485BPOS
Vanguard U.S. Sector Index Funds
Prospectus
December 22, 2023
Admiral™ Shares
Vanguard Communication Services Index Fund Admiral Shares (VTCAX)
Vanguard Consumer Discretionary Index Fund Admiral Shares (VCDAX)
Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund Admiral Shares (VCSAX)
Vanguard Energy Index Fund Admiral Shares (VENAX)
Vanguard Financials Index Fund Admiral Shares (VFAIX)
Vanguard Health Care Index Fund Admiral Shares (VHCIX)
Vanguard Industrials Index Fund Admiral Shares (VINAX)
Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund Admiral Shares (VITAX)
Vanguard Materials Index Fund Admiral Shares (VMIAX)
Vanguard Utilities Index Fund Admiral Shares (VUIAX)
This prospectus contains financial data for the Funds through the fiscal year ended August 31, 2023.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Contents

Vanguard Communication Services Index Fund
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks to track the performance of a benchmark index that measures the investment return of communication services stocks.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell Admiral Shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
Shareholder Fees
(Fees paid directly from your investment)
 
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases
None
Purchase Fee
None
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends
None
Redemption Fee
None
Account Service Fee Per Year
(for certain fund account balances below $5,000,000)
$25
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
Management Fees
0.09
%
12b-1 Distribution Fee
None
Other Expenses
0.01
%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.10
%
1

Example
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund’s Admiral Shares with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over various periods if you were to invest $10,000 in the Fund's shares. This example assumes 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
$10
$32
$56
$128
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in more taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the previous expense example, reduce the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 15% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Communication Services 25/50, an index made up of stocks of large, mid-size, and small U.S. companies within the communication services sector, as classified under the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS). The GICS communication services sector is made up of companies that facilitate communication and offer related content and information through various mediums. It includes telecommunication companies and media and entertainment companies, including producers of interactive gaming products and companies engaged in content and information creation or distribution through proprietary platforms.

The Fund attempts to replicate the target index by seeking to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the stocks that make up the Index, in order to hold each stock in approximately the same proportion as its weighting in the Index.
2

Principal Risks
An investment in the Fund could lose money over short or long periods of time. You should expect the Fund's share price and total return to fluctuate within a wide range. The Fund is subject to the following risks, which could affect the Fund's performance:
• 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. The Fund’s target index tracks a subset of the U.S. stock market, which could cause the Fund to perform differently from the overall stock market.
• Sector risk, which is the chance that significant problems will affect a particular sector, or that returns from that sector will trail returns from the overall stock market. Daily fluctuations in specific market sectors are often more extreme or volatile than fluctuations in the overall market. Because the Fund seeks to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the communication services sector, the Fund’s performance largely depends—for better or for worse—on the general condition of that sector. Companies in the communication services sector could be affected by, among other things, overall economic conditions, competition, and government regulation. Sector risk is expected to be high for the Fund.
• Nondiversification risk, which is the chance that the Fund’s performance may be hurt disproportionately by the poor performance of relatively few stocks or even a single stock. The Fund is considered nondiversified, which means that it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a small number of issuers as compared with diversified mutual funds. Because the Fund tends to invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in its ten largest holdings, fluctuations in the market value of a single Fund holding could cause significant changes to the Fund’s share price. Nondiversification risk is expected to be high for the Fund.
• Investment style risk, which is the chance that returns from the types of stocks in which the Fund invests will trail returns from the overall stock market. Small-, 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, small- and mid-cap stocks have been more volatile in price than large-cap stocks. The stock prices of small and mid-size companies tend to experience greater volatility because, among other things, these companies tend to be more sensitive to changing economic conditions.
• Index replicating risk, which is the chance that the Fund may be prevented from holding one or more securities in the same proportion as in its target index.
3

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 Admiral Shares has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the Admiral Shares compare with those of the Fund's target index and other comparative indexes, which have investment characteristics similar to those of the Fund. The Communication Services Spliced Index reflects the performance of the MSCI US IMI/ Telecommunication Services 25/50 through May 2, 2018; the MSCI US IMI/Communication Services 25/50 Transition Index through December 2, 2018; and the MSCI US IMI/Communication Services 25/50 thereafter. Keep in mind that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on our website at vanguard.com/performance or by calling Vanguard toll-free at 800-662-7447.
Annual Total Returns — Vanguard Communication Services Index Fund Admiral Shares1

1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on September 30, 2023, was 28.96%.
During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were:
 
Total Return
Quarter
Highest
22.23
%
June 30, 2020
Lowest
-21.46
%
June 30, 2022
4

Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2022
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Vanguard Communication Services Index Fund
Admiral Shares
Return Before Taxes
-38.77
%
-0.80
%
3.98
%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
-38.89
-1.08
3.41
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
-22.85
-0.58
3.13
Communication Services Spliced Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
-38.74
%
-0.80
%
3.95
%
MSCI US IMI/Communication Services 25/50
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
-38.74
1.79
5.30
MSCI US Investable Market 2500 Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
-19.24
8.89
12.21
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 not relevant for a shareholder who holds fund shares in a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account or a 401(k) plan. Also, figures captioned Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other figures for the same period if a capital loss occurs upon redemption and results in an assumed tax deduction for the shareholder.
Investment Advisor
The Vanguard Group, Inc. (Vanguard)
Portfolio Managers
Awais Khan, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has co-managed the Fund since 2017.
Walter Nejman, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has co-managed the Fund since 2015.
5

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 Admiral Shares is $100,000. The minimum investment amount required to add to an existing Fund account is generally $1. Financial intermediaries, institutional clients, and Vanguard-advised clients should contact Vanguard for information on special eligibility rules that may apply to them regarding Admiral Shares. If you are investing through an intermediary, please contact that firm directly for more information regarding your eligibility. If you are investing through an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, your plan administrator or your benefits office can provide you with detailed information on how you can invest through your plan.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions may be taxable as ordinary income or capital gain. If you are investing through a tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA or an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, special tax rules apply.
Payments to Financial Intermediaries
The Fund and its investment advisor do not pay financial intermediaries for sales of Fund shares.
6

