485BPOS

Vanguard Wellesley® Income Fund

Prospectus

January 31, 2025

Investor Shares & Admiral™ Shares

Vanguard Wellesley Income Fund Investor Shares (VWINX)
Vanguard Wellesley Income Fund Admiral Shares (VWIAX)

This prospectus contains financial data for the Fund through the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024.

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

Fund Summary	1
More on the Fund	7
The Fund and Vanguard	22
Investment Advisor	22

Dividends, Capital Gains, and Taxes	24
Share Price	27
Financial Highlights	29
Investing With Vanguard	31
Purchasing Shares	31
Converting Shares	34
Redeeming Shares	36
Exchanging Shares	40
Frequent-Trading Limitations	40
Other Rules You Should Know	43
Fund and Account Updates	47
Employer-Sponsored Plans	48
Contacting Vanguard	50
Additional Information	51
Glossary of Investment Terms	53

Fund Summary

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks to provide long-term growth of income and a high and sustainable level of current income, along with moderate long-term capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses

The following tables describe 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 tables and examples 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 $5,000,000)	$25	$25

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	0.22 %	0.15%
12b-1 Distribution Fee	None	None
Other Expenses	0.01 %	0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	0.23 %	0.16%

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	$24	$74	$130	$293
Admiral Shares	$16	$52	$90	$205

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 59% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund invests approximately 60% to 65% of its assets in investment-grade fixed income securities that the advisor believes will generate a reasonable level of current income, including corporate, U.S. Treasury, and government agency bonds, as well as mortgage-backed securities. The remaining 35% to 40% of Fund assets are invested in common stocks of companies that have a history of above-average dividends or expectations of increasing dividends.

Principal Risks

The Fund is subject to the risks associated with the stock and bond markets, any of which could cause an investor to lose money, and the level of risk may vary based on market conditions. However, because fixed income securities such as bonds usually are less volatile than stocks and because the Fund invests more than half of its assets in fixed income securities, the Fund’s overall level of risk is expected to be low to moderate.

• With approximately 60% to 65% of its assets allocated to bonds, the Fund is proportionately subject to the following bond risks: interest rate risk, which is the

chance that bond prices overall will decline because of rising interest rates; income risk, which is the chance that the Fund’s income will decline because of falling interest rates; 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; 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; and 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. For mortgage-backed securities, this risk is known as prepayment risk.

• With approximately 35% to 40% of its assets allocated to stocks, the Fund is proportionately subject to the following stock risks: stock market risk, which is the chance that stock prices overall will decline; and investment style risk, which is the chance that returns from mid- and large-capitalization dividend-paying value stocks will trail returns from the overall stock market. Mid- and large-cap stocks each tend to go through cycles of doing better or worse than other segments of the stock market or the stock market in general. These periods have, in the past, lasted for as long as several years. Historically, mid-cap stocks have been more volatile in price than large-cap stocks. The stock prices of mid-size companies tend to experience greater volatility because, among other things, these companies tend to be more sensitive to changing economic conditions.

• 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 composite bond/stock index and other relevant market indexes, which have investment characteristics similar to those of the Fund. The Wellesley Income Composite Index is weighted 65% in the Bloomberg U.S. Credit A or Better Bond Index and 35% in the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index. 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.

Annual Total Returns — Vanguard Wellesley Income Fund Investor Shares

During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were:

	Total Return	Quarter
Highest	8.44 %	June 30, 2020
Lowest	-7.42 %	March 31, 2020

Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2024

	1 Year	5 Years	10 Years
Vanguard Wellesley Income Fund Investor Shares
Return Before Taxes	5.92 %	3.94 %	5.19 %
Return After Taxes on Distributions	3.77	2.13	3.48
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares	4.08	2.57	3.56
Vanguard Wellesley Income Fund Admiral Shares
Return Before Taxes	5.97 %	4.01 %	5.26 %
Wellesley Income Composite Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)	6.99 %	3.58 %	4.84 %
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)	1.25	-0.33	1.35
Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Float Adjusted Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)	23.88	13.78	12.48

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

Matthew C. Hand, CFA, Senior Managing Director and Equity Portfolio Manager of Wellington Management. He has managed the equity portion of the Fund since 2021.

Loren L. Moran, CFA, Senior Managing Director and Fixed Income Portfolio Manager of Wellington Management. She has managed the bond portion of the Fund since 2017.

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 gains. 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. You should consult your own tax advisor with respect to any particular U.S. or non-U.S. tax consequences of your investment in the Fund.

Payments to Financial Intermediaries

The Fund and its investment advisor do not pay financial intermediaries for sales of Fund shares.

More on the Fund

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. Throughout the prospectus, this

symbol is used to mark detailed information about some of the 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 the Fund is the right investment for you. We suggest that you keep this prospectus for future reference.

Share Class Overview

The Fund offers two separate classes of shares: Investor Shares and Admiral Shares.

