time during the year.
You can receive distributions of income or capital gains in cash, or you can have them automatically reinvested in more shares of the Fund. However, if you are investing through an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, your distributions will be automatically reinvested in additional Fund shares.
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Plain Talk About Distributions
As a shareholder, you are entitled to your portion of a fund’s income from
interest as well as capital gains from the fund’s sale of investments. Income
consists of interest the fund earns from its money market and bond
investments. Capital gains are realized whenever the fund sells securities for
higher prices than it paid for them. These capital gains are either short-term
or long-term, depending on whether the fund held the securities for one year
or less or for more than one year.
Basic Tax Points
Investors in taxable accounts should be aware of the following basic federal income tax points:
• Distributions are taxable to you whether or not you reinvest these amounts in additional Fund shares.
• Distributions declared in December—if paid to you by the end of January—are taxable as if received in December.
• Any income dividend distribution or short-term capital gains distribution that you receive is taxable to you as ordinary income.
• Any distribution of net long-term capital gains is taxable to you as long-term capital gains, no matter how long you have owned shares in the Fund.
• Capital gains distributions may vary considerably from year to year as a result of the Funds' normal investment activities and cash flows.
• Your cost basis in the Fund will be decreased by the amount of any return of capital that you receive. This, in turn, will affect the amount of any capital gain or loss that you realize when selling or exchanging your Fund shares.
• Return of capital distributions generally are not taxable to you until your cost basis has been reduced to zero. If your cost basis is at zero, return of capital distributions will be treated as capital gains.
• A sale or exchange of Fund shares is a taxable event. This means that you may have a capital gain to report as income, or a capital loss to report as a deduction, when you complete your tax return.
• Any conversion between classes of shares of the same fund is a nontaxable event. By contrast, an exchange between classes of shares of different funds is a taxable event.
• Vanguard (or your intermediary) will send you a statement each year showing the tax status of all of your distributions.
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Individuals, trusts, and estates whose income exceeds certain threshold amounts are subject to a 3.8% Medicare contribution tax on “net investment income.” Net investment income takes into account distributions paid by the Fund and capital gains from any sale or exchange of Fund shares.
Income dividends and capital gains distributions that you receive, as well as your gains or losses from any sale or exchange of Fund shares, may be subject to state and local income taxes. Depending on your state’s rules, however, any dividends attributable to interest earned on direct obligations of the U.S. government may be exempt from state and local taxes. Vanguard will notify you each year how much, if any, of your dividends may qualify for this exemption.
This prospectus provides general tax information only. If you are investing through a tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA or an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, special tax rules apply. Please consult your tax advisor for detailed information about any tax consequences for you.
General Information
Backup withholding. By law, Vanguard must withhold 24% of any taxable distributions or redemptions from your account if you do not:
• Provide your correct taxpayer identification number.
• Certify that the taxpayer identification number is correct.
• Confirm that you are not subject to backup withholding.
Similarly, Vanguard (or your intermediary) must withhold taxes from your account if the IRS instructs us to do so.
Foreign investors. Vanguard funds offered for sale in the United States (Vanguard U.S. funds), including the Funds offered in this prospectus, are not widely available outside the United States. Non-U.S. investors should be aware that U.S. withholding and estate taxes and certain U.S. tax reporting requirements may apply to any investments in Vanguard U.S. funds. Foreign investors should visit the non-U.S. investors page on our website at vanguard.com for information on Vanguard’s non-U.S. products.
Invalid addresses. If an income dividend distribution or capital gains distribution check mailed to your address of record is returned as undeliverable, Vanguard will automatically reinvest the distribution and all future distributions until you provide us with a valid mailing address. Reinvestments will receive the net asset value calculated on the date of the reinvestment.
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Share Price
Share price, also known as net asset value (NAV), is calculated as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), generally 4 p.m., Eastern time, on each day that the NYSE is open for business (a business day). In the rare event the NYSE experiences unanticipated disruptions and is unavailable at the close of the trading day, NAVs will be calculated as of the close of regular trading on the Nasdaq (or another alternate exchange if the Nasdaq is unavailable, as determined at Vanguard’s discretion), generally 4 p.m., Eastern time. Each share class has its own NAV, which is computed by dividing the total assets, minus liabilities, allocated to the share class by the number of Fund shares outstanding for that class. On U.S. holidays or other days when the NYSE is closed, the NAV is not calculated, and the Funds do not sell or redeem shares. However, on those days the value of a Fund’s assets may be affected to the extent that the Fund holds securities that change in value on those days (such as foreign securities that trade on foreign markets that are open).
Debt securities held by a Vanguard fund are valued based on information furnished by an independent pricing service or market quotations. When a fund determines that pricing-service information or market quotations either are not readily available or do not accurately reflect the value of a security, the security is priced at its fair value (the amount that the owner might reasonably expect to receive upon the current sale of the security).
The values of any foreign securities held by a fund are converted into U.S. dollars using an exchange rate obtained from an independent third party as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE. The values of any mutual fund shares, including institutional money market fund shares, held by a fund are based on the NAVs of the shares. The values of any ETF shares or closed-end fund shares held by a fund are based on the market value of the shares.
A fund also may use fair-value pricing on bond market holidays when the fund is open for business (such as Columbus Day and Veterans Day). Fair-value prices are determined by Vanguard according to procedures adopted by the board of trustees. When fair-value pricing is employed, the prices of securities used by a fund to calculate the NAV may differ from quoted or published prices for the same securities.
Vanguard fund share prices are published daily on our website at vanguard.com/prices.
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Financial Highlights
Financial highlights information is intended to help you understand a fund’s performance for the past five years (or, if shorter, its period of operations). Certain information reflects financial results for a single fund share. Total return represents the rate that an investor would have earned or lost each period on an investment in a fund or share class (assuming reinvestment of all distributions). This information has been obtained from the financial statements audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with fund financial statements, is included in a fund’s most recent annual report to shareholders. You may obtain a free copy of a fund’s latest annual or semiannual report, which is available upon request.
Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Fund Investor Shares
 
Year Ended January 31,
For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$10.64
$10.48
$10.49
$10.65
$10.73
Investment Operations
 
 
 
 
 
Net Investment Income
0.0701
0.2451
0.2271
0.1271
0.094
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments
0.286
0.160
(0.009)
(0.160)
(0.048)
Total from Investment Operations
0.356
0.405
0.218
(0.033)
0.046
Distributions
 
 
 
 
 
Dividends from Net Investment Income
(0.070)
(0.245)
(0.228)
(0.127)
(0.094)
Distributions from Realized Capital Gains
(0.156)
(0.032)
Total Distributions
(0.226)
(0.245)
(0.228)
(0.127)
(0.126)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$10.77
$10.64
$10.48
$10.49
$10.65
Total Return2
3.35%
3.91%
2.11%
–0.31%
0.43%
Ratios/Supplemental Data
 
 
 
 
 
Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)
$701
$655
$671
$737
$900
Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets
0.20%
0.20%
0.20%
0.20%
0.20%
Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets
0.64%
2.30%
2.18%
1.20%
0.87%
Portfolio Turnover Rate3
357%
340%
282%
280%
249%
1
Calculated based on average shares outstanding.
2
Total returns do not include account service fees that may have applied in the periods shown.
3
Includes 57%, 5%, 37%, 7%, and 3%, respectively, attributable to mortgage-dollar-roll activity.
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Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Fund Admiral Shares
 
Year Ended January 31,
For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$10.64
$10.48
$10.49
$10.65
$10.73
Investment Operations
 
 
 
 
 
Net Investment Income
0.0791
0.2541
0.2381
0.1381
0.105
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments
0.288
0.162
(0.010)
(0.160)
(0.048)
Total from Investment Operations
0.367
0.416
0.228
(0.022)
0.057
Distributions
 
 
 
 
 
Dividends from Net Investment Income
(0.081)
(0.256)
(0.238)
(0.138)
(0.105)
Distributions from Realized Capital Gains
(0.156)
(0.032)
Total Distributions
(0.237)
(0.256)
(0.238)
(0.138)
(0.137)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$10.77
$10.64
$10.48
$10.49
$10.65
Total Return2
3.46%
4.01%
2.21%
–0.21%
0.53%
Ratios/Supplemental Data
 
 
 
 
 
Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)
$7,818
$8,243
$7,385
$7,044
$6,805
Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets
0.10%
0.10%
0.10%
0.10%
0.10%
Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets
0.73%
2.40%
2.28%
1.30%
0.97%
Portfolio Turnover Rate3
357%
340%
282%
280%
249%
1
Calculated based on average shares outstanding.
2
Total returns do not include account service fees that may have applied in the periods shown.
3
Includes 57%, 5%, 37%, 7%, and 3%, respectively, attributable to mortgage-dollar-roll activity.
69

Vanguard Short-Term Federal Fund Investor Shares
 
Year Ended January 31,
For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$10.79
$10.57
$10.55
$10.70
$10.79
Investment Operations
 
 
 
 
 
Net Investment Income
0.1251
0.2461
0.2081
0.1421
0.116
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments
0.274
0.221
0.021
(0.144)
(0.063)
Total from Investment Operations
0.399
0.467
0.229
(0.002)
0.053
Distributions
 
 
 
 
 
Dividends from Net Investment Income
(0.127)
(0.247)
(0.209)
(0.142)
(0.116)
Distributions from Realized Capital Gains
(0.042)
(0.006)
(0.027)
Total Distributions
(0.169)
(0.247)
(0.209)
(0.148)
(0.143)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$11.02
$10.79
$10.57
$10.55
$10.70
Total Return2
3.71%
4.46%
2.20%
–0.02%
0.49%
Ratios/Supplemental Data
 