Vanguard Consumer Discretionary Index Fund
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks to track the performance of a benchmark index that measures the investment return of consumer discretionary stocks.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell Admiral Shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
Shareholder Fees
(Fees paid directly from your investment)
 
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases
None
Purchase Fee
None
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends
None
Redemption Fee
None
Account Service Fee Per Year
(for certain fund account balances below $5,000,000)
$25
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
Management Fees
0.09
%
12b-1 Distribution Fee
None
Other Expenses
0.01
%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.10
%
7

Example
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund’s Admiral Shares with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over various periods if you were to invest $10,000 in the Fund's shares. This example assumes 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
$10
$32
$56
$128
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in more taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the previous expense example, reduce the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 11% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Consumer Discretionary 25/50, an index made up of stocks of large, mid-size, and small U.S. companies within the consumer discretionary sector, as classified under the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS). The GICS consumer discretionary sector is made up of those companies that tend to be the most sensitive to economic cycles. Its manufacturing segment includes automotive, household durable goods, textiles and apparel, and leisure equipment. The services segment includes hotels, restaurants and other leisure facilities, media production and services, and consumer retailing and services.

The Fund attempts to replicate the target index by seeking to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the stocks that make up the Index, in order to hold each stock in approximately the same proportion as its weighting in the Index.
8

Principal Risks
An investment in the Fund could lose money over short or long periods of time. You should expect the Fund's share price and total return to fluctuate within a wide range. The Fund is subject to the following risks, which could affect the Fund's performance:
• 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. The Fund’s target index tracks a subset of the U.S. stock market, which could cause the Fund to perform differently from the overall stock market.
• Sector risk, which is the chance that significant problems will affect a particular sector, or that returns from that sector will trail returns from the overall stock market. Daily fluctuations in specific market sectors are often more extreme or volatile than fluctuations in the overall market. Because the Fund seeks to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the consumer discretionary sector, the Fund’s performance largely depends—for better or for worse—on the general condition of that sector. Companies in the consumer discretionary sector could be affected by, among other things, overall economic conditions, interest rates, consumer confidence, and disposable income. Sector risk is expected to be high for the Fund.
• Nondiversification risk, which is the chance that the Fund’s performance may be hurt disproportionately by the poor performance of relatively few stocks or even a single stock. The Fund is considered nondiversified, which means that it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a small number of issuers as compared with diversified mutual funds. Because the Fund tends to invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in its ten largest holdings, fluctuations in the market value of a single Fund holding could cause significant changes to the Fund’s share price. Nondiversification risk is expected to be high for the Fund.
• Investment style risk, which is the chance that returns from the types of stocks in which the Fund invests will trail returns from the overall stock market. Small-, 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, small- and mid-cap stocks have been more volatile in price than large-cap stocks. The stock prices of small and mid-size companies tend to experience greater volatility because, among other things, these companies tend to be more sensitive to changing economic conditions.
• Index replicating risk, which is the chance that the Fund may be prevented from holding one or more securities in the same proportion as in its target index.
9

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 Admiral Shares has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the Admiral Shares compare with those of the Fund's target index and other comparative indexes, which have investment characteristics similar to those of the Fund. The Consumer Discretionary Spliced Index reflects the performance of the MSCI US IMI/Consumer Discretionary 25/50 through May 2, 2018; the MSCI US IMI/Consumer Discretionary 25/50 Transition Index through December 2, 2018; and the MSCI US IMI/Consumer Discretionary 25/50 thereafter. Keep in mind that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on our website at vanguard.com/performance or by calling Vanguard toll-free at 800-662-7447.
Annual Total Returns — Vanguard Consumer Discretionary Index Fund Admiral Shares1

1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on September 30, 2023, was 24.01%.
During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were:
 
Total Return
Quarter
Highest
37.75
%
June 30, 2020
Lowest
-25.28
%
June 30, 2022
10

Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2022
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Vanguard Consumer Discretionary Index Fund
Admiral Shares
Return Before Taxes
-35.17
%
8.39
%
12.59
%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
-35.30
8.01
12.22
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
-20.70
6.56
10.46
Consumer Discretionary Spliced Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
-35.13
%
8.47
%
12.68
%
MSCI US IMI/Consumer Discretionary 25/50
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
-35.13
8.80
12.85
MSCI US Investable Market 2500 Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
-19.24
8.89
12.21
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 not relevant for a shareholder who holds fund shares in a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account or a 401(k) plan. Also, figures captioned Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other figures for the same period if a capital loss occurs upon redemption and results in an assumed tax deduction for the shareholder.
Investment Advisor
The Vanguard Group, Inc. (Vanguard)
Portfolio Managers
Nick Birkett, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has co-managed the Fund since 2021.
Awais Khan, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has co-managed the Fund since 2017.
11

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 Admiral Shares is $100,000. The minimum investment amount required to add to an existing Fund account is generally $1. Financial intermediaries, institutional clients, and Vanguard-advised clients should contact Vanguard for information on special eligibility rules that may apply to them regarding Admiral Shares. If you are investing through an intermediary, please contact that firm directly for more information regarding your eligibility. If you are investing through an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, your plan administrator or your benefits office can provide you with detailed information on how you can invest through your plan.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions may be taxable as ordinary income or capital gain. If you are investing through a tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA or an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, special tax rules apply.
Payments to Financial Intermediaries
The Fund and its investment advisor do not pay financial intermediaries for sales of Fund shares.
12

Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks to track the performance of a benchmark index that measures the investment return of consumer staples stocks.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell Admiral Shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
Shareholder Fees
(Fees paid directly from your investment)
 
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases
None
Purchase Fee
None
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends
None
Redemption Fee
None
Account Service Fee Per Year
(for certain fund account balances below $5,000,000)
$25
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
Management Fees
0.09
%
12b-1 Distribution Fee
None
Other Expenses
0.01
%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.10
%
13

Example
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund’s Admiral Shares with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over various periods if you were to invest $10,000 in the Fund's shares. This example assumes 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
$10
$32
$56
$128
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in more taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the previous expense example, reduce the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 9% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Consumer Staples 25/50, an index made up of stocks of large, mid-size, and small U.S. companies within the consumer staples sector, as classified under the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS). The GICS consumer staples sector is made up of companies whose businesses are less sensitive to economic cycles. It includes manufacturers and distributors of food, beverages, and tobacco, as well as producers of nondurable household goods and personal products. It also includes food and drug retailing companies as well as hypermarkets and consumer supercenters.