Both share classes offered by the Fund have the same investment objective, strategies, and policies. However, because different share classes can have different expenses, their investment returns may differ.

Plain Talk About Fund Expenses

All mutual funds have operating expenses. These expenses, which are

deducted from a fund’s gross income, are expressed as a percentage of the

net assets of the fund. Assuming that operating expenses remain as stated in

the Fees and Expenses section, Vanguard Wellesley Income Fund’s expense

ratios would be as follows: for Investor Shares, 0.23%, or $2.30 per $1,000 of

average net assets; for Admiral Shares, 0.16%, or $1.60 per $1,000 of

average net assets. The average expense ratio for mixed-asset target

allocation conservative funds in 2023 was 0.68%, or $6.80 per $1,000 of

average net assets (derived from data provided by Lipper, a Thomson

Reuters Company, which reports on the mutual fund industry).

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, including costs generated by shareholders of other share

classes offered by the fund. 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 the Fund uses in pursuit of its investment objective. The Fund’s board of trustees, which oversees the 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 the Fund’s investment objective is not fundamental and may be changed without a shareholder vote.

Plain Talk About Balanced Funds

Balanced funds are generally investments that seek to provide some

combination of income and capital appreciation by investing in a mix of

stocks and bonds. Because prices of stocks and bonds can respond

differently to economic events and influences, a balanced fund should

experience less volatility than a fund investing exclusively in stocks, but may

experience more volatility than a fund investing exclusively in bonds.

Market Exposure

Bonds

The Fund invests approximately 60% to 65% of its assets in fixed income securities.

The 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 for the Fund is expected to be moderate because the average duration of the Fund’s bond portfolio is intermediate-term and also because the Fund’s equity portfolio consists primarily of income-generating stocks, which tend to be moderately sensitive to interest rate changes.

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.

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 Fund in particular. Also, because bonds make up only a portion of the Fund’s assets, changes in interest rates may not have as dramatic an effect on the Fund as they would on a fund made up entirely of bonds.

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.

Changes in interest rates can affect bond income as well as bond prices.

The Fund is subject to income risk, which is the chance that the Fund’s income will decline because of falling interest rates. A fund holding bonds will experience a decline in income when interest rates fall because the fund then must invest new cash flow and cash from maturing bonds in lower-yielding bonds. Income risk for the Fund is expected to be moderate because the average duration of the Fund’s bond portfolio is intermediate-term.

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

generally 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.

Because bond and stock prices often move in different directions, the Fund’s stock holdings help to reduce—but not eliminate—some of the bond price fluctuations caused by changes in interest rates. Likewise, stock market volatility may not have as dramatic an effect on the Fund as it would on a fund made up entirely of stocks.

Stocks

The remaining 35% to 40% of the Fund’s assets are invested in stocks.

The Fund is subject to stock market risk, which is the chance that stock prices overall will decline. Stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising prices and periods of falling prices.

Stocks of publicly traded companies are often classified according to market capitalization, which is the market value of a company’s outstanding shares. These classifications typically include small-cap, mid-cap, and large-cap. It is important to understand that there are no “official” definitions of small-, mid-, and large-cap, even among Vanguard fund advisors, and that market capitalization ranges can change over time. The asset-weighted median market capitalization of the Fund’s stock holdings as of September 30, 2024, was $70 billion.

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 the Fund’s investments and Fund performance.

Security Selection

Wellington Management, advisor to the Fund, invests approximately 60% to 65% of the Fund’s assets in investment-grade fixed income securities and approximately 35% to 40% of the Fund’s assets in dividend-paying common stocks. Although the mix of stocks and bonds varies from time to time, depending on the advisor’s view of economic and market conditions, generally fixed income securities can be expected to represent at least 60% of the Fund’s holdings.

The Fund is managed according to traditional methods of active investment management. Securities are bought and sold based on the advisor’s judgments about companies and their financial prospects and about bond issuers and the general level of interest rates. The Fund’s advisor may, at times, select securities that cause the Fund to focus in a particular market sector, which would subject the Fund to proportionately higher exposure to the risks of that sector.

The 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.

Bonds

Wellington Management selects investment-grade bonds that it believes will generate a reasonable and sustainable level of current income. These may include short-, intermediate-, and long-term corporate, U.S. Treasury, government agency, and asset-backed bonds, as well as mortgage-backed securities. The bonds are bought and sold according to the advisor’s judgment about bond issuers and the general direction of interest rates, within the context of the economy in general. Although the Fund does not have specific maturity guidelines, the average duration of the Fund’s bond portfolio as of September 30, 2024, was 6.9 years.

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.

A breakdown of the Fund’s bond holdings (which amounted to approximately 61.4% of the Fund’s net assets) as of September 30, 2024, follows:

Type of Bond	Percentage of Fund’s Bond Holdings1
Finance	31.2%
Industrial	25.7
Treasury/Agency	17.8
Utilities	9.4
Other	7.1
Government Mortgage-Backed	3.4
Asset-Backed	3.2
Foreign	1.9
Commercial Mortgage-Backed	0.4

1 Due to rounding, the total percentage may not be equal to 100%.

Keep in mind that, because the bond makeup of the Fund can change daily, this listing is only a “snapshot” at one point in time.