 
 
 
 
Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)
$767
$623
$622
$719
$827
Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets
0.20%
0.20%
0.20%
0.20%
0.20%
Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets
1.14%
2.30%
1.98%
1.33%
1.07%
Portfolio Turnover Rate3
663%
499%
327%
211%
304%
1
Calculated based on average shares outstanding.
2
Total returns do not include account service fees that may have applied in the periods shown.
3
Includes 180%, 32%, 90%, 30%, and 38%, respectively, attributable to mortgage-dollar-roll activity.
70

Vanguard Short-Term Federal Fund Admiral Shares
 
Year Ended January 31,
For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$10.79
$10.57
$10.55
$10.70
$10.79
Investment Operations
 
 
 
 
 
Net Investment Income
0.1301
0.2571
0.2191
0.1531
0.127
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments
0.280
0.220
0.020
(0.144)
(0.063)
Total from Investment Operations
0.410
0.477
0.239
0.009
0.064
Distributions
 
 
 
 
 
Dividends from Net Investment Income
(0.138)
(0.257)
(0.219)
(0.153)
(0.127)
Distributions from Realized Capital Gains
(0.042)
(0.006)
(0.027)
Total Distributions
(0.180)
(0.257)
(0.219)
(0.159)
(0.154)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$11.02
$10.79
$10.57
$10.55
$10.70
Total Return2
3.81%
4.56%
2.30%
0.08%
0.59%
Ratios/Supplemental Data
 
 
 
 
 
Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)
$7,280
$4,371
$3,963
$4,239
$4,819
Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets
0.10%
0.10%
0.10%
0.10%
0.10%
Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets
1.19%
2.40%
2.08%
1.43%
1.17%
Portfolio Turnover Rate3
663%
499%
327%
211%
304%
1
Calculated based on average shares outstanding.
2
Total returns do not include account service fees that may have applied in the periods shown.
3
Includes 180%, 32%, 90%, 30%, and 38%, respectively, attributable to mortgage-dollar-roll activity.
71

Vanguard Short-Term Investment-Grade Fund Investor Shares
 
Year Ended January 31,
For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$10.80
$10.50
$10.57
$10.65
$10.60
Investment Operations
 
 
 
 
 
Net Investment Income
0.2331
0.2971
0.2831
0.2241
0.213
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments
0.225
0.304
(0.069)
(0.087)
0.053
Total from Investment Operations
0.458
0.601
0.214
0.137
0.266
Distributions
 
 
 
 
 
Dividends from Net Investment Income
(0.238)
(0.301)
(0.284)
(0.215)
(0.205)
Distributions from Realized Capital Gains
(0.002)
(0.011)
Total Distributions
(0.238)
(0.301)
(0.284)
(0.217)
(0.216)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$11.02
$10.80
$10.50
$10.57
$10.65
Total Return2
4.29%
5.79%
2.07%
1.29%
2.52%
Ratios/Supplemental Data
 
 
 
 
 
Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)
$8,617
$8,179
$7,846
$9,333
$9,558
Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets
0.20%
0.20%
0.20%
0.20%
0.20%
Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets
2.14%
2.78%
2.71%
2.11%
2.00%
Portfolio Turnover Rate
89%3
76%3
71%3
86%
68%
1
Calculated based on average shares outstanding.
2
Total returns do not include account service fees that may have applied in the periods shown.
3
Includes 13%, 1%, and 1%, respectively, attributable to mortgage-dollar-roll activity.
72

Vanguard Short-Term Investment-Grade Fund Admiral Shares
 
Year Ended January 31,
For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$10.80
$10.50
$10.57
$10.65
$10.60
Investment Operations
 
 
 
 
 
Net Investment Income
0.2441
0.3081
0.2941
0.2361
0.224
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on
Investments
0.225
0.304
(0.070)
(0.088)
0.053
Total from Investment Operations
0.469
0.612
0.224
0.148
0.277
Distributions
 
 
 
 
 
Dividends from Net Investment Income
(0.249)
(0.312)
(0.294)
(0.226)
(0.216)
Distributions from Realized Capital Gains
(0.002)
(0.011)
Total Distributions
(0.249)
(0.312)
(0.294)
(0.228)
(0.227)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$11.02
$10.80
$10.50
$10.57
$10.65
Total Return2
4.39%
5.90%
2.17%
1.39%
2.62%
Ratios/Supplemental Data
 
 
 
 
 
Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)
$51,282
$44,211
$40,218
$42,156
$38,564
Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets
0.10%
0.10%
0.10%
0.10%
0.10%
Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net
Assets
2.23%
2.88%
2.81%
2.21%
2.10%
Portfolio Turnover Rate
89%3
76%3
71%3
86%
68%
1
Calculated based on average shares outstanding.
2
Total returns do not include account service fees that may have applied in the periods shown.
3
Includes 13%, 1%, and 1%, respectively, attributable to mortgage-dollar-roll activity.
73

Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury Fund Investor Shares
 
Year Ended January 31,
For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$11.57
$10.96
$10.88
$11.11
$11.51
Investment Operations
 
 
 
 
 
Net Investment Income
0.1291
0.2551
0.2601
0.1981
0.177
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments
0.507
0.611
0.081
(0.230)
(0.271)
Total from Investment Operations
0.636
0.866
0.341
(0.032)
(0.094)
Distributions
 
 
 
 
 
Dividends from Net Investment Income
(0.127)
(0.256)
(0.261)
(0.198)
(0.177)
Distributions from Realized Capital Gains
(0.429)
(0.129)
Total Distributions
(0.556)
(0.256)
(0.261)
(0.198)
(0.306)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$11.65
$11.57
$10.96
$10.88
$11.11
Total Return2
5.50%
7.98%
3.20%
–0.31%
–0.84%
Ratios/Supplemental Data
 
 
 
 
 
Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)
$953
$917
$837
$967
$1,185
Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets
0.20%
0.20%
0.20%
0.20%
0.20%
Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets
1.07%
2.27%
2.42%
1.78%
1.53%
Portfolio Turnover Rate3
309%
214%
231%
181%
152%
1
Calculated based on average shares outstanding.
2
Total returns do not include account service fees that may have applied in the periods shown.
3
Includes 37%, 5%, 35%, 6%, and 3%, respectively, attributable to mortgage-dollar-roll activity.
74

Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury Fund Admiral Shares
 
Year Ended January 31,
For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$11.57
$10.96
$10.88
$11.11
$11.51
Investment Operations
 
 
 
 
 
Net Investment Income
0.1391
0.2671
0.2721
0.2101
0.188
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments
0.509
0.610
0.080
(0.230)
(0.271)
Total from Investment Operations
0.648
0.877
0.352
(0.020)
(0.083)
Distributions
 
 
 
 
 
Dividends from Net Investment Income
(0.139)
(0.267)
(0.272)
(0.210)
(0.188)
Distributions from Realized Capital Gains
(0.429)
(0.129)
Total Distributions
(0.568)
(0.267)
(0.272)
(0.210)
(0.317)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$11.65
$11.57
$10.96
$10.88
$11.11
Total Return2
5.60%
8.09%
3.30%
–0.21%
–0.74%
Ratios/Supplemental Data
 
 
 
 
 
Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)
$6,237
$5,452
$4,976
$5,100
$5,190
Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets
0.10%
0.10%
0.10%
0.10%
0.10%
Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets
1.16%
2.37%
2.52%
1.88%
1.63%
Portfolio Turnover Rate3
309%
214%
231%
181%
152%
1
Calculated based on average shares outstanding.
2
Total returns do not include account service fees that may have applied in the periods shown.
3
Includes 37%, 5%, 35%, 6%, and 3%, respectively, attributable to mortgage-dollar-roll activity.
75

Vanguard Intermediate-Term Investment-Grade Fund Investor Shares
 
Year Ended January 31,
For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$10.23
$9.52
$9.61
$9.66
$9.72
Investment Operations
 
 
 
 
 
Net Investment Income
0.2521
0.3001
0.3001
0.2771
0.278
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on
Investments
0.500
0.711
(0.087)
(0.034)
0.030
Total from Investment Operations
0.752
1.011
0.213
0.243
0.308
Distributions
 
 
 
 
 
Dividends from Net Investment Income
(0.257)
(0.301)
(0.303)
(0.274)
(0.276)
Distributions from Realized Capital Gains
(0.335)
(0.016)
(0.092)
Total Distributions
(0.592)
(0.301)
(0.303)
(0.290)
(0.368)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$10.39
$10.23
$9.52
$9.61
$9.66
Total Return2
7.49%
10.76%
2.31%
2.47%
3.16%
Ratios/Supplemental Data
 
 
 
 
 
Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)
$2,305
$2,459
$2,115
$2,472
$2,671
Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets
0.20%
0.20%
0.20%
0.20%
0.20%
Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets
2.41%
3.03%
3.20%
2.84%
2.80%
Portfolio Turnover Rate
113%3, 4
114%3
73%3
63%
68%
1
Calculated based on average shares outstanding.
2
Total returns do not include account service fees that may have applied in the periods shown.
3
Includes 12%, 1% and 1%, respectively, attributable to mortgage-dollar-roll activity.
4
Excludes the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind purchases or redemptions of the fund’s capital shares.
76

Vanguard Intermediate-Term Investment-Grade Fund Admiral Shares
 
Year Ended January 31,
For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$10.23
$9.52
$9.61
$9.66
$9.72
Investment Operations
 
 
 
 
 