The Fund attempts to replicate the target index by seeking to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the stocks that make up the Index, in order to hold each stock in approximately the same proportion as its weighting in the Index.
14

Principal Risks
An investment in the Fund could lose money over short or long periods of time. You should expect the Fund's share price and total return to fluctuate within a wide range. The Fund is subject to the following risks, which could affect the Fund's performance:
• 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. The Fund’s target index tracks a subset of the U.S. stock market, which could cause the Fund to perform differently from the overall stock market.
• Sector risk, which is the chance that significant problems will affect a particular sector, or that returns from that sector will trail returns from the overall stock market. Daily fluctuations in specific market sectors are often more extreme or volatile than fluctuations in the overall market. Because the Fund seeks to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the consumer staples sector, the Fund’s performance largely depends—for better or for worse—on the general condition of that sector. Companies in the consumer staples sector could be affected by, among other things, consumer tastes, government regulation, marketing, and consumer confidence. Sector risk is expected to be high for the Fund.
• Nondiversification risk, which is the chance that the Fund’s performance may be hurt disproportionately by the poor performance of relatively few stocks or even a single stock. The Fund is considered nondiversified, which means that it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a small number of issuers as compared with diversified mutual funds. Because the Fund tends to invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in its ten largest holdings, fluctuations in the market value of a single Fund holding could cause significant changes to the Fund’s share price. Nondiversification risk is expected to be high for the Fund.
• Investment style risk, which is the chance that returns from the types of stocks in which the Fund invests will trail returns from the overall stock market. Small-, 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, small- and mid-cap stocks have been more volatile in price than large-cap stocks. The stock prices of small and mid-size companies tend to experience greater volatility because, among other things, these companies tend to be more sensitive to changing economic conditions.
• Index replicating risk, which is the chance that the Fund may be prevented from holding one or more securities in the same proportion as in its target index.
15

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 Admiral Shares has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the Admiral Shares compare with those of the Fund's target index and another comparative index, which have investment characteristics similar to those of the Fund. Keep in mind that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on our website at vanguard.com/performance or by calling Vanguard toll-free at 800-662-7447.
Annual Total Returns — Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund Admiral Shares1

1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on September 30, 2023, was -3.03%.
During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were:
 
Total Return
Quarter
Highest
14.54
%
March 31, 2013
Lowest
-14.11
%
March 31, 2020
16

Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2022
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund Admiral Shares
Return Before Taxes
-1.74
%
8.31
%
10.78
%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
-2.31
7.66
10.14
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
-0.65
6.45
8.78
MSCI US IMI/Consumer Staples 25/50
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
-1.68
%
8.40
%
10.88
%
MSCI US Investable Market 2500 Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
-19.24
8.89
12.21
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 not relevant for a shareholder who holds fund shares in a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account or a 401(k) plan. Also, figures captioned Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other figures for the same period if a capital loss occurs upon redemption and results in an assumed tax deduction for the shareholder.
Investment Advisor
The Vanguard Group, Inc. (Vanguard)
Portfolio Managers
Nick Birkett, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has co-managed the Fund since 2021.
Awais Khan, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has co-managed the Fund since 2017.
17

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 Admiral Shares is $100,000. The minimum investment amount required to add to an existing Fund account is generally $1. Financial intermediaries, institutional clients, and Vanguard-advised clients should contact Vanguard for information on special eligibility rules that may apply to them regarding Admiral Shares. If you are investing through an intermediary, please contact that firm directly for more information regarding your eligibility. If you are investing through an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, your plan administrator or your benefits office can provide you with detailed information on how you can invest through your plan.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions may be taxable as ordinary income or capital gain. If you are investing through a tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA or an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, special tax rules apply.
Payments to Financial Intermediaries
The Fund and its investment advisor do not pay financial intermediaries for sales of Fund shares.
18

Vanguard Energy Index Fund
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks to track the performance of a benchmark index that measures the investment return of energy stocks.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell Admiral Shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
Shareholder Fees
(Fees paid directly from your investment)
 
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases
None
Purchase Fee
None
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends
None
Redemption Fee
None
Account Service Fee Per Year
(for certain fund account balances below $5,000,000)
$25
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
Management Fees
0.09
%
12b-1 Distribution Fee
None
Other Expenses
0.01
%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.10
%
19

Example
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund’s Admiral Shares with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over various periods if you were to invest $10,000 in the Fund's shares. This example assumes 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
$10
$32
$56
$128
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in more taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the previous expense example, reduce the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 9% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Energy 25/50, an index made up of stocks of large, mid-size, and small U.S. companies within the energy sector, as classified under the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS). The GICS energy sector is made up of companies engaged in exploration and production, refining and marketing, and storage and transportation of oil and gas and coal and consumable fuels. It also includes companies that offer oil and gas equipment and services.