The Fund is 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.

The advisor purchases bonds that are of investment-grade quality—that is, bonds rated at least Baa3 by Moody’s Ratings or BBB– by S&P Global Ratings—or, if unrated, are determined to be of comparable quality by the advisor.

The U.S. government guarantees the timely payment of interest and principal for its U.S. Treasury bonds; some (but not all) agency bonds have the same guarantee. The government does not, however, guarantee its bonds’ prices. In other words, although U.S. Treasury and agency bonds may enjoy among the highest credit ratings, their prices—like the prices of other bonds in the Fund—will fluctuate with changes in interest rates.

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.

Although falling interest rates tend to strengthen bond prices, they can cause another problem for bond fund investors—bond calls.

The Fund is 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. 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. For mortgage-backed securities, this risk is known as prepayment risk. Call/prepayment risk is expected to be low to moderate for the Fund because it invests only a limited portion of its assets in callable bonds and mortgage-backed securities.

Bond issuers take advantage of falling interest rates by calling corporate bonds. With mortgage-backed securities, it is the mortgage holder—such as the U.S. homeowner—who benefits from lower rates.

The Fund is subject to 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.

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.

Stocks

The Fund’s stocks are chosen primarily for their dividend-paying capabilities, but they must also have the potential for moderate long-term capital appreciation. The advisor looks for stocks of companies that either offer significant dividends now or expect to increase their dividends in the future. This income orientation

leads the Fund to invest in stocks with higher-than-market-average dividend yields. As a result, the Fund’s equity holdings are expected to have more of a value orientation than a growth orientation.

Plain Talk About Growth Funds and Value Funds

Growth investing and value investing are two styles employed by stock-fund

managers. Growth funds generally invest in stocks of companies believed to

have above-average potential for growth in revenue, earnings, cash flow, or

other similar criteria. These stocks typically have low dividend yields, if any,

and above-average prices in relation to measures such as earnings and book

value. Value funds typically invest in stocks whose prices are below average

in relation to those measures; these stocks often have above-average

dividend yields. Value stocks also may remain undervalued by the market for

long periods of time. Growth and value stocks have historically produced

similar long-term returns, though each category has periods when it

outperforms the other.

The Fund is subject to investment style risk, which is the chance that returns from mid- and large-capitalization dividend-paying value stocks will trail returns from the overall stock market. Mid- and large-cap stocks each tend to go through cycles of doing better—or worse—than other segments of the stock market or the stock market in general. These periods have, in the past, lasted for as long as several years. Historically, mid-cap stocks have been more volatile in price than large-cap stocks. The stock prices of mid-size companies tend to experience greater volatility because, among other things, these companies tend to be more sensitive to changing economic conditions.

Ownership Limitations

As the assets managed by Vanguard and its external advisors continue to grow, the securities held by Vanguard funds increasingly are impacted by ownership limitations. Ownership limitations restrict the amount that funds can invest in certain securities, due to either regulatory limits that apply to certain industries (for example, banking and utilities) or mechanisms that some issuers have in place to deter takeover attempts (for example, poison pills). These restrictions can have negative impacts on funds, including the inability of an index fund to track its index, the inability of a fund to meet its investment objectives, negative performance impacts, and unanticipated tax consequences. The impact of a particular ownership limitation on a Vanguard fund will vary based on several factors, including, but not limited to, the industry to which the limitation applies, the country or region of a particular issuer, and the regulatory body imposing the limitation. In addition to the impacts of specific ownership limitations, Vanguard is

also subject to the risk of multiple ownership limitations applying at one time, which could increase the likelihood of a fund experiencing the negative impacts listed above. Vanguard attempts to mitigate the impacts of ownership limitations on Vanguard funds through the various methods discussed below in Methods to address ownership limitations. However, it is possible that these methods will be unsuccessful.

Impacts of ownership limitations. When an ownership limitation applies, Vanguard may need to tell the Vanguard funds how much of impacted securities each fund can buy and hold. When this occurs, a Vanguard fund may not be able to buy additional securities or continue to hold existing securities above its allocated amounts. For index funds, this can result in tracking error if a fund cannot buy or hold the securities it needs in order to replicate or sample its target index. For active funds, this can result in a fund’s advisor not being able to take advantage of favorable opportunities to invest in securities that are subject to limitations. For both index and active funds, the inability to buy or hold securities could prevent a fund from being able to meet its investment objective or invest in accordance with its investment strategy, and/or could negatively impact the fund’s performance. In addition, the steps Vanguard and the Vanguard funds take to address ownership limitations could result in additional costs and/or unanticipated tax consequences to a fund that affect the amount, timing, and character of distributions to the fund’s shareholders. The more assets Vanguard and its third-party advisors manage, the more likely it is that ownership limitations could affect Vanguard funds negatively.