Net Investment Income
0.2611
0.3091
0.3101
0.2881
0.288
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on
Investments
0.501
0.712
(0.087)
(0.039)
0.030
Total from Investment Operations
0.762
1.021
0.223
0.249
0.318
Distributions
 
 
 
 
 
Dividends from Net Investment Income
(0.267)
(0.311)
(0.313)
(0.283)
(0.286)
Distributions from Realized Capital Gains
(0.335)
(0.016)
(0.092)
Total Distributions
(0.602)
(0.311)
(0.313)
(0.299)
(0.378)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$10.39
$10.23
$9.52
$9.61
$9.66
Total Return2
7.59%
10.87%
2.41%
2.58%
3.27%
Ratios/Supplemental Data
 
 
 
 
 
Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)
$35,093
$31,146
$27,011
$27,000
$25,145
Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets
0.10%
0.10%
0.10%
0.10%
0.10%
Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net
Assets
2.50%
3.13%
3.30%
2.94%
2.90%
Portfolio Turnover Rate
113%3, 4
114%3
73%3
63%
68%
1
Calculated based on average shares outstanding.
2
Total returns do not include account service fees that may have applied in the periods shown.
3
Includes 12%, 1% and 1%, respectively, attributable to mortgage-dollar-roll activity.
4
Excludes the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind purchases or redemptions of the fund’s capital shares.
77

Vanguard GNMA Fund Investor Shares
 
Year Ended January 31,
For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$10.58
$10.31
$10.32
$10.51
$10.77
Investment Operations
 
 
 
 
 
Net Investment Income
0.1781
0.2851
0.2981
0.2841
0.236
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments
0.157
0.272
(0.011)
(0.193)
(0.183)
Total from Investment Operations
0.335
0.557
0.287
0.091
0.053
Distributions
 
 
 
 
 
Dividends from Net Investment Income
(0.176)
(0.287)
(0.297)
(0.281)
(0.237)
Distributions from Realized Capital Gains
(0.076)
Return of Capital
(0.009)
Total Distributions
(0.185)
(0.287)
(0.297)
(0.281)
(0.313)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$10.73
$10.58
$10.31
$10.32
$10.51
Total Return2
3.17%
5.46%
2.85%
0.85%
0.49%
Ratios/Supplemental Data
 
 
 
 
 
Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)
$7,719
$7,365
$6,715
$7,598
$7,993
Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets
0.21%
0.21%
0.21%
0.21%
0.21%
Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets
1.66%
2.71%
2.93%
2.70%
2.19%
Portfolio Turnover Rate3
638%
616%
415%
620%
926%
1
Calculated based on average shares outstanding.
2
Total returns do not include account service fees that may have applied in the periods shown.
3
Includes 182%, 198%, 200%, 156%, and 300% attributable to mortgage-dollar-roll activity.
78

Vanguard GNMA Fund Admiral Shares
 
Year Ended January 31,
For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$10.58
$10.31
$10.32
$10.51
$10.77
Investment Operations
 
 
 
 
 
Net Investment Income
0.1841
0.2951
0.3091
0.2941
0.247
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on
Investments
0.161
0.272
(0.012)
(0.192)
(0.183)
Total from Investment Operations
0.345
0.567
0.297
0.102
0.064
Distributions
 
 
 
 
 
Dividends from Net Investment Income
(0.185)
(0.297)
(0.307)
(0.292)
(0.248)
Distributions from Realized Capital Gains
(0.076)
Return of Capital
(0.010)
Total Distributions
(0.195)
(0.297)
(0.307)
(0.292)
(0.324)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$10.73
$10.58
$10.31
$10.32
$10.51
Total Return2
3.28%
5.57%
2.95%
0.95%
0.59%
Ratios/Supplemental Data
 
 
 
 
 
Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)
$19,602
$17,356
$14,706
$16,491
$17,613
Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets
0.11%
0.11%
0.11%
0.11%
0.11%
Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net
Assets
1.72%
2.81%
3.03%
2.80%
2.29%
Portfolio Turnover Rate3
638%
616%
415%
620%
926%
1
Calculated based on average shares outstanding.
2
Total returns do not include account service fees that may have applied in the periods shown.
3
Includes 182%, 198%, 200%, 156%, and 300% attributable to mortgage-dollar-roll activity.
79

Vanguard Long-Term Treasury Fund Investor Shares
 
Year Ended January 31,
For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$14.05
$11.86
$11.96
$11.79
$12.80
Investment Operations
 
 
 
 
 
Net Investment Income
0.2731
0.3311
0.3341
0.3281
0.332
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments
0.677
2.226
(0.100)
0.170
(0.725)
Total from Investment Operations
0.950
2.557
0.234
0.498
(0.393)
Distributions
 
 
 
 
 
Dividends from Net Investment Income
(0.273)
(0.331)
(0.334)
(0.328)
(0.332)
Distributions from Realized Capital Gains
(1.177)
(0.036)
(0.285)
Total Distributions
(1.450)
(0.367)
(0.334)
(0.328)
(0.617)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$13.55
$14.05
$11.86
$11.96
$11.79
Total Return2
6.41%
21.84%
2.05%
4.21%
–3.21%
Ratios/Supplemental Data
 
 
 
 
 
Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)
$931
$971
$794
$882
$995
Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets
0.20%
0.20%
0.20%
0.20%
0.20%
Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets
1.79%
2.55%
2.89%
2.70%
2.53%
Portfolio Turnover Rate3
172%
96%4
122%
103%4
94%
1
Calculated based on average shares outstanding.
2
Total returns do not include account service fees that may have applied in the periods shown.
3
Includes 26%, 4%, 34%, 6%, and 3%, respectively, attributable to mortgage-dollar-roll activity.
4
Excludes the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind purchases or redemptions of the fund’s capital shares.
80

Vanguard Long-Term Treasury Fund Admiral Shares
 
Year Ended January 31,
For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$14.05
$11.86
$11.96
$11.79
$12.80
Investment Operations
 
 
 
 
 
Net Investment Income
0.2881
0.3441
0.3461
0.3401
0.345
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments
0.677
2.226
(0.100)
0.170
(0.725)
Total from Investment Operations
0.965
2.570
0.246
0.510
(0.380)
Distributions
 
 
 
 
 
Dividends from Net Investment Income
(0.288)
(0.344)
(0.346)
(0.340)
(0.345)
Distributions from Realized Capital Gains
(1.177)
(0.036)
(0.285)
Total Distributions
(1.465)
(0.380)
(0.346)
(0.340)
(0.630)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$13.55
$14.05
$11.86
$11.96
$11.79
Total Return2
6.51%
21.96%
2.16%
4.32%
–3.12%
Ratios/Supplemental Data
 
 
 
 
 
Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)
$3,292
$3,071
$2,532
$2,588
$2,509
Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets
0.10%
0.10%
0.10%
0.10%
0.10%
Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets
1.89%
2.65%
2.99%
2.80%
2.63%
Portfolio Turnover Rate3
172%
96%4
122%
103%4
94%
1
Calculated based on average shares outstanding.
2
Total returns do not include account service fees that may have applied in the periods shown.
3
Includes 26%, 4%, 34%, 6%, and 3%, respectively, attributable to mortgage-dollar-roll activity.
4
Excludes the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind purchases or redemptions of the fund’s capital shares.
81

Vanguard Long-Term Investment-Grade Fund Investor Shares
 
Year Ended January 31,
For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$11.48
$9.79
$10.40
$10.06
$10.00
Investment Operations
 
 
 
 
 
Net Investment Income
0.3491
0.3811
0.3971
0.4051
0.416
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments
0.399
1.854
(0.560)
0.520
0.260
Total from Investment Operations
0.748
2.235
(0.163)
0.925
0.676
Distributions
 
 
 
 
 
Dividends from Net Investment Income
(0.368)
(0.399)
(0.413)
(0.421)
(0.435)
Distributions from Realized Capital Gains
(0.440)
(0.146)
(0.034)
(0.164)
(0.181)
Total Distributions
(0.808)
(0.545)
(0.447)
(0.585)
(0.616)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$11.42
$11.48
$9.79
$10.40
$10.06
Total Return2
6.54%
23.31%
–1.45%
9.28%
6.71%
Ratios/Supplemental Data
 
 
 
 
 
Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)
$5,070
$4,942
$4,098
$4,570
$4,069
Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets
0.22%
0.22%
0.22%
0.22%
0.22%
Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets
2.97%
3.57%
4.08%
3.87%
3.92%
Portfolio Turnover Rate
30%
34%3
32%3
27%
24%
1
Calculated based on average shares outstanding.
2
Total returns do not include account service fees that may have applied in the periods shown.
3
Includes 1% and 0%, respectively, attributable to mortgage-dollar-roll activity.
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Vanguard Long-Term Investment-Grade Fund Admiral Shares
 
Year Ended January 31,
For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$11.48
$9.79
$10.40
$10.06
$10.00
Investment Operations
 
 
 
 
 
Net Investment Income
0.3611
0.3921
0.4071
0.4151
0.426
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on
Investments
0.399
1.853
(0.560)
0.520
0.260
Total from Investment Operations
0.760
2.245
(0.153)
0.935
0.686
Distributions
 
 
 
 
 
Dividends from Net Investment Income
(0.380)
(0.409)
(0.423)
(0.431)
(0.445)
Distributions from Realized Capital Gains
(0.440)
(0.146)
(0.034)
(0.164)
(0.181)
Total Distributions
(0.820)
(0.555)
(0.457)
(0.595)
(0.626)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$11.42
$11.48
$9.79
$10.40
$10.06
Total Return2
6.64%
23.43%
–1.35%
9.39%
6.82%
Ratios/Supplemental Data
 