The Fund attempts to replicate the target index by seeking to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the stocks that make up the Index, in order to hold each stock in approximately the same proportion as its weighting in the Index.
20

Principal Risks
An investment in the Fund could lose money over short or long periods of time. You should expect the Fund's share price and total return to fluctuate within a wide range. The Fund is subject to the following risks, which could affect the Fund's performance:
• 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. The Fund’s target index tracks a subset of the U.S. stock market, which could cause the Fund to perform differently from the overall stock market.
• Sector risk, which is the chance that significant problems will affect a particular sector, or that returns from that sector will trail returns from the overall stock market. Daily fluctuations in specific market sectors are often more extreme or volatile than fluctuations in the overall market. Because the Fund seeks to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the energy sector, the Fund’s performance largely depends—for better or for worse—on the general condition of that sector. Companies in the energy sector could be affected by, among other things, geopolitical events, government regulation, economic cycles, and fuel prices. Sector risk is expected to be high for the Fund.
• Nondiversification risk, which is the chance that the Fund’s performance may be hurt disproportionately by the poor performance of relatively few stocks or even a single stock. The Fund is considered nondiversified, which means that it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a small number of issuers as compared with diversified mutual funds. Because the Fund tends to invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in its ten largest holdings, fluctuations in the market value of a single Fund holding could cause significant changes to the Fund’s share price. Nondiversification risk is expected to be high for the Fund.
• Investment style risk, which is the chance that returns from the types of stocks in which the Fund invests will trail returns from the overall stock market. Small-, 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, small- and mid-cap stocks have been more volatile in price than large-cap stocks. The stock prices of small and mid-size companies tend to experience greater volatility because, among other things, these companies tend to be more sensitive to changing economic conditions.
• Index replicating risk, which is the chance that the Fund may be prevented from holding one or more securities in the same proportion as in its target index.
21

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 Admiral Shares has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the Admiral Shares compare with those of the Fund's target index and another comparative index, which have investment characteristics similar to those of the Fund. Keep in mind that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on our website at vanguard.com/performance or by calling Vanguard toll-free at 800-662-7447.
Annual Total Returns — Vanguard Energy Index Fund Admiral Shares1

1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on September 30, 2023, was 7.12%.
During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were:
 
Total Return
Quarter
Highest
39.06
%
March 31, 2022
Lowest
-52.40
%
March 31, 2020
22

Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2022
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Vanguard Energy Index Fund Admiral Shares
Return Before Taxes
62.97
%
8.34
%
5.04
%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
61.34
7.32
4.24
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
38.10
6.23
3.76
MSCI US IMI/Energy 25/50
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
63.13
%
8.42
%
5.16
%
MSCI US Investable Market 2500 Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
-19.24
8.89
12.21
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 not relevant for a shareholder who holds fund shares in a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account or a 401(k) plan. Also, figures captioned Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other figures for the same period if a capital loss occurs upon redemption and results in an assumed tax deduction for the shareholder.
Investment Advisor
The Vanguard Group, Inc. (Vanguard)
Portfolio Managers
Nick Birkett, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has co-managed the Fund since February 2023.

Awais Khan, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has co-managed the Fund since 2017.

23

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 Admiral Shares is $100,000. The minimum investment amount required to add to an existing Fund account is generally $1. Financial intermediaries, institutional clients, and Vanguard-advised clients should contact Vanguard for information on special eligibility rules that may apply to them regarding Admiral Shares. If you are investing through an intermediary, please contact that firm directly for more information regarding your eligibility. If you are investing through an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, your plan administrator or your benefits office can provide you with detailed information on how you can invest through your plan.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions may be taxable as ordinary income or capital gain. If you are investing through a tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA or an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, special tax rules apply.
Payments to Financial Intermediaries
The Fund and its investment advisor do not pay financial intermediaries for sales of Fund shares.
24

Vanguard Financials Index Fund
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks to track the performance of a benchmark index that measures the investment return of financial stocks.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell Admiral Shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
Shareholder Fees
(Fees paid directly from your investment)
 
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases
None
Purchase Fee
None
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends
None
Redemption Fee
None
Account Service Fee Per Year
(for certain fund account balances below $5,000,000)
$25
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
Management Fees
0.09
%
12b-1 Distribution Fee
None
Other Expenses
0.01
%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.10
%
25

Example
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund’s Admiral Shares with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over various periods if you were to invest $10,000 in the Fund's shares. This example assumes 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
$10
$32
$56
$128
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in more taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the previous expense example, reduce the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 20% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Financials 25/50, an index made up of stocks of large, mid-size, and small U.S. companies within the financials sector, as classified under the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS). The GICS financials sector is made up of companies involved in banking, thrifts and mortgage finance, consumer finance, specialized finance, asset management and custody banks, investment banking and brokerage, and insurance. It also includes Financial Exchanges and Data and Mortgage REITS.

The Fund attempts to replicate the target index by seeking to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the stocks that make up the Index, in order to hold each stock in approximately the same proportion as its weighting in the Index.
26

Principal Risks
An investment in the Fund could lose money over short or long periods of time. You should expect the Fund's share price and total return to fluctuate within a wide range. The Fund is subject to the following risks, which could affect the Fund's performance:
• 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. The Fund’s target index tracks a subset of the U.S. stock market, which could cause the Fund to perform differently from the overall stock market.
• Sector risk, which is the chance that significant problems will affect a particular sector, or that returns from that sector will trail returns from the overall stock market. Daily fluctuations in specific market sectors are often more extreme or volatile than fluctuations in the overall market. Because the Fund seeks to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the financials sector, the Fund’s performance largely depends—for better or for worse—on the general condition of that sector. Companies in the financials sector could be affected by, among other things, government regulation, interest rates, cost of capital funds, credit losses, and financial markets. Sector risk is expected to be high for the Fund.
• Nondiversification risk, which is the chance that the Fund’s performance may be hurt disproportionately by the poor performance of relatively few stocks or even a single stock. The Fund is considered nondiversified, which means that it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a small number of issuers as compared with diversified mutual funds. Because the Fund tends to invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in its ten largest holdings, fluctuations in the market value of a single Fund holding could cause significant changes to the Fund’s share price. Nondiversification risk is expected to be high for the Fund.
• Investment style risk, which is the chance that returns from the types of stocks in which the Fund invests will trail returns from the overall stock market. Small-, 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, small- and mid-cap stocks have been more volatile in price than large-cap stocks. The stock prices of small and mid-size companies tend to experience greater volatility because, among other things, these companies tend to be more sensitive to changing economic conditions.
• Index replicating risk, which is the chance that the Fund may be prevented from holding one or more securities in the same proportion as in its target index.
27