Methods to address ownership limitations. Vanguard and the Vanguard funds try to manage the negative impacts that ownership limitations could have on the Vanguard funds by seeking permission (relief) from regulators and/or issuers to purchase or hold more securities than the amount allowed by ownership limitations. However, it is not always possible to secure relief, and there is an increasing amount of uncertainty around how much ownership limitations relief regulators will grant to asset managers like Vanguard. Given this uncertainty, there is no guarantee that Vanguard or the Vanguard funds will be able to obtain additional relief from ownership limitations in the future. In addition, the relief upon which Vanguard and the Vanguard funds currently rely, which has allowed Vanguard to exceed certain ownership limitations, could be reduced or revoked, forcing the Vanguard funds to sell down one or more securities to comply with the ownership limitations. If a fund has to sell securities, there could be negative impacts to fund performance as well as unanticipated tax consequences that could impact the amount, timing, and character of distributions to the fund’s shareholders.

When a Vanguard fund cannot buy or hold securities directly due to ownership limitations, the fund will typically try to get indirect exposure to impacted securities. The fund does this so that it can replicate as closely as possible the returns the fund would get if it directly owned the impacted securities. Indirect exposure can be accomplished through the use of derivatives, such as total return swaps, or by investing in wholly owned subsidiaries that hold the impacted securities. Both of these methods of obtaining indirect exposure increase fund costs, and, depending on the extent to which these alternatives are used by a fund to avoid exceeding ownership limits, the added costs could have a negative impact on the fund’s performance. The risks of derivatives use are discussed elsewhere in the prospectus.

Other Investment Policies and Risks

In addition to investing in bonds and stocks, the Fund may make other kinds of investments to achieve its investment objective.

Although the Fund typically does not make significant investments in foreign securities, it reserves the right to invest up to 25% of its assets in foreign securities, which may include depositary receipts. Foreign securities may be traded on U.S. or foreign markets. To the extent that it owns foreign securities, the Fund is subject to country risk and currency risk. Country risk 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 stocks and the prices of U.S. stocks have, at times, moved in opposite directions. Currency risk is the chance that the value of a foreign investment, measured in U.S. dollars, will decrease because of unfavorable changes in currency exchange rates.

The Fund may invest in securities that are convertible into common stocks, as well as invest modestly in collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs).

The Fund may also invest, to a limited extent, in derivatives. 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. Investments in derivatives may subject the Fund to risks different from, and possibly greater than, those of investments directly in the underlying securities or assets. The Fund’s derivative investments may include fixed income futures contracts, options, straddles, credit swaps, interest rate swaps, total return swaps, and other types of derivatives. The Fund will not use derivatives for speculation or for the purpose of leveraging (magnifying) investment returns. Derivatives may be used as an alternate means to obtain economic exposure if the Fund is required to limit its investment in a particular issuer or industry.

The Fund may enter into foreign currency exchange forward contracts, which are a type of derivative. A foreign currency exchange forward contract is an agreement to buy or sell a currency at a specific price on a specific date, usually 30, 60, or 90 days in the future. In other words, the contract guarantees an exchange rate on a given date. Advisors of funds that invest in foreign securities can use these contracts to guard against unfavorable changes in currency exchange rates. These contracts, however, would not prevent the Fund’s securities from falling in value as a result of risks other than unfavorable currency exchange movements.

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 and foreign currency exchange forward contracts—tend to be

more specialized or complex and may be more difficult to accurately value.

Cash Management

The Fund’s daily cash balance may be invested in Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund, a government money market fund, and/or Vanguard Municipal Low Duration Fund, a short-term municipal bond fund (each, a CMT Fund). When investing in a CMT Fund, the 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.

Redemption Requests

Methods used to meet redemption requests. Under normal circumstances, the Fund typically expects to meet redemptions with positive cash flows. When this is not an option, the 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, the 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 the 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. The 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, the Fund may 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.

Potential redemption activity impacts. At times, the Fund may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders, or multiple shareholders comprising significant ownership of the Fund or a share class of the Fund, redeem large amounts of shares of the Fund. Large redemptions may cause the Fund to sell portfolio securities at times when it would not otherwise do so. This may result in the Fund distributing capital gains or other taxable income to non-redeeming shareholders. Large redemptions may also increase the Fund’s transaction costs. Redemption activity can occur for many reasons, including shareholder reactions to market movements or other events unrelated to Vanguard’s actions, or when Vanguard makes product changes that, for example, may result in a shareholder redeeming shares of the Fund to purchase shares of another similar fund or investment vehicle. When experiencing large redemptions, the Fund reserves the right to pay all or part of the redemption in-kind and/or delay payment of the redemption proceeds for up to seven calendar days; see “Potentially disruptive redemptions” under Redeeming Shares in the Investing With Vanguard section.