 
 
 
 
Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)
$15,455
$15,335
$12,820
$11,925
$10,336
Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets
0.12%
0.12%
0.12%
0.12%
0.11%
Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net
Assets
3.07%
3.67%
4.18%
3.97%
4.03%
Portfolio Turnover Rate
30%
34%3
32%3
27%
24%
1
Calculated based on average shares outstanding.
2
Total returns do not include account service fees that may have applied in the periods shown.
3
Includes 1% and 0%, respectively, attributable to mortgage-dollar-roll activity.
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Investing With Vanguard
This section of the prospectus explains the basics of doing business with Vanguard. Vanguard fund shares can be held directly with Vanguard or indirectly through an intermediary, such as a bank, a broker, or an investment advisor. If you hold Vanguard fund shares directly with Vanguard, you should carefully read each topic within this section that pertains to your relationship with Vanguard. If you hold Vanguard fund shares indirectly through an intermediary (including shares held in a brokerage account through Vanguard Brokerage Services®), please see Investing With Vanguard Through Other Firms, and also refer to your account agreement with the intermediary for information about transacting in that account. If you hold Vanguard fund shares through an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, please see Employer-Sponsored Plans. Vanguard reserves the right to change the following policies without notice. Please call or check online for current information. See Contacting Vanguard.
For Vanguard fund shares held directly with Vanguard, each fund you hold in an account is a separate “fund account.” For example, if you hold three funds in a nonretirement account titled in your own name, two funds in a nonretirement account titled jointly with your spouse, and one fund in an individual retirement account, you have six fund accounts—and this is true even if you hold the same fund in multiple accounts. Note that each reference to “you” in this prospectus applies to any one or more registered account owners or persons authorized to transact on your account.
Purchasing Shares
Vanguard reserves the right, without notice, to increase or decrease the minimum amount required to open, convert shares to, or maintain a fund account or to add to an existing fund account.
Investment minimums may differ for certain categories of investors.
Account Minimums for Investor Shares
To open and maintain an account. $3,000.
To add to an existing account. Generally $1.
Account Minimums for Admiral Shares
To open and maintain an account. $50,000. If you request Admiral Shares when you open a new account but the investment amount does not meet the account minimum for Admiral Shares, your investment will be placed in Investor Shares of the Fund. Financial intermediaries, institutional clients, and Vanguard-advised clients should contact Vanguard for information on special
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eligibility rules that may apply to them regarding Admiral Shares. If you are investing through an intermediary, please contact that firm directly for more information regarding your eligibility.
To add to an existing account. Generally $1.
How to Initiate a Purchase Request
Be sure to check Exchanging Shares, Frequent-Trading Limitations, and Other Rules You Should Know before placing your purchase request.
Online. You may open certain types of accounts, request a purchase of shares, and request an exchange through our website or our mobile application if your account is eligible and you are registered for online access.
By telephone. You may call Vanguard to begin the account registration process or request that the account-opening forms be sent to you. You may also call Vanguard to request a purchase of shares in your account or to request an exchange. See Contacting Vanguard.
By mail. You may send Vanguard your account registration form and check to open a new fund account. To add to an existing fund account, you may send your check with an Invest-by-Mail form (from a transaction confirmation or your account statement) or with a deposit slip (available online).
How to Pay for a Purchase
By electronic bank transfer. You may purchase shares of a Vanguard fund through an electronic transfer of money from a bank account. To establish the electronic bank transfer service on an account, you must designate the bank account online, complete a form, or fill out the appropriate section of your account registration form. After the service is set up on your account, you can purchase shares by electronic bank transfer on a regular schedule (Automatic Investment Plan), if eligible, or upon request. Your purchase request can be initiated online (if you are registered for online access), by telephone, or by mail.
By wire. Wiring instructions vary for different types of purchases. Please call Vanguard for instructions and policies on purchasing shares by wire. See Contacting Vanguard.
By check. You may make initial or additional purchases to your fund account by sending a check with a deposit slip or by utilizing our mobile application if your account is eligible and you are registered for online access. Also see How to Initiate a Purchase Request. Make your check payable to Vanguard and include the appropriate fund number (e.g., Vanguard—xx). For a list of Fund numbers (for Funds and share classes in this prospectus), see Additional Information.
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By exchange. You may purchase shares of a Vanguard fund using the proceeds from the simultaneous redemption of shares of another Vanguard fund. You may initiate an exchange online (if you are registered for online access), by telephone, or by mail with an exchange form. See Exchanging Shares.
Trade Date
The trade date for any purchase request received in good order will depend on the day and time Vanguard receives your request, the manner in which you are paying, and the type of fund you are purchasing. Your purchase will be executed using the NAV as calculated on the trade date. NAVs are calculated only on days that the NYSE is open for trading (a business day). In the rare event the NYSE experiences unanticipated disruptions and is unavailable at the close of the trading day, NAVs will be calculated as of the close of regular trading on the Nasdaq (or another alternate exchange if the Nasdaq is unavailable, as determined at Vanguard’s discretion), generally 4 p.m., Eastern time. The time selected for NAV calculation in this rare event shall also serve as the conclusion of the trading day. See Share Price.
For purchases by check into all funds other than money market funds and for purchases by exchange, wire, or electronic bank transfer into all funds: If the purchase request is received by Vanguard on a business day before the close of regular trading on the NYSE (generally 4 p.m., Eastern time), the trade date for the purchase will be the same day. If the purchase request is received on a business day after the close of regular trading on the NYSE, or on a nonbusiness day, the trade date for the purchase will be the next business day.
For purchases by check into money market funds: If the purchase request is received by Vanguard on a business day before the close of regular trading on the NYSE (generally 4 p.m., Eastern time), the trade date for the purchase will be the next business day. If the purchase request is received on a business day after the close of regular trading on the NYSE, or on a nonbusiness day, the trade date for the purchase will be the second business day following the day Vanguard receives the purchase request. Because money market instruments must be purchased with federal funds and it takes a money market mutual fund one business day to convert check proceeds into federal funds, the trade date for the purchase will be one business day later than for other funds.
If your purchase request is not accurate and complete, it may be rejected. See Other Rules You Should Know—Good Order.
For further information about purchase transactions, consult our website at vanguard.com or see Contacting Vanguard.
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Earning Dividends
You generally begin earning dividends on the business day following your trade date. When buying money market fund shares through a federal funds wire on a business day, however, you generally can begin earning dividends immediately by making a purchase request by telephone to Vanguard before 10:45 a.m., Eastern time (2 p.m., Eastern time, for Vanguard Cash Reserves Federal Money Market Fund; 12:30 p.m., Eastern time, for Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund).
Other Purchase Rules You Should Know
Admiral Shares. Admiral Shares generally are not available for SIMPLE IRAs and Vanguard Individual 401(k) Plans.
Check purchases. All purchase checks must be written in U.S. dollars, be drawn on a U.S. bank, and be accompanied by good order instructions. Vanguard does not accept cash, traveler’s checks, starter checks, or money orders. In addition, Vanguard may refuse checks that are not made payable to Vanguard.
New accounts. We are required by law to obtain from you certain personal information that we will use to verify your identity. If you do not provide the information, we may not be able to open your account. If we are unable to verify your identity, Vanguard reserves the right, without notice, to close your account or take such other steps as we deem reasonable. Certain types of accounts may require additional documentation.
Refused or rejected purchase requests. Vanguard reserves the right to stop selling fund shares or to reject any purchase request at any time and without notice, including, but not limited to, purchases requested by exchange from another Vanguard fund. This also includes the right to reject any purchase request because the investor has a history of frequent trading or because the purchase may negatively affect a fund’s operation or performance.
Large purchases. Call Vanguard before attempting to invest a large dollar amount.
No cancellations. Vanguard will not accept your request to cancel any purchase request once processing has begun. Please be careful when placing a purchase request.
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Converting Shares
When a conversion occurs, you receive shares of one class in place of shares of another class of the same fund. At the time of conversion, the dollar value of the “new” shares you receive equals the dollar value of the “old” shares that were converted. In other words, the conversion has no effect on the value of your investment in the fund at the time of the conversion. However, the number of shares you own after the conversion may be greater than or less than the number of shares you owned before the conversion, depending on the NAVs of the two share classes.
Vanguard will not accept your request to cancel any self-directed conversion request once processing has begun. Please be careful when placing a conversion request.
A conversion between share classes of the same fund is a nontaxable event.
Trade Date