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 Admiral Shares has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the Admiral Shares compare with those of the Fund's target index and another comparative index, which have investment characteristics similar to those of the Fund. Keep in mind that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on our website at vanguard.com/performance or by calling Vanguard toll-free at 800-662-7447.
Annual Total Returns — Vanguard Financials Index Fund Admiral Shares1

1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on September 30, 2023, was -1.22%.
During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were:
 
Total Return
Quarter
Highest
25.34
%
December 31, 2020
Lowest
-33.11
%
March 31, 2020
28

Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2022
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Vanguard Financials Index Fund Admiral Shares
Return Before Taxes
-12.24
%
5.78
%
11.57
%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
-12.72
5.20
10.97
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
-6.91
4.44
9.46
MSCI US IMI/Financials 25/50
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
-12.21
%
5.85
%
11.67
%
MSCI US Investable Market 2500 Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
-19.24
8.89
12.21
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 not relevant for a shareholder who holds fund shares in a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account or a 401(k) plan. Also, figures captioned Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other figures for the same period if a capital loss occurs upon redemption and results in an assumed tax deduction for the shareholder.
Investment Advisor
The Vanguard Group, Inc. (Vanguard)
Portfolio Managers
Michelle Louie, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. She has co-managed the Fund since 2017.


Kenny Narzikul, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has co-managed the Fund since February 2023.
29

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 Admiral Shares is $100,000. The minimum investment amount required to add to an existing Fund account is generally $1. Financial intermediaries, institutional clients, and Vanguard-advised clients should contact Vanguard for information on special eligibility rules that may apply to them regarding Admiral Shares. If you are investing through an intermediary, please contact that firm directly for more information regarding your eligibility. If you are investing through an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, your plan administrator or your benefits office can provide you with detailed information on how you can invest through your plan.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions may be taxable as ordinary income or capital gain. If you are investing through a tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA or an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, special tax rules apply.
Payments to Financial Intermediaries
The Fund and its investment advisor do not pay financial intermediaries for sales of Fund shares.
30

Vanguard Health Care Index Fund
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks to track the performance of a benchmark index that measures the investment return of health care stocks.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell Admiral Shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
Shareholder Fees
(Fees paid directly from your investment)
 
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases
None
Purchase Fee
None
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends
None
Redemption Fee
None
Account Service Fee Per Year
(for certain fund account balances below $5,000,000)
$25
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
Management Fees
0.09
%
12b-1 Distribution Fee
None
Other Expenses
0.01
%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.10
%
31

Example
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund’s Admiral Shares with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over various periods if you were to invest $10,000 in the Fund's shares. This example assumes 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
$10
$32
$56
$128
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in more taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the previous expense example, reduce the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 4% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Health Care 25/50, an index made up of stocks of large, mid-size, and small U.S. companies within the health care sector, as classified under the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS). The GICS health care sector includes health care provider and services companies, companies that manufacture and distribute health care equipment and supplies, and health care technology companies. It also includes companies involved in the research, development, production, and marketing of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology products.

The Fund attempts to replicate the target index by seeking to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the stocks that make up the Index, in order to hold each stock in approximately the same proportion as its weighting in the Index.
32

Principal Risks
An investment in the Fund could lose money over short or long periods of time. You should expect the Fund's share price and total return to fluctuate within a wide range. The Fund is subject to the following risks, which could affect the Fund's performance:
• 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. The Fund’s target index tracks a subset of the U.S. stock market, which could cause the Fund to perform differently from the overall stock market.
• Sector risk, which is the chance that significant problems will affect a particular sector, or that returns from that sector will trail returns from the overall stock market. Daily fluctuations in specific market sectors are often more extreme or volatile than fluctuations in the overall market. Because the Fund seeks to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the health care sector, the Fund’s performance largely depends—for better or for worse—on the general condition of that sector. Companies in the health care sector could be affected by, among other things, patent protection, government regulation, research and development costs, litigation, and competitive forces. Sector risk is expected to be high for the Fund.
• Nondiversification risk, which is the chance that the Fund’s performance may be hurt disproportionately by the poor performance of relatively few stocks or even a single stock. The Fund is considered nondiversified, which means that it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a small number of issuers as compared with diversified mutual funds. Because the Fund tends to invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in its ten largest holdings, fluctuations in the market value of a single Fund holding could cause significant changes to the Fund’s share price. Nondiversification risk is expected to be high for the Fund.
• Investment style risk, which is the chance that returns from the types of stocks in which the Fund invests will trail returns from the overall stock market. Small-, 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, small- and mid-cap stocks have been more volatile in price than large-cap stocks. The stock prices of small and mid-size companies tend to experience greater volatility because, among other things, these companies tend to be more sensitive to changing economic conditions.
• Index replicating risk, which is the chance that the Fund may be prevented from holding one or more securities in the same proportion as in its target index.
33

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 Admiral Shares has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the Admiral Shares compare with those of the Fund's target index and another comparative index, which have investment characteristics similar to those of the Fund. Keep in mind that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on our website at vanguard.com/performance or by calling Vanguard toll-free at 800-662-7447.
Annual Total Returns — Vanguard Health Care Index Fund Admiral Shares1

1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on September 30, 2023, was -4.31%.
During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were:
 
Total Return
Quarter
Highest
16.48
%
June 30, 2020
Lowest
-13.14
%
March 31, 2020
34

Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2022
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Vanguard Health Care Index Fund Admiral Shares
Return Before Taxes
-5.50
%
11.63
%
14.77
%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
-5.81
11.24
14.40
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
-3.05
9.22
12.42
MSCI US IMI/Health Care 25/50
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
-5.43
%
11.70
%
14.84
%
MSCI US Investable Market 2500 Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
-19.24
8.89
12.21
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 not relevant for a shareholder who holds fund shares in a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account or a 401(k) plan. Also, figures captioned Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other figures for the same period if a capital loss occurs upon redemption and results in an assumed tax deduction for the shareholder.
Investment Advisor
The Vanguard Group, Inc. (Vanguard)
Portfolio Managers
Michelle Louie, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. She has co-managed the Fund since 2017.
Walter Nejman, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has co-managed the Fund since 2015.
35

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 Admiral Shares is $100,000. The minimum investment amount required to add to an existing Fund account is generally $1. Financial intermediaries, institutional clients, and Vanguard-advised clients should contact Vanguard for information on special eligibility rules that may apply to them regarding Admiral Shares. If you are investing through an intermediary, please contact that firm directly for more information regarding your eligibility. If you are investing through an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, your plan administrator or your benefits office can provide you with detailed information on how you can invest through your plan.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions may be taxable as ordinary income or capital gain. If you are investing through a tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA or an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, special tax rules apply.
Payments to Financial Intermediaries
The Fund and its investment advisor do not pay financial intermediaries for sales of Fund shares.
36

Vanguard Industrials Index Fund
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks to track the performance of a benchmark index that measures the investment return of industrial stocks.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell Admiral Shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
Shareholder Fees
(Fees paid directly from your investment)
 
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases
None
Purchase Fee
None
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends
None
Redemption Fee
None
Account Service Fee Per Year
(for certain fund account balances below $5,000,000)
$25
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
Management Fees
0.09
%
12b-1 Distribution Fee
None
Other Expenses
0.01
%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.10
%
37

Example
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund’s Admiral Shares with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over various periods if you were to invest $10,000 in the Fund's shares. This example assumes 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
$10
$32
$56
$128
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in more taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the previous expense example, reduce the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 10% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Industrials 25/50, an index made up of stocks of large, mid-size, and small U.S. companies within the industrials sector, as classified under the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS). The GICS industrials sector is made up of companies that manufacture and distribute capital goods such as aerospace and defense, building products, electrical equipment and machinery and companies that offer construction and engineering services. It also includes providers of commercial and professional services including printing, environmental and facilities services, office services and supplies, security and alarm services, human resource and employment services, and research and consulting services. It also includes companies that provide transportation services.

The Fund attempts to replicate the target index by seeking to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the stocks that make up the Index, in order to hold each stock in approximately the same proportion as its weighting in the Index.
38

Principal Risks
An investment in the Fund could lose money over short or long periods of time. You should expect the Fund's share price and total return to fluctuate within a wide range. The Fund is subject to the following risks, which could affect the Fund's performance:
• 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. The Fund’s target index tracks a subset of the U.S. stock market, which could cause the Fund to perform differently from the overall stock market.
• Sector risk, which is the chance that significant problems will affect a particular sector, or that returns from that sector will trail returns from the overall stock market. Daily fluctuations in specific market sectors are often more extreme or volatile than fluctuations in the overall market. Because the Fund seeks to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the industrials sector, the Fund’s performance largely depends—for better or for worse—on the general condition of that sector. Companies in the industrials sector could be affected by, among other things, government regulation, world events and economic conditions, insurance costs, and labor relations issues. Sector risk is expected to be high for the Fund.
• Nondiversification risk, which is the chance that the Fund’s performance may be hurt disproportionately by the poor performance of relatively few stocks or even a single stock. The Fund is considered nondiversified, which means that it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a small number of issuers as compared with diversified mutual funds. Because the Fund tends to invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in its ten largest holdings, fluctuations in the market value of a single Fund holding could cause significant changes to the Fund’s share price. Nondiversification risk is expected to be high for the Fund.
• Investment style risk, which is the chance that returns from the types of stocks in which the Fund invests will trail returns from the overall stock market. Small-, 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, small- and mid-cap stocks have been more volatile in price than large-cap stocks. The stock prices of small and mid-size companies tend to experience greater volatility because, among other things, these companies tend to be more sensitive to changing economic conditions.
• Index replicating risk, which is the chance that the Fund may be prevented from holding one or more securities in the same proportion as in its target index.
39

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 Admiral Shares has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the Admiral Shares compare with those of the Fund's target index and another comparative index, which have investment characteristics similar to those of the Fund. Keep in mind that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on our website at vanguard.com/performance or by calling Vanguard toll-free at 800-662-7447.
Annual Total Returns — Vanguard Industrials Index Fund Admiral Shares1

1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on September 30, 2023, was 7.76%.
During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were:
 
Total Return
Quarter
Highest
18.18
%
June 30, 2020
Lowest
-27.87
%
March 31, 2020
40

Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2022
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Vanguard Industrials Index Fund Admiral Shares
Return Before Taxes
-8.51
%
6.80
%
11.68
%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
-8.85
6.40
11.25
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
-4.82
5.28
9.63
MSCI US IMI/Industrials 25/50
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
-8.42
%
6.91
%
11.78
%
MSCI US Investable Market 2500 Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
-19.24
8.89
12.21
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 not relevant for a shareholder who holds fund shares in a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account or a 401(k) plan. Also, figures captioned Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other figures for the same period if a capital loss occurs upon redemption and results in an assumed tax deduction for the shareholder.
Investment Advisor
The Vanguard Group, Inc. (Vanguard)
Portfolio Managers
Michelle Louie, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. She has co-managed the Fund since 2017.
Walter Nejman, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has co-managed the Fund since 2015.
41