Temporary Investment Measures

The Fund may temporarily depart from its normal investment policies and strategies when the 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. A Fund may also invest beyond its normal limits in derivatives as an alternate means to obtain economic exposure if the Fund is required to limit its investment in a particular issuer or industry.

In addition, the 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 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.

A precautionary note to investment companies: The Fund’s shares are issued by a registered investment company, and therefore the acquisition of such shares by other investment companies and private funds is subject to the restrictions of Section 12(d)(1) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the 1940 Act). SEC Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act permits registered investment companies to invest in other registered investment companies beyond the limits in Section 12(d)(1), subject to certain conditions, including that funds with different investment advisors must enter into a fund of funds investment agreement.

Turnover Rate

Although the Fund generally seeks to invest for the long term, it may sell securities regardless of how long they have been held. The Financial Highlights section of this prospectus shows historical turnover rates for the Fund. A turnover rate of 100%, for example, would mean that the Fund had sold and replaced securities valued at 100% of its net assets within a one-year period. 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 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 Fund and Vanguard

The Fund is a member of The Vanguard Group, Inc. (Vanguard), a family of over 200 funds. All of the funds that are members of Vanguard (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

Vanguard 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 Advisor

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 90 years. Wellington Management is owned by the partners of Wellington Management Group LLP, a Massachusetts limited liability partnership. As of September 30, 2024, Wellington Management and its investment advisory affiliates had investment management authority with respect to approximately $1.3 trillion in client assets. The firm manages the Fund subject to the supervision and oversight of the trustees and officers of the Fund.

The Fund pays the advisor a base fee plus or minus a performance adjustment. The base fee, which is paid quarterly, is a percentage of average daily net assets under management during the most recent fiscal quarter. The base fee has breakpoints, which means that the percentage declines as assets go up. The performance adjustment, also paid quarterly, is based on the cumulative total return of the Fund relative to that of the Wellesley Income Composite Index over the preceding 36-month period. The Index is a composite benchmark weighted

65% in the Bloomberg U.S. Credit A or Better Bond Index and 35% in the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index. When the performance adjustment is positive, the Fund’s expenses increase; when it is negative, expenses decrease.

For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, the advisory fee represented an effective annual rate of 0.05% of the Fund’s average net assets before a performance-based increase of less than 0.01%.

Under the terms of an SEC exemption, the Fund’s 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 the Fund’s advisory arrangements will be communicated to shareholders in writing. As the Fund’s sponsor and overall manager, Vanguard may provide investment advisory services to the 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 Fund has 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 Fund may rely on the new SEC relief.

For a discussion of why the board of trustees approved the Fund’s investment advisory agreement, see the Financial Statements and Other Information covering the fiscal year ended September 30.

The managers primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund are:

Matthew C. Hand, CFA, Senior Managing Director and Equity Portfolio Manager of Wellington Management. He has worked in investment management since joining Wellington Management in 2004, has managed investment portfolios since 2019, and has managed the equity portion of the Fund since 2021. Education: B.A., University of Pennsylvania.

Loren L. Moran, CFA, Senior Managing Director and Fixed Income Portfolio Manager of Wellington Management. She has worked in investment management since 2006, has been with Wellington Management since 2014, and has managed the bond portion of the Fund since 2017. Education: B.S., Georgetown University.

The Fund’s Statement of Additional Information provides information about each portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts under management, and ownership of shares of the Fund.

Dividends, Capital Gains, and Taxes

Fund Distributions

The Fund distributes to shareholders virtually all of its net income (interest and dividends, 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 distributed quarterly in March, June, September, and December; capital gains distributions, if any, generally occur annually in December. In addition, the 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.

Plain Talk About Distributions

As a shareholder, you are entitled to your portion of a fund’s income from

interest and dividends as well as capital gains from the fund’s sale of

investments. Income consists of both the dividends that the fund earns from

any stock holdings and the interest it receives from any 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 and recorded in December—if paid to you by the end of January—are taxable as if received in December.

• Any dividend distribution or short-term capital gains distribution that you receive is taxable to you as ordinary income. If you are an individual and meet certain holding-period requirements with respect to your Fund shares, you may be eligible for reduced tax rates on “qualified dividend income,” if any, or a special tax deduction on “qualified REIT dividends,” if any, distributed by the Fund.

• 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 can occur when the Fund sells assets at a gain. Capital gains distributions vary from year to year as a result of the Fund’s investment activities and cash flows, including those due to redemption activity by Fund shareholders.

• Capital gains distributions may occur if Vanguard makes changes that would impact the Fund directly or indirectly, including if Vanguard makes changes to the Fund’s portfolio or to any other Vanguard fund or product that would involve the redemption of shares of the Fund and the related sale of the Fund’s investments.

• 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.

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.

Dividend distributions 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.

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.