The trade date for any conversion request received in good order will depend on the day and time Vanguard receives your request. Your conversion will be executed using the NAVs of the different share classes on the trade date. NAVs are calculated only on days that the NYSE is open for trading (a business day). In the rare event the NYSE experiences unanticipated disruptions and is unavailable at the close of the trading day, NAVs will be calculated as of the close of regular trading on the Nasdaq (or another alternate exchange if the Nasdaq is unavailable, as determined at Vanguard’s discretion), generally 4 p.m., Eastern time. The time selected for NAV calculation in this rare event shall also serve as the conclusion of the trading day. See Share Price.
For a conversion request received by Vanguard on a business day before the close of regular trading on the NYSE (generally 4 p.m., Eastern time), the trade date will be the same day. For a conversion request received on a business day after the close of regular trading on the NYSE, or on a nonbusiness day, the trade date will be the next business day. See Other Rules You Should Know.
Conversions From Investor Shares to Admiral Shares
Self-directed conversions. If your account balance in a Fund is at least $50,000, you may ask Vanguard to convert your Investor Shares to Admiral Shares at any time. You may request a conversion through our website (if you are registered for online access), by telephone, or by mail. Financial intermediaries, institutional clients, and Vanguard-advised clients should contact Vanguard for information on
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special eligibility rules that may apply to them regarding Admiral Shares. See Contacting Vanguard. If you are investing through an intermediary, please contact that firm directly for more information regarding your eligibility.
Automatic conversions. Vanguard conducts periodic reviews of account balances and may, if your account balance in a Fund exceeds $50,000, automatically convert your Investor Shares to Admiral Shares. You will be notified before an automatic conversion occurs and will have an opportunity to instruct Vanguard not to effect the conversion. Financial intermediaries, institutional clients, and Vanguard-advised clients should contact Vanguard for information on special eligibility rules that may apply to them regarding Admiral Shares. If you are investing through an intermediary, please contact that firm directly for more information regarding your eligibility.
Conversions to Institutional Shares
You are eligible for a self-directed conversion from another share class to Institutional Shares of the Fund, provided that your account meets all eligibility requirements. You may request a conversion through our website (if you are registered for online access), or you may contact Vanguard by telephone or by mail to request this transaction. Accounts that qualify for Institutional Shares will not be automatically converted.
Mandatory Conversions to Another Share Class
If an account no longer meets the balance requirements for a share class Vanguard may automatically convert the shares in the account to another share class, as appropriate. A decline in the account balance because of market movement may result in such a conversion. Vanguard will notify the investor in writing before any mandatory conversion occurs.
Redeeming Shares
How to Initiate a Redemption Request
Be sure to check Exchanging Shares, Frequent-Trading Limitations, and Other Rules You Should Know before placing your redemption request.
Online. You may request a redemption of shares or request an exchange through our website or our mobile application if your account is eligible and you are registered for online access.
By telephone. You may call Vanguard to request a redemption of shares or an exchange. See Contacting Vanguard.
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By mail. You may send a form (available online) to Vanguard to redeem from a fund account or to make an exchange. By writing a check. If you have established the checkwriting service on your account, you can redeem shares by writing a check for $250 or more.
How to Receive Redemption Proceeds
By electronic bank transfer. You may have the proceeds of a fund redemption sent directly to a designated bank account. To establish the electronic bank transfer service on an account, you must designate a bank account online, complete a form, or fill out the appropriate section of your account registration form. After the service is set up on your account, you can redeem shares by electronic bank transfer on a regular schedule (Automatic Withdrawal Plan), if eligible, or upon request. Your redemption request can be initiated online (if you are registered for online access), by telephone, or by mail.
By wire. To receive your proceeds by wire, you may instruct Vanguard to wire your redemption proceeds ($100 minimum) to a previously designated bank account. To establish the wire redemption service, you generally must designate a bank account online, complete a form, or fill out the appropriate section of your account registration form.
Please note that Vanguard charges a $10 wire fee for outgoing wire redemptions. The fee is assessed in addition to, rather than being withheld from, redemption proceeds and is paid directly to the fund in which you invest. For example, if you redeem $100 via a wire, you will receive the full $100, and the $10 fee will be assessed to your fund account through an additional redemption of fund shares. If you redeem your entire fund account, your redemption proceeds will be reduced by the amount of the fee. The wire fee does not apply to accounts held by Flagship and Flagship Select clients; accounts held through intermediaries, including Vanguard Brokerage Services; or accounts held by institutional clients.
By exchange. You may have the proceeds of a Vanguard fund redemption invested directly in shares of another Vanguard fund. You may initiate an exchange online (if you are registered for online access), by telephone, or by mail. See Exchanging Shares.
By check. If you have not chosen another redemption method, Vanguard will mail you a redemption check, generally payable to all registered account owners, normally within two business days of your trade date, and generally to the address of record.
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Trade Date
The trade date for any redemption request received in good order will depend on the day and time Vanguard receives your request and the manner in which you are redeeming. Your redemption will be executed using the NAV as calculated on the trade date. NAVs are calculated only on days that the NYSE is open for trading (a business day). In the rare event the NYSE experiences unanticipated disruptions and is unavailable at the close of the trading day, NAVs will be calculated as of the close of regular trading on the Nasdaq (or another alternate exchange if the Nasdaq is unavailable, as determined at Vanguard’s discretion), generally 4 p.m., Eastern time. The time selected for NAV calculation in this rare event shall also serve as the conclusion of the trading day. See Share Price.
For redemptions by check, exchange, or wire: If the redemption request is received by Vanguard on a business day before the close of regular trading on the NYSE (generally 4 p.m., Eastern time), the trade date will be the same day. If the redemption request is received on a business day after the close of regular trading on the NYSE, or on a nonbusiness day, the trade date will be the next business day.
• Note on timing of wire redemptions from money market funds: For telephone requests received by Vanguard on a business day before 10:45 a.m., Eastern time (2 p.m., Eastern time, for Vanguard Cash Reserves Federal Money Market Fund; 12:30 p.m., Eastern time, for Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund), the redemption proceeds generally will leave Vanguard by the close of business the same day. For telephone requests received by Vanguard on a business day after those cut-off times, or on a nonbusiness day, and for all requests other than by telephone, the redemption proceeds generally will leave Vanguard by the close of business on the next business day.
• Note on timing of wire redemptions from all other funds: For requests received by Vanguard on a business day before the close of regular trading on the NYSE (generally 4 p.m., Eastern time), the redemption proceeds generally will leave Vanguard by the close of business on the next business day. For requests received by Vanguard on a business day after the close of regular trading on the NYSE, or on a nonbusiness day, the redemption proceeds generally will leave Vanguard by the close of business on the second business day after Vanguard receives the request.
For redemptions by electronic bank transfer: If the redemption request is received by Vanguard on a business day before the close of regular trading on the NYSE (generally 4 p.m., Eastern time), the trade date will be the same day. If
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the redemption request is received on a business day after the close of regular trading on the NYSE, or on a nonbusiness day, the trade date will be the next business day.
If your redemption request is not accurate and complete, it may be rejected. If we are unable to send your redemption proceeds by wire or electronic bank transfer because the receiving institution rejects the transfer, Vanguard will make additional efforts to complete your transaction. If Vanguard is still unable to complete the transaction, we may send the proceeds of the redemption to you by check, generally payable to all registered account owners, or use your proceeds to purchase new shares of the fund from which you sold shares for the purpose of the wire or electronic bank transfer transaction. See Other Rules You Should Know—Good Order.
If your redemption request is received in good order, we typically expect that redemption proceeds will be paid by a Fund within one business day of the trade date; however, in certain circumstances, investors may experience a longer settlement period at the time of the transaction. For further information, see “Potentially disruptive redemptions” and “Emergency circumstances.”
For further information about redemption transactions, consult our website at vanguard.com or see Contacting Vanguard.
Earning Dividends
You generally will continue earning dividends until the first business day following your trade date. Generally, there are two exceptions to this rule: (1) If you redeem shares by writing a check against your account, the shares will stop earning dividends on the day that your check posts to your account; and (2) For money market funds, if you redeem shares with a same-day wire request before 10:45 a.m., Eastern time, on a business day (2 p.m., Eastern time, for Vanguard Cash Reserves Federal Money Market Fund; 12:30 p.m., Eastern time, for Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund), the shares will stop earning dividends that same day.
Other Redemption Rules You Should Know
Documentation for certain accounts. Special documentation may be required to redeem from certain types of accounts, such as trust, corporate, nonprofit, or retirement accounts. Please call us before attempting to redeem from these types of accounts.
Potentially disruptive redemptions. Vanguard reserves the right to pay all or part of a redemption in kind—that is, in the form of securities—if we reasonably believe that a cash redemption would negatively affect the fund’s operation or
92