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 Admiral Shares is $100,000. The minimum investment amount required to add to an existing Fund account is generally $1. Financial intermediaries, institutional clients, and Vanguard-advised clients should contact Vanguard for information on special eligibility rules that may apply to them regarding Admiral Shares. If you are investing through an intermediary, please contact that firm directly for more information regarding your eligibility. If you are investing through an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, your plan administrator or your benefits office can provide you with detailed information on how you can invest through your plan.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions may be taxable as ordinary income or capital gain. If you are investing through a tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA or an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, special tax rules apply.
Payments to Financial Intermediaries
The Fund and its investment advisor do not pay financial intermediaries for sales of Fund shares.
42

Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks to track the performance of a benchmark index that measures the investment return of information technology stocks.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell Admiral Shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
Shareholder Fees
(Fees paid directly from your investment)
 
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases
None
Purchase Fee
None
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends
None
Redemption Fee
None
Account Service Fee Per Year
(for certain fund account balances below $5,000,000)
$25
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
Management Fees
0.09
%
12b-1 Distribution Fee
None
Other Expenses
0.01
%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.10
%
43

Example
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund’s Admiral Shares with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over various periods if you were to invest $10,000 in the Fund's shares. This example assumes 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
$10
$32
$56
$128
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in more taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the previous expense example, reduce the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 15% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Information Technology 25/50, an index made up of stocks of large, mid-size, and small U.S. companies within the information technology sector, as classified under the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS). The GICS information technology sector is made up of companies that offer software and information technology services as well as manufacturers and distributors of technology hardware and equipment such as communications equipment, cellular phones, computers and peripherals, electronic equipment and related instruments, and semiconductors.

The Fund attempts to replicate the target index by seeking to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the stocks that make up the Index, in order to hold each stock in approximately the same proportion as its weighting in the Index.
44

Principal Risks
An investment in the Fund could lose money over short or long periods of time. You should expect the Fund's share price and total return to fluctuate within a wide range. The Fund is subject to the following risks, which could affect the Fund's performance:
• 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. The Fund’s target index tracks a subset of the U.S. stock market, which could cause the Fund to perform differently from the overall stock market.
• Sector risk, which is the chance that significant problems will affect a particular sector, or that returns from that sector will trail returns from the overall stock market. Daily fluctuations in specific market sectors are often more extreme or volatile than fluctuations in the overall market. Because the Fund seeks to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the information technology sector, the Fund’s performance largely depends—for better or for worse—on the general condition of that sector. Companies in the information technology sector could be affected by, among other things, overall economic conditions, short product cycles, rapid obsolescence of products, competition, and government regulation. Sector risk is expected to be high for the Fund.
• Nondiversification risk, which is the chance that the Fund’s performance may be hurt disproportionately by the poor performance of relatively few stocks or even a single stock. The Fund is considered nondiversified, which means that it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a small number of issuers as compared with diversified mutual funds. Because the Fund tends to invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in its ten largest holdings, fluctuations in the market value of a single Fund holding could cause significant changes to the Fund’s share price. Nondiversification risk is expected to be high for the Fund.
• Investment style risk, which is the chance that returns from the types of stocks in which the Fund invests will trail returns from the overall stock market. Small-, 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, small- and mid-cap stocks have been more volatile in price than large-cap stocks. The stock prices of small and mid-size companies tend to experience greater volatility because, among other things, these companies tend to be more sensitive to changing economic conditions.
• Index replicating risk, which is the chance that the Fund may be prevented from holding one or more securities in the same proportion as in its target index.
45

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 Admiral Shares has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the Admiral Shares compare with those of the Fund's target index and other comparative indexes, which have investment characteristics similar to those of the Fund. The Information Technology Spliced Index reflects the performance of the MSCI US IMI/Information Technology 25/50 through May 2, 2018; the MSCI US IMI/ Information Technology 25/50 Transition Index Through December 2, 2018; and the MSCI US IMI/Information Technology 25/50 thereafter. Keep in mind that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on our website at vanguard.com/performance or by calling Vanguard toll-free at 800-662-7447.
Annual Total Returns — Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund Admiral Shares1

1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on September 30, 2023, was 30.63%.
During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were:
 
Total Return
Quarter
Highest
31.75
%
June 30, 2020
Lowest
-21.35
%
June 30, 2022
46

Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2022
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund
Admiral Shares
Return Before Taxes
-29.67
%
15.33
%
17.84
%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
-29.81
15.05
17.53
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
-17.45
12.34
15.23
Information Technology Spliced Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
-29.58
%
15.46
%
17.97
%
MSCI US IMI/Information Technology 25/50
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
-29.58
14.84
17.65
MSCI US Investable Market 2500 Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
-19.24
8.89
12.21
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 not relevant for a shareholder who holds fund shares in a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account or a 401(k) plan. Also, figures captioned Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other figures for the same period if a capital loss occurs upon redemption and results in an assumed tax deduction for the shareholder.
Investment Advisor
The Vanguard Group, Inc. (Vanguard)
Portfolio Managers
Nick Birkett, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has co-managed the Fund since 2021.
Walter Nejman, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has co-managed the Fund since 2015.
47

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 Admiral Shares is $100,000. The minimum investment amount required to add to an existing Fund account is generally $1. Financial intermediaries, institutional clients, and Vanguard-advised clients should contact Vanguard for information on special eligibility rules that may apply to them regarding Admiral Shares. If you are investing through an intermediary, please contact that firm directly for more information regarding your eligibility. If you are investing through an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, your plan administrator or your benefits office can provide you with detailed information on how you can invest through your plan.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions may be taxable as ordinary income or capital gain. If you are investing through a tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA or an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, special tax rules apply.
Payments to Financial Intermediaries
The Fund and its investment advisor do not pay financial intermediaries for sales of Fund shares.
48

Vanguard Materials Index Fund
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks to track the performance of a benchmark index that measures the investment return of materials stocks.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell Admiral Shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
Shareholder Fees
(Fees paid directly from your investment)
 
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases
None
Purchase Fee
None
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends
None
Redemption Fee
None
Account Service Fee Per Year
(for certain fund account balances below $5,000,000)
$25
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
Management Fees
0.09
%
12b-1 Distribution Fee
None
Other Expenses
0.01
%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.10
%
49

Example
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund’s Admiral Shares with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over various periods if you were to invest $10,000 in the Fund's shares. This example assumes 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
$10
$32
$56
$128
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in more taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the previous expense example, reduce the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 5% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Materials 25/50, an index made up of stocks of large, mid-size, and small U.S. companies within the materials sector, as classified under the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS). The GICS materials sector is made up of companies that manufacture chemicals, construction materials, glass, paper, forest products, and related packaging products, as well as metals, minerals, and mining companies, including producers of steel.