Plain Talk About Buying a Dividend

Unless you are a tax-exempt investor or investing through a tax-advantaged

account (such as an IRA or an employer-sponsored retirement or savings

plan), you should consider avoiding a purchase of fund shares shortly before

the fund makes a distribution, because doing so can cost you money in

taxes. This is known as “buying a dividend.” For example: On December 15,

you invest $5,000, buying 250 shares for $20 each. If the fund pays a

distribution of $1 per share on December 16, its share price will drop to $19

(not counting market change). You still have only $5,000 (250 shares x $19 =

$4,750 in share value, plus 250 shares x $1 = $250 in distributions), but you

owe tax on the $250 distribution you received—even if you reinvest it in more

shares. To avoid buying a dividend, check a fund’s distribution schedule

before you invest.

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.

Special notice to non-U.S. investors. The Fund offered for sale in this prospectus is primarily intended to be made available to U.S. residents and may not be appropriate for investors taxable outside of the United States. Non-U.S. investors should visit the non-U.S. investors page on our website at global.vanguard.com for information about Vanguard’s non-U.S. products.

Non-U.S. investors should be aware that U.S. withholding and estate taxes and certain U.S. tax reporting requirements under the Internal Revenue Code, as well as any non-U.S. taxes imposed by the investor’s relevant tax jurisdiction, may apply to an investment in the Fund. Non-U.S. investors should consult their own tax advisors with respect to any particular U.S. or non-U.S. tax consequences of their investment in the Fund.

Share Price

Share price, also known as NAV, is typically 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 Fund does not sell or redeem shares. However, on those days the value of the 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).

Stocks held by a Vanguard fund are valued at their market value when reliable market quotations are readily available from the principal exchange or market on which they are traded. Such securities are generally valued at their official

closing price, the last reported sales price, or if there were no sales that day, the mean between the closing bid and asking prices. Debt securities held by a fund are valued based on information furnished by an independent pricing service or market quotations, and are priced at 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 will use fair-value pricing if the value of a security it holds has been materially affected by events occurring before the fund’s pricing time but after the close of the principal exchange or market on which the security is traded. This most commonly occurs with foreign securities, which may trade on foreign exchanges that close many hours before the fund’s pricing time. Intervening events might be company-specific (e.g., earnings report, merger announcement) or country-specific or regional/global (e.g., natural disaster, economic or political news, interest rate change, act of terrorism). Intervening events include price movements in U.S. markets that exceed a specified threshold or that are otherwise deemed to affect the value of foreign securities.

Fair-value pricing may be used for domestic securities—for example, if (1) trading in a security is halted and does not resume before the fund’s pricing time or a security does not trade in the course of a day and (2) the fund holds enough of the security that its price could affect the NAV. A fund may use fair-value pricing with respect to its fixed income securities 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.

The Fund has authorized certain financial intermediaries and their designees, and may, from time to time, authorize certain fund of funds for which Vanguard serves as the investment advisor (Vanguard Funds of Funds), to accept orders to buy or sell fund shares on its behalf. The Fund will be deemed to receive an order when accepted by the financial intermediary, its designee, or one of the Vanguard Funds of Funds, and the order will receive the NAV next computed by the Fund after such acceptance.

Vanguard fund share prices are published daily on our website at vanguard.com/prices.

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 Financial Statements and Other Information. You may obtain a free copy of a fund’s latest disclosure documents upon request.

Vanguard Wellesley Income Fund Investor Shares


For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period	Year Ended September 30,
For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period	$23.66	$24.16	$29.31	$27.46	$27.18
Investment Operations
Net Investment Income1	.900	.817	.750	.724	.775
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments	3.101	.610	(4.120)	2.306	.576
Total from Investment Operations	4.001	1.427	(3.370)	3.030	1.351
Distributions
Dividends from Net Investment Income	(.931)	(.826)	(.752)	(.714)	(.789)
Distributions from Realized Capital Gains	(.330)	(1.101)	(1.028)	(.466)	(.282)
Total Distributions	(1.261)	(1.927)	(1.780)	(1.180)	(1.071)
Net Asset Value, End of Period	$26.40	$23.66	$24.16	$29.31	$27.46
Total Return2	17.29%	5.79%	-12.18%	11.22%	5.19%
Ratios/Supplemental Data
Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)	$9,009	$9,135	$10,138	$12,629	$12,260
Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets3	0.23%4	0.23%4	0.23%4	0.23%	0.23%
Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets	3.61%	3.30%	2.72%	2.51%	2.86%
Portfolio Turnover Rate5	59%	53%	58%	39%	53%


1	Calculated based on average shares outstanding.
2	Total returns do not include account service fees that may have applied in the periods shown. Fund prospectuses provide information about any applicable account service fees.
3	Includes performance-based investment advisory fee increases (decreases) of 0.00%, 0.01%, 0.01%, 0.01%, and 0.01%.
4	The ratio of expenses to average net assets for the period net of reduction from custody fee offset and broker commission abatement arrangements was 0.23%.
5	Includes 1%, 5%, 10%, 4%, and 7%, respectively, attributable to mortgage-dollar-roll activity.