performance or that the shareholder may be engaged in market-timing or frequent trading. Under these circumstances, Vanguard also reserves the right to delay payment of the redemption proceeds for up to seven calendar days. By calling us before you attempt to redeem a large dollar amount, you may avoid in-kind or delayed payment of your redemption. Please see Frequent-Trading Limitations for information about Vanguard’s policies to limit frequent trading.
Recently purchased shares. Although you can redeem shares at any time, proceeds may not be made available to you until the fund collects payment for your purchase. This may take up to seven calendar days for shares purchased by check or by electronic bank transfer. If you have written a check on a fund in an account with checkwriting privileges, that check may be rejected if your fund account does not have a sufficient available balance.
Share certificates. Share certificates are no longer issued for Vanguard funds. Shares currently held in certificates cannot be redeemed, exchanged, converted, or transferred (reregistered) until you return the certificates (unsigned) to Vanguard by registered mail. For the correct address, see Contacting Vanguard.
Address change. If you change your address online or by telephone, there may be up to a 14-day restriction (starting on the business day after your address is changed) on your ability to request check redemptions online and by telephone. You can request a redemption in writing (using a form available online) at any time. Confirmations of address changes are sent to both the old and new addresses.
Payment to a different person or address. At your request, we can make your redemption check payable, or wire your redemption proceeds, to a different person or send it to a different address. However, this generally requires the written consent of all registered account owners and may require additional documentation, such as a signature guarantee or a notarized signature. You may obtain a signature guarantee from some commercial or savings banks, credit unions, trust companies, or member firms of a U.S. stock exchange.
No cancellations. Vanguard will not accept your request to cancel any redemption request once processing has begun. Please be careful when placing a redemption request.
Emergency circumstances. Vanguard funds can postpone payment of redemption proceeds for up to seven calendar days. In addition, Vanguard funds can suspend redemptions and/or postpone payments of redemption proceeds beyond seven calendar days at times when the NYSE is closed or during emergency circumstances, as determined by the SEC.
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Exchanging Shares
An exchange occurs when you use the proceeds from the redemption of shares of one Vanguard fund to simultaneously purchase shares of a different Vanguard fund. You can make exchange requests online (if you are registered for online access), by telephone, or by mail. See Purchasing Shares and Redeeming Shares.
If the NYSE is open for regular trading (generally until 4 p.m., Eastern time, on a business day) at the time an exchange request is received in good order, the trade date generally will be the same day. See Other Rules You Should Know—Good Order for additional information on all transaction requests.
Vanguard will not accept your request to cancel any exchange request once processing has begun. Please be careful when placing an exchange request.
Call Vanguard before attempting to exchange a large dollar amount. By calling us before you attempt to exchange a large dollar amount, you may avoid delayed or rejected transactions.
Please note that Vanguard reserves the right, without notice, to revise or terminate the exchange privilege, limit the amount of any exchange, or reject an exchange, at any time, for any reason. See Frequent-Trading Limitations for additional restrictions on exchanges.
Frequent-Trading Limitations
Because excessive transactions can disrupt management of a fund and increase the fund’s costs for all shareholders, the board of trustees of each Vanguard fund places certain limits on frequent trading in the funds. Each Vanguard fund (other than money market funds and short-term bond funds, but including Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities Index Fund) limits an investor’s purchases or exchanges into a fund account for 30 calendar days after the investor has redeemed or exchanged out of that fund account. ETF Shares are not subject to these frequent-trading limits.
For Vanguard Retirement Investment Program pooled plans, the limitations apply to exchanges made online or by telephone.
These frequent-trading limitations do not apply to the following:
• Purchases of shares with reinvested dividend or capital gains distributions.
• Transactions through Vanguard’s Automatic Investment Plan, Automatic Exchange Service, Direct Deposit Service, Automatic Withdrawal Plan, Required Minimum Distribution Service, and Vanguard Small Business Online®.
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• Discretionary transactions through Vanguard Personal Advisor Services®, Vanguard Institutional Advisory Services®, and Vanguard Digital Advisor™.
• Redemptions of shares to pay fund or account fees.
• Redemptions of shares to remove excess shareholder contributions to certain types of retirement accounts (including, but not limited to, IRAs and Vanguard Individual 401(k) Plans).
• Transfers and reregistrations of shares within the same fund.
• Purchases of shares by asset transfer or direct rollover.
• Conversions of shares from one share class to another in the same fund.
• Checkwriting redemptions.
• Section 529 college savings plans.
• Certain approved institutional portfolios and asset allocation programs, as well as trades made by funds or trusts managed by Vanguard or its affiliates that invest in other Vanguard funds. (Please note that shareholders of Vanguard’s funds of funds are subject to the limitations.)
For participants in employer-sponsored defined contribution plans,* the frequent-trading limitations do not apply to:
• Purchases of shares with participant payroll or employer contributions or loan repayments.
• Purchases of shares with reinvested dividend or capital gains distributions.
• Distributions, loans, and in-service withdrawals from a plan.
• Redemptions of shares as part of a plan termination or at the direction of the plan.
• Transactions executed through the Vanguard Managed Account Program.
• Redemptions of shares to pay fund or account fees.
• Share or asset transfers or rollovers.
• Reregistrations of shares.
• Conversions of shares from one share class to another in the same fund.
• Exchange requests submitted by written request to Vanguard. (Exchange requests submitted by fax, if otherwise permitted, are subject to the limitations.)
* The following Vanguard fund accounts are subject to the frequent-trading limitations: SEP-IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, certain Individual 403(b)(7) Custodial Accounts, and Vanguard Individual 401(k) Plans.
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Accounts Held by Institutions (Other Than Defined Contribution Plans)
Vanguard will systematically monitor for frequent trading in institutional clients’ accounts. If we detect suspicious trading activity, we will investigate and take appropriate action, which may include applying to a client’s accounts the 30-day policy previously described, prohibiting a client’s purchases of fund shares, and/or revoking the client’s exchange privilege.
Accounts Held by Intermediaries
When intermediaries establish accounts in Vanguard funds for the benefit of their clients, we cannot always monitor the trading activity of the individual clients. However, we review trading activity at the intermediary (omnibus) level, and if we detect suspicious activity, we will investigate and take appropriate action. If necessary, Vanguard may prohibit additional purchases of fund shares by an intermediary, including for the benefit of certain of the intermediary’s clients. Intermediaries also may monitor their clients’ trading activities with respect to Vanguard funds.
For those Vanguard funds that charge purchase and/or redemption fees, intermediaries will be asked to assess these fees on client accounts and remit these fees to the funds. The application of purchase and redemption fees and frequent-trading limitations may vary among intermediaries. There are no assurances that Vanguard will successfully identify all intermediaries or that intermediaries will properly assess purchase and redemption fees or administer frequent-trading limitations. If you invest with Vanguard through an intermediary, please read that firm’s materials carefully to learn of any other rules or fees that may apply.
Other Rules You Should Know
Prospectus and Shareholder Report Mailings
When two or more shareholders have the same last name and address, just one summary prospectus (or prospectus) and/or shareholder report may be sent in an attempt to eliminate the unnecessary expense of duplicate mailings. You may request individual prospectuses and reports by contacting our Client Services Department in writing, by telephone, or online. See Contacting Vanguard.
Vanguard.com
Registration. If you are a registered user of vanguard.com, you can review your account holdings; buy, sell, or exchange shares of most Vanguard funds; and perform most other transactions through our website. You must register for this service online.
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Electronic delivery. Vanguard can deliver your account statements, transaction confirmations, prospectuses, certain tax forms, and shareholder reports electronically. If you are a registered user of vanguard.com, you can consent to the electronic delivery of these documents by logging on and changing your mailing preferences under “Account Maintenance.” You can revoke your electronic consent at any time through our website, and we will begin to send paper copies of these documents within 30 days of receiving your revocation.
Telephone Transactions
Automatic. When we set up your account, we will automatically enable you to do business with us by telephone, unless you instruct us otherwise in writing.
Tele-Account®. To obtain fund and account information through Vanguard’s automated telephone service, you must first establish a Personal Identification Number (PIN) by calling Tele-Account at 800-662-6273.
Proof of a caller’s authority. We reserve the right to refuse a telephone request if the caller is unable to provide the requested information or if we reasonably believe that the caller is not an individual authorized to act on the account. Before we allow a caller to act on an account, we may request the following information:
• Authorization to act on the account (as the account owner or by legal documentation or other means).
• Account registration and address.
• Fund name and account number, if applicable.
• Other information relating to the caller, the account owner, or the account.
Good Order
We reserve the right to reject any transaction instructions that are not in “good order.” Good order generally means that your instructions:
• Are provided by the person(s) authorized in accordance with Vanguard’s policies and procedures to access the account and request transactions.
• Include the fund name and account number.
• Include the amount of the transaction (stated in dollars, shares, or percentage).
Written instructions also must generally be provided on a Vanguard form and include:
• Signature(s) and date from the authorized person(s).
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• Signature guarantees or notarized signatures, if required for the type of transaction. (Call Vanguard for specific requirements.)
• Any supporting documentation that may be required.
Good order requirements may vary among types of accounts and transactions. For more information, consult our website at vanguard.com or see Contacting Vanguard.
Vanguard reserves the right, without notice, to revise the requirements for good order.
Future Trade-Date Requests
Vanguard does not accept requests to hold a purchase, conversion, redemption, or exchange transaction for a future date. All such requests will receive trade dates as previously described in Purchasing Shares, Converting Shares, Redeeming Shares, and Exchanging Shares. Vanguard reserves the right to return future-dated purchase checks.
Accounts With More Than One Owner
If an account has more than one owner or authorized person, Vanguard generally will accept instructions from any one owner or authorized person.
Responsibility for Fraud
You should take precautions to protect yourself from fraud. Keep your account-related information private, and review any account confirmations, statements, or other information that we provide to you as soon as you receive them. Let us know immediately if you discover unauthorized activity or see something on your account that you do not understand or that looks unusual.
Vanguard will not be responsible for losses that result from transactions by a person who we reasonably believe is authorized to act on your account.
Uncashed Checks
Please cash your distribution or redemption checks promptly. Vanguard will not pay interest on uncashed checks. Vanguard may be required to transfer assets related to uncashed checks to a state under the state’s abandoned property law.
Dormant Accounts
If your account has no activity in it for a period of time, Vanguard may be required to transfer it to a state under the state’s abandoned property law, subject to potential federal or state withholding taxes.
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Unusual Circumstances
If you experience difficulty contacting Vanguard online or by telephone, you can send us your transaction request on a Vanguard form by regular or express mail.
Investing With Vanguard Through Other Firms
You may purchase or sell shares of most Vanguard funds through a financial intermediary, such as a bank, a broker, or an investment advisor. Please consult your financial intermediary to determine which, if any, shares are available through that firm and to learn about other rules that may apply. Your financial intermediary can provide you with account information and any required tax forms. You may be required to pay a commission on purchases of mutual fund shares made through a financial intermediary.
Please see Frequent-Trading Limitations—Accounts Held by Intermediaries for information about the assessment of any purchase or redemption fees and the monitoring of frequent trading for accounts held by intermediaries.
Account Service Fee
Vanguard may charge a $20 account service fee on fund accounts that have a balance below $10,000 for any reason, including market fluctuation. The account service fee may be applied to both retirement and nonretirement fund accounts and may be assessed on fund accounts in all Vanguard funds, regardless of the account minimum. The fee, which will be collected by redeeming fund shares in the amount of $20, will be deducted from fund accounts subject to the fee once per calendar year.
If you elect to receive your statements and other materials electronically (i.e., by e-delivery), the account service fee will not be charged, so long as your election remains in effect. You can make your e-delivery election on vanguard.com.
Certain account types have alternative fee structures, including SIMPLE IRAs, Vanguard Retirement Investment Program pooled plans, and Vanguard Individual 401(k) Plans.
Low-Balance Accounts
Each Fund reserves the right to liquidate a fund account whose balance falls below the account minimum for any reason, including market fluctuation. This liquidation policy applies to nonretirement fund accounts and accounts that are held through intermediaries. Any such liquidation will be preceded by written notice to the investor.
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Right to Change Policies
In addition to the rights expressly stated elsewhere in this prospectus, Vanguard reserves the right, without notice, to (1) alter, add, or discontinue any conditions of purchase (including eligibility requirements), redemption, exchange, conversion, service, or privilege at any time and (2) alter, impose, discontinue, or waive any purchase fee, redemption fee, account service fee, or other fee charged to a shareholder or a group of shareholders. Changes may affect any or all investors. These actions will be taken when, at the sole discretion of Vanguard management, Vanguard believes they are in the best interest of a fund.
Account Restrictions
Vanguard reserves the right to: (1) redeem all or a portion of a fund/account to meet a legal obligation, including tax withholding, tax lien, garnishment order, or other obligation imposed on your account by a court or government agency; (2) redeem shares, close an account, or suspend account privileges, features, or options in the case of threatening conduct or activity; (3) redeem shares, close an account, or suspend account privileges, features, or options if Vanguard believes or suspects that not doing so could result in a suspicious, fraudulent, or illegal transaction; (4) place restrictions on the ability to redeem any or all shares in an account if it is required to do so by a court or government agency; (5) place restrictions on the ability to redeem any or all shares in an account if Vanguard believes that doing so will prevent fraud, financial exploitation or abuse, or to protect vulnerable investors; (6) freeze any account and/or suspend account services if Vanguard has received reasonable notice of a dispute regarding the assets in an account, including notice of a dispute between the registered or beneficial account owners; and (7) freeze any account and/or suspend account services upon initial notification to Vanguard of the death of an account owner.
Share Classes
Vanguard reserves the right, without notice, to change the eligibility requirements of its share classes, including the types of clients who are eligible to purchase each share class.
Fund and Account Updates
Confirmation Statements
We will send (or provide through our website, whichever you prefer) a confirmation of your trade date and the amount of your transaction when you buy, sell, exchange, or convert shares. However, we will not send confirmations reflecting only checkwriting redemptions or the reinvestment of dividend or capital gains distributions. For any month in which you had a checkwriting
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redemption, a Checkwriting Activity Statement will be sent to you itemizing the checkwriting redemptions for that month. Promptly review each confirmation statement that we provide to you. It is important that you contact Vanguard immediately with any questions you may have about any transaction reflected on a confirmation statement, or Vanguard will consider the transaction properly processed.
Portfolio Summaries
We will send (or provide through our website, whichever you prefer) quarterly portfolio summaries to help you keep track of your accounts throughout the year. Each summary shows the market value of your account at the close of the statement period, as well as all distributions, purchases, redemptions, exchanges, transfers, and conversions for the current calendar quarter (or month). Promptly review each summary that we provide to you. It is important that you contact Vanguard immediately with any questions you may have about any transaction reflected on the summary, or Vanguard will consider the transaction properly processed.
Tax Information Statements
For most accounts, Vanguard (or your intermediary) is required to provide annual tax forms to assist you in preparing your income tax returns. These forms are generally available for each calendar year early in the following year. Registered users of vanguard.com can also view certain forms through our website. Vanguard (or your intermediary) may also provide you with additional tax-related documentation. For more information, consult our website at vanguard.com or see Contacting Vanguard.
Annual and Semiannual Reports
We will send (or provide through our website, whichever you prefer) reports about Vanguard Bond Funds twice a year, in March and September. These reports include overviews of the financial markets and provide the following specific Fund information:
• Performance assessments and comparisons with industry benchmarks.
• Reports from the advisors
• Financial statements with listings of Fund holdings.
Portfolio Holdings
Please consult the Funds' Statement of Additional Information or our website for a description of the policies and procedures that govern disclosure of a Fund’s portfolio holdings.
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Employer-Sponsored Plans
Your plan administrator or your employee benefits office can provide you with detailed information on how to participate in your plan and how to elect a Fund as an investment option.
• If you have any questions about a Fund or Vanguard, including those about a Fund’s investment objective, strategies, or risks, contact Vanguard Participant Services toll-free at 800-523-1188 or visit our website at vanguard.com.
• If you have questions about your account, contact your plan administrator or the organization that provides recordkeeping services for your plan.
• Be sure to carefully read each topic that pertains to your transactions with Vanguard.
Vanguard reserves the right to change its policies without notice to shareholders.
Transactions
Processing times for your transaction requests may differ among recordkeepers or among transaction and funding types. Your plan’s recordkeeper (which may also be Vanguard) will determine the necessary processing time frames for your transaction requests prior to submission to a Fund. Consult your recordkeeper or plan administrator for more information.
If Vanguard is serving as your plan recordkeeper and if your transaction involves one or more investments with an early cut-off time for processing or another trading restriction, your entire transaction will be subject to the restriction when the trade date for your transaction is determined.
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Contacting Vanguard
Web
 
Vanguard.com
For the most complete source of Vanguard news
For fund, account, and service information
For most account transactions
For literature requests
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Phone
Vanguard Tele-Account®
800-662-6273
For automated fund and account information
Toll-free, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Investor Information 800-662-7447
(Text telephone for people with
hearing impairment at 800-749-7273)
For fund and service information
For literature requests
Client Services 800-662-2739
(Text telephone for people with
hearing impairment at 800-749-7273)
For account information
For most account transactions
Participant Services 800-523-1188
(Text telephone for people with
hearing impairment at 800-749-7273)
For information and services for participants in
employer-sponsored plans
Institutional Division
888-809-8102
For information and services for large institutional
investors
Financial Advisor and Intermediary
Sales Support 800-997-2798
For information and services for financial intermediaries
including financial advisors, broker-dealers, trust
institutions, and insurance companies
Financial Advisory and Intermediary
Trading Support 800-669-0498
For account information and trading support for
financial intermediaries including financial advisors,
broker-dealers, trust institutions, and insurance
companies
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Additional Information
 
Inception
Date
Newspaper
Abbreviation
Vanguard
Fund Number
CUSIP
Number
Short-Term Treasury Fund
Investor Shares
10/28/1991
STTsry
32
922031703
Admiral Shares
2/13/2001
STsryAdml
532
922031851
Short-Term Federal Fund
Investor Shares
12/31/1987
STFed
49
922031604
Admiral Shares
2/12/2001
STFedAdml
549
922031844
Short-Term Investment-Grade Fund
Investor Shares
10/29/1982
STIGrade
39
922031406
Admiral Shares
2/12/2001
STIGradeAdml
539
922031836
Intermediate-Term Treasury Fund
Investor Shares
10/28/1991
ITTsry
35
922031802
Admiral Shares
2/12/2001
ITsryAdml
535
922031828
Intermediate-Term Investment-Grade Fund
Investor Shares
11/1/1993
ITIGrade
71
922031885
Admiral Shares
2/12/2001
ITIGradeAdml
571
922031810
GNMA Fund
Investor Shares
6/27/1980
GNMA
36
922031307
Admiral Shares
2/12/2001
GNMAAdml
536
922031794
Long-Term Treasury Fund
Investor Shares
5/19/1986
LTTsry
83
922031505
Admiral Shares
2/12/2001
LTsryAdml
583
922031786
Long-Term Investment-Grade Fund
Investor Shares
7/9/1973
LTIGrade
28
922031109
Admiral Shares
2/12/2001
LTIGradeAdml
568
922031778