Vanguard Wellesley Income Fund Admiral Shares


For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period	Year Ended September 30,
For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period	$57.31	$58.52	$70.99	$66.51	$65.85
Investment Operations
Net Investment Income1	2.222	2.022	1.865	1.801	1.923
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments	7.515	1.480	(9.975)	5.585	1.379
Total from Investment Operations	9.737	3.502	(8.110)	7.386	3.302
Distributions
Dividends from Net Investment Income	(2.299)	(2.044)	(1.869)	(1.777)	(1.959)
Distributions from Realized Capital Gains	(.798)	(2.668)	(2.491)	(1.129)	(.683)
Total Distributions	(3.097)	(4.712)	(4.360)	(2.906)	(2.642)
Net Asset Value, End of Period	$63.95	$57.31	$58.52	$70.99	$66.51
Total Return2	17.37%	5.87%	-12.11%	11.29%	5.24%
Ratios/Supplemental Data
Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)	$42,918	$42,412	$45,342	$54,153	$48,044
Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets3	0.16%4	0.16%4	0.16%4	0.16%	0.16%
Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets	3.68%	3.38%	2.79%	2.57%	2.93%
Portfolio Turnover Rate5	59%	53%	58%	39%	53%


1	Calculated based on average shares outstanding.
2	Total returns do not include account service fees that may have applied in the periods shown. Fund prospectuses provide information about any applicable account service fees.
3	Includes performance-based investment advisory fee increases (decreases) of 0.00%, 0.01%, 0.01%, 0.01%, and 0.01%.
4	The ratio of expenses to average net assets for the period net of reduction from custody fee offset and broker commission abatement arrangements was 0.16%.
5	Includes 1%, 5%, 10%, 4%, and 7%, respectively, attributable to mortgage-dollar-roll activity.

Investing With Vanguard

This section of the prospectus explains the basics of doing business with Vanguard. Vanguard fund shares can be held indirectly through an intermediary, such as a bank, a broker, or an investment advisor. 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 policies in this section without notice. Please call or check online for current information. See Contacting Vanguard.

In certain circumstances, Vanguard fund shares can be held directly with Vanguard. 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. Vanguard reserves the right, upon reasonable notice, to discontinue the ability to hold Vanguard fund shares directly with Vanguard for any or all investors and/or to transfer such shares to an affiliate or other financial institution.

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 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.

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. 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 share classes in this prospectus), see Additional Information.

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 under More on the Fund.

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 applicable, orders by Vanguard Funds of Funds will be treated as received by the Fund at the same time that corresponding orders are received in proper form by the Vanguard Funds of 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.

Other Purchase Rules You Should Know

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.

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 under More on the Fund.

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 the 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) or by telephone. 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. 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 the 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.

Mandatory Conversions to Investor Shares

If an account no longer meets the balance requirements for Admiral Shares, Vanguard may automatically convert the shares in the account to Investor Shares. A decline in the account balance because of market movement may result in such a conversion. Vanguard will notify you 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.

By telephone. You may call Vanguard to request a redemption of shares or an exchange. See Contacting Vanguard.

By mail. You may send a form (available online) to Vanguard to redeem from a fund account or to make an exchange.

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 Wealth Management 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.

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 under More on the Fund.

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 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 the 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.

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 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.

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.

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) or by telephone. 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:

• Certain transactions below dollar value or other thresholds specified by Vanguard.

• In-kind transfers to a shareholder’s donor advised fund managed by Vanguard Charitable.

• 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, Vanguard Small Business Online®, and certain transactions through intermediaries relating to systematic trades and required minimum distributions.

• Discretionary transactions through Vanguard Personal Advisor Services®, Vanguard Institutional Advisory Services®, Vanguard Digital Advisor™, and discretionary (advisor-directed) transactions through certain intermediaries.

• 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.)

*Vanguard SEP-IRA fund accounts are subject to the frequent-trading limitations.

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.

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.

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).

• 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.

Invalid Addresses

If a 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.

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.

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.

Account Service Fee

Vanguard may charge a $25 account service fee on fund accounts that have a balance below $5,000,000 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 $25, will be deducted from fund accounts subject to the fee once per calendar year.

Vanguard Retirement Investment Program pooled plans are exempt from the account service fee.

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.

Low-Balance Accounts

The 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.

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 when permitted by applicable law, regulations, or SEC guidance; (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.

Shareholder Rights

The Fund’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust, as amended, requires a shareholder bringing a derivative action on behalf of Vanguard Wellesley Income Fund (the Trust) that is subject to a pre-suit demand to collectively hold at least 10% of the outstanding shares of the Trust or at least 10% of the outstanding shares of the series or class to which the demand relates and to undertake to reimburse the Trust for the expense of any counsel or advisors used when considering the merits of the demand in the event that the board of trustees determines not to bring such action. In each case, these requirements do not apply to claims arising under the federal securities laws to the extent that any such federal securities laws, rules, or regulations do not permit such application. The Trust’s Bylaws also provide that shareholders waive the right to trial by jury to the fullest extent permitted by law.

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 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.

Shareholder Reports and Financial Statements

Additional information about the Fund’s investments and performance is available in the Fund’s Annual and Semi-Annual Reports. The Fund’s Financial Statements and Other Information is filed with the SEC on Form N-CSR and available on our website.

Portfolio Holdings

Please consult the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information or our website for a description of the policies and procedures that govern disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings.

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 the Fund as an investment option.

• If you have any questions about the Fund or Vanguard, including those about the 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 the 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.

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
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

Additional Information

The Trust’s Bylaws designate Delaware courts as the sole and exclusive forum for certain claims against or related to the Trust, a trustee, an officer, or other employee of the Trust, provided that, unless the Trust otherwise consents in writing, the U.S. Federal District Courts be the sole and exclusive forum for the resolution of complaints under the Securities Act of 1933 or the 1940 Act. These provisions may limit a shareholder’s ability to bring a claim in a different forum and may result in increased shareholder costs in pursuing such a claim.

Vanguard Fund	Inception Date	Newspaper Abbreviation	Vanguard Fund Number	CUSIP Number
Vanguard Wellesley Income Fund
Investor Shares	7/1/1970	Wellsl	27	921938106
Admiral Shares	5/14/2001	WellslAdml	527	921938205

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, © 2025 American Bankers Association. “CUSIP” is a registered trademark of the American Bankers Association.

CFA® is a registered trademark owned by CFA Institute.

“Bloomberg®” and the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (the “Index”) are service marks of Bloomberg Finance L.P. and its affiliates, including Bloomberg Index Services Limited (“BISL”), the administrator of the index (collectively, “Bloomberg”), and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by Vanguard.

Vanguard Wellesley Income Fund (the “Fund”) is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Bloomberg. Bloomberg does not make any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of or counterparties to the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities or commodities generally or in the Fund particularly. The only relationship of Bloomberg to Vanguard is the licensing of certain trademarks, trade names and service marks and of the Index, which are determined, composed and calculated by BISL without regard to Vanguard or the Fund. Bloomberg has no obligation to take the needs of Vanguard or the owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Index. Bloomberg is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing, price, or quantities of the Fund to be issued. Bloomberg shall not have any obligation or liability, including, without limitation, to customers of the Fund, in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.

BLOOMBERG DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO AND SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS OR INTERRUPTIONS THEREIN. BLOOMBERG DOES NOT MAKE ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY VANGUARD, OWNERS OF THE FUND OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO. BLOOMBERG DOES NOT MAKE ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE WITH RESPECT TO THE INDEX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT ALLOWED BY LAW, BLOOMBERG, ITS LICENSORS, AND ITS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, AGENTS, SUPPLIERS, AND VENDORS SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY WHATSOEVER FOR ANY INJURY OR DAMAGES—WHETHER DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE OR OTHERWISE—ARISING IN CONNECTION WITH THE FUND OR INDEX OR ANY DATA OR VALUES RELATING THERETO—WHETHER ARISING FROM THEIR NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF NOTIFIED OF THE POSSIBILITY THEREOF.

Glossary of Investment Terms

Active Management. An investment approach that seeks to exceed the average returns of a particular financial market or market segment. In selecting securities to buy and sell, active managers may rely on, among other things, research, market forecasts, quantitative models, and their own judgment and experience.

Bloomberg 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 Ratings) and maturities of 1 year or more.

Bond. A debt security 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.

Common Stock. A security representing ownership rights in a corporation.

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.

Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Float Adjusted Index. An index designed to measure all U.S. equity issues with readily available prices.

Duration. A measure of the sensitivity of bond—and bond fund—prices to interest rate movements. For example, if a bond has a duration of two years, its price would fall by approximately 2% when interest rates rise by 1%. On the other hand, the bond’s price would rise by approximately 2% when interest rates fall by 1%.

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.

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 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. The 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 Fund’s 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 Wellesley Income Fund, the following documents are available free upon request:

Annual/Semiannual Reports to Shareholders and Form N-CSR

Additional information about the Fund’s investments is available in the Fund’s annual and semiannual reports to shareholders and in Form N-CSR. In the annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during its last fiscal year. In Form N-CSR, you will find the Fund’s annual and semiannual financial statements.

Statement of Additional Information (SAI)

The SAI provides more detailed information about the Fund and is incorporated by reference into (and thus legally a part of) this prospectus.

To obtain a free copy of the latest annual or semiannual report, financial statements, or the SAI, or to request additional information about the Fund or other Vanguard funds, please visit https://vgi.vg/fund-literature 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 SEC

Reports and other information about the Fund are available in the EDGAR database on the SEC’s website at sec.gov, or you can receive copies of this information, for a fee, by electronic request at the following email address: [email protected].

Fund’s Investment Company Act file number: 811-01766

Vanguard Marketing Corporation, Distributor.

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