CGS identifiers have been provided by CUSIP Global Services, managed on behalf of the American Bankers Association by Standard & Poor’s Financial Services, LLC, and are not for use or dissemination in a manner that would serve as a substitute for any CUSIP service. The CUSIP Database, ©2021 American Bankers Association. “CUSIP” is a registered trademark of the American Bankers Association.
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CFA® is a registered trademark owned by CFA Institute.
BLOOMBERG is a trademark and service mark of Bloomberg Finance L.P. BARCLAYS is a trademark and service mark of Barclays Bank Plc, used under license. Bloomberg Finance L.P. and its affiliates, including Bloomberg Index Services Limited (BISL) (collectively, Bloomberg), or Bloomberg’s licensors, own all proprietary rights in the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Credit Bond Index, Bloomberg Barclays U.S. 5-10 Year Credit Bond Index, Bloomberg Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Government Bond Index, Bloomberg Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Treasury Bond Index, Bloomberg Barclays U.S. 5-10 Year Treasury Bond Index, Bloomberg Barclays U.S. GNMA Bond Index, Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Long Credit A or Better Bond Index, Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Long Treasury Bond Index, and Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (the Indices or Bloomberg Barclays Indices).
Neither Barclays Bank Plc, Barclays Capital Inc., or any affiliate (collectively Barclays) or Bloomberg is the issuer or producer of the Bond Funds and neither Bloomberg nor Barclays has any responsibilities, obligations or duties to investors in the Bond Funds. The Indices are licensed for use by The Vanguard Group, Inc. (Vanguard) as the sponsor of the Bond Funds. Bloomberg and Barclays’ only relationship with Vanguard in respect to the Indices is the licensing of the Indices, which is determined, composed and calculated by BISL, or any successor thereto, without regard to the Issuer or the Bond Funds or the owners of the Bond Funds.
Additionally, Vanguard may for itself execute transaction(s) with Barclays in or relating to the Indices in connection with the Bond Funds. Investors acquire the Bond Funds from Vanguard and investors neither acquire any interest in the Indices nor enter into any relationship of any kind whatsoever with Bloomberg or Barclays upon making an investment in the Bond Funds. The Bond Funds are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Bloomberg or Barclays. Neither Bloomberg nor Barclays makes any representation or warranty, express or implied regarding the advisability of investing in the Bond Funds or the advisability of investing in securities generally or the ability of the Indices to track corresponding or relative market performance. Neither Bloomberg nor Barclays has passed on the legality or suitability of the Bond Funds with respect to any person or entity. Neither Bloomberg nor Barclays is responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Bond Funds to be issued. Neither Bloomberg nor Barclays has any obligation to take the needs of the Issuer or the owners of the Bond Funds or any other third party into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Indices. Neither Bloomberg nor Barclays has any obligation or liability in connection with administration, marketing or trading of the Bond Funds.
The licensing agreement between Bloomberg and Barclays is solely for the benefit of Bloomberg and Barclays and not for the benefit of the owners of the Bond Funds, investors or other third parties. In addition, the licensing agreement between Vanguard and Bloomberg is solely for the benefit of Vanguard and Bloomberg and not for the benefit of the owners of the Bond Funds, investors or other third parties.
NEITHER BLOOMBERG NOR BARCLAYS SHALL HAVE ANY LIABILITY TO THE ISSUER, INVESTORS OR TO OTHER THIRD PARTIES FOR THE QUALITY, ACCURACY AND/OR COMPLETENESS OF THE BLOOMBERG BARCLAYS INDICES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN OR FOR INTERRUPTIONS IN THE DELIVERY OF THE BLOOMBERG BARCLAYS INDICES. NEITHER BLOOMBERG NOR BARCLAYS MAKES ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY THE ISSUER, THE INVESTORS OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE BLOOMBERG BARCLAYS INDICES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. NEITHER BLOOMBERG NOR BARCLAYS MAKES ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EACH HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE WITH RESPECT TO THE BLOOMBERG BARCLAYS INDICES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. BLOOMBERG RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE THE METHODS OF CALCULATION OR PUBLICATION, OR TO CEASE THE CALCULATION OR PUBLICATION OF THE BLOOMBERG BARCLAYS INDICES, AND NEITHER BLOOMBERG NOR BARCLAYS SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY MISCALCULATION OF OR ANY INCORRECT, DELAYED OR INTERRUPTED PUBLICATION WITH RESPECT TO THE BLOOMBERG BARCLAYS INDICES. NEITHER BLOOMBERG NOR BARCLAYS SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY SPECIAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR ANY LOST PROFITS AND EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH, RESULTING FROM THE USE OF A BLOOMBERG BARCLAYS INDICES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN OR WITH RESPECT TO THE BOND FUNDS.
None of the information supplied by Bloomberg or Barclays and used in this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the prior written permission of both Bloomberg and Barclays Capital, the investment banking division of Barclays Bank Plc. Barclays Bank Plc is registered in England No. 1026167, registered office 1 Churchill Place London E14 5HP.
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Glossary of Investment Terms
Average Maturity. The average length of time until bonds held by a fund reach maturity and are repaid. In general, the longer the average maturity, the more a fund's share price fluctuates in response to changes in market interest rates. In calculating average maturity, a fund uses a bond’s maturity or, if applicable, an earlier date on which the advisor believes it is likely that a maturity-shortening device (such as a call, put, refunding, prepayment, or redemption provision or an adjustable coupon rate) will cause the bond to be repaid.
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. 1–5 Year Credit Bond Index. An index that includes investment-grade corporate and international dollar-denominated bonds with maturities of 1 to 5 years.
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. 5–10 Year Credit Bond Index. An index that includes investment-grade corporate and international dollar-denominated bonds with maturities of 5 to 10 years.
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. 1–5 Year Government Bond Index. An index that includes U.S. Treasury and agency obligations with maturities of 1 to 5 years.
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. 1–5 Year Treasury Bond Index. An index that includes U.S. Treasury obligations with maturities of 1 to 5 years.
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. 5–10 Year Treasury Bond Index. An index that includes U.S. Treasury obligations with maturities of 5 to 10 years.
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. An index that is the broadest measure of the taxable U.S. bond market, including most U.S. Treasury, agency, corporate, mortgage-backed, asset-backed, and international dollar-denominated issues, all with investment-grade ratings (rated Baa3 or above by Moody’s) and maturities of 1 year or more.
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. GNMA Bond Index. An index that includes mortgage-backed pass-through securities of the Government National Mortgage Association; these securities are based on pools of 15- and 30-year fixed-rate home mortgages.
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Long Credit A or Better Bond Index. An index that includes top-quality corporate and international dollar-denominated bonds with maturities of 10 years or more.
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Long Treasury Bond Index. An index that includes U.S. Treasury obligations with maturities of 10 years or more.
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Bond. A debt security (IOU) issued by a corporation, a government, or a government agency in exchange for the money the bondholder lends it. In most instances, the issuer agrees to pay back the loan by a specific date and generally to make regular interest payments until that date.
Capital Gains Distributions. Payments to mutual fund shareholders of gains realized on securities that a fund has sold at a profit, minus any realized losses.
Cash Equivalent Investments. Cash deposits, short-term bank deposits, and money market instruments that include U.S. Treasury bills and notes, bank certificates of deposit (CDs), repurchase agreements, commercial paper, and banker’s acceptances.
Coupon Rate. The interest rate paid by the issuer of a debt security until its maturity. It is expressed as an annual percentage of the face value of the security.
Dividend Distributions. Payments to mutual fund shareholders of income from interest or dividends generated by a fund's investments.
Expense Ratio. A fund's total annual operating expenses expressed as a percentage of the fund's average net assets. The expense ratio includes management and administrative expenses, but it does not include the transaction costs of buying and selling portfolio securities.
Face Value. The amount to be paid at a bond’s maturity; also known as the par value or principal.
Fixed Income Security. An investment, such as a bond, representing a debt that must be repaid by a specified date, and on which the borrower may pay a fixed, variable, or floating rate of interest.
Inception Date. The date on which the assets of a fund (or one of its share classes) are first invested in accordance with the fund's investment objective. For funds with a subscription period, the inception date is the day after that period ends. Investment performance is generally measured from the inception date.
Investment-Grade Bond. A debt security whose credit quality is considered by independent bond rating agencies, or through independent analysis conducted by a fund's advisor, to be sufficient to ensure timely payment of principal and
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interest under current economic circumstances. Debt securities rated in one of the four highest rating categories are considered investment-grade. Other debt securities may be considered by an advisor to be investment-grade.
Joint Committed Credit Facility. Each Fund participates, along with other funds managed by Vanguard, in a committed credit facility provided by a syndicate of lenders pursuant to a credit agreement that may be renewed annually; each Vanguard fund is individually liable for its borrowings, if any, under the credit facility. The amount and terms of the committed credit facility are subject to approval by the Funds' board of trustees and renegotiation with the lender syndicate on an annual basis.
Mutual Fund. An investment company that pools the money of many people and invests it in a variety of securities in an effort to achieve a specific objective over time.
New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). A stock exchange based in New York City that is open for regular trading on business days, Monday through Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Eastern time.
Principal. The face value of a debt instrument or the amount of money put into an investment.
Return of Capital. A return of capital occurs when a fund's distributions exceed its earnings in a fiscal year. A return of capital is a return of all or part of your original investment or amounts paid in excess of your original investment in a fund. In general, a return of capital reduces your cost basis in a fund's shares and is not taxable to you until your cost basis has been reduced to zero.
Securities. Stocks, bonds, money market instruments, and other investments.
Total Return. A percentage change, over a specified time period, in a mutual fund’s net asset value, assuming the reinvestment of all distributions of dividends and capital gains.
Volatility. The fluctuations in value of a mutual fund or other security. The greater a fund's volatility, the wider the fluctuations in its returns.
Yield. Income (interest or dividends) earned by an investment, expressed as a percentage of the investment’s price.

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For More Information
If you would like more information about Vanguard Bond Funds, the following documents are available free upon request:
Annual/Semiannual Reports to Shareholders
Additional information about the Funds' investments is available in the Funds' annual and semiannual reports to shareholders. In the annual reports, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Funds' performance during their last fiscal year.
Statement of Additional Information (SAI)
The SAI provides more detailed information about the Funds and is incorporated by reference into (and thus legally a part of) this prospectus.
To receive a free copy of the latest annual or semiannual report or the SAI, or to request additional information about the Funds or other Vanguard funds, please visit vanguard.com or contact us as follows:
If you are an individual investor:
Telephone: 800-662-7447; Text telephone for people with hearing impairment: 800-749-7273
If you are a participant in an employer-sponsored plan:
Telephone: 800-523-1188; Text telephone for people
with hearing impairment: 800-749-7273
If you are a current Vanguard shareholder and would like information about your account, account transactions, and/or account statements, please call:
Client Services Department
Telephone: 800-662-2739; Text telephone for people with hearing impairment: 800-749-7273
Information Provided by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Reports and other information about the Funds are available in the EDGAR database on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, or you can receive copies of this information, for a fee, by electronic request at the following email address: [email protected].
Funds' Investment Company Act file number: 811-02368
© 2021 The Vanguard Group, Inc. All rights reserved.Vanguard Marketing Corporation, Distributor.P 028 052021