The Fund attempts to replicate the target index by seeking to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the stocks that make up the Index, in order to hold each stock in approximately the same proportion as its weighting in the Index.
50

Principal Risks
An investment in the Fund could lose money over short or long periods of time. You should expect the Fund's share price and total return to fluctuate within a wide range. The Fund is subject to the following risks, which could affect the Fund's performance:
• 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. The Fund’s target index tracks a subset of the U.S. stock market, which could cause the Fund to perform differently from the overall stock market.
• Sector risk, which is the chance that significant problems will affect a particular sector, or that returns from that sector will trail returns from the overall stock market. Daily fluctuations in specific market sectors are often more extreme or volatile than fluctuations in the overall market. Because the Fund seeks to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the materials sector, the Fund’s performance largely depends—for better or for worse—on the general condition of that sector. Companies in the materials sector could be affected by, among other things, commodity prices, government regulation, inflation expectations, resource availability, and economic cycles. Sector risk is expected to be high for the Fund.
• Nondiversification risk, which is the chance that the Fund’s performance may be hurt disproportionately by the poor performance of relatively few stocks or even a single stock. The Fund is considered nondiversified, which means that it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a small number of issuers as compared with diversified mutual funds. Because the Fund tends to invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in its ten largest holdings, fluctuations in the market value of a single Fund holding could cause significant changes to the Fund’s share price. Nondiversification risk is expected to be high for the Fund.
• Investment style risk, which is the chance that returns from the types of stocks in which the Fund invests will trail returns from the overall stock market. Small-, 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, small- and mid-cap stocks have been more volatile in price than large-cap stocks. The stock prices of small and mid-size companies tend to experience greater volatility because, among other things, these companies tend to be more sensitive to changing economic conditions.
• Index replicating risk, which is the chance that the Fund may be prevented from holding one or more securities in the same proportion as in its target index.
51

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 Admiral Shares has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the Admiral Shares compare with those of the Fund's target index and another comparative index, which have investment characteristics similar to those of the Fund. Keep in mind that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on our website at vanguard.com/performance or by calling Vanguard toll-free at 800-662-7447.
Annual Total Returns — Vanguard Materials Index Fund Admiral Shares1

1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on September 30, 2023, was 2.73%.
During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were:
 
Total Return
Quarter
Highest
26.14
%
June 30, 2020
Lowest
-27.96
%
March 31, 2020
52

Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2022
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Vanguard Materials Index Fund Admiral Shares
Return Before Taxes
-11.75
%
6.50
%
9.36
%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
-12.17
6.02
8.87
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
-6.67
5.02
7.58
MSCI US IMI/Materials 25/50
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
-11.67
%
6.61
%
9.44
%
MSCI US Investable Market 2500 Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
-19.24
8.89
12.21
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 not relevant for a shareholder who holds fund shares in a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account or a 401(k) plan. Also, figures captioned Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other figures for the same period if a capital loss occurs upon redemption and results in an assumed tax deduction for the shareholder.
Investment Advisor
The Vanguard Group, Inc. (Vanguard)
Portfolio Managers
Michelle Louie, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. She has co-managed the Fund since 2017.


Kenny Narzikul, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has co-managed the Fund since February 2023.
53

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 Admiral Shares is $100,000. The minimum investment amount required to add to an existing Fund account is generally $1. Financial intermediaries, institutional clients, and Vanguard-advised clients should contact Vanguard for information on special eligibility rules that may apply to them regarding Admiral Shares. If you are investing through an intermediary, please contact that firm directly for more information regarding your eligibility. If you are investing through an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, your plan administrator or your benefits office can provide you with detailed information on how you can invest through your plan.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions may be taxable as ordinary income or capital gain. If you are investing through a tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA or an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, special tax rules apply.
Payments to Financial Intermediaries
The Fund and its investment advisor do not pay financial intermediaries for sales of Fund shares.
54

Vanguard Utilities Index Fund
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks to track the performance of a benchmark index that measures the investment return of utilities stocks.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell Admiral Shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
Shareholder Fees
(Fees paid directly from your investment)
 
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases
None
Purchase Fee
None
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends
None
Redemption Fee
None
Account Service Fee Per Year
(for certain fund account balances below $5,000,000)
$25
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
Management Fees
0.09
%
12b-1 Distribution Fee
None
Other Expenses
0.01
%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.10
%
55

Example
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund’s Admiral Shares with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over various periods if you were to invest $10,000 in the Fund's shares. This example assumes 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
$10
$32
$56
$128
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in more taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the previous expense example, reduce the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 4% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Utilities 25/50, an index made up of stocks of large, mid-size, and small U.S. companies within the utilities sector, as classified under the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS). The GICS utilities sector is made up of electric, gas, and water utility companies. It also includes independent power producers and energy traders and companies that engage in generation and distribution of electricity using renewable sources.

The Fund attempts to replicate the target index by seeking to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the stocks that make up the Index, in order to hold each stock in approximately the same proportion as its weighting in the Index.
56

Principal Risks
An investment in the Fund could lose money over short or long periods of time. You should expect the Fund's share price and total return to fluctuate within a wide range. The Fund is subject to the following risks, which could affect the Fund's performance:
• 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. The Fund’s target index tracks a subset of the U.S. stock market, which could cause the Fund to perform differently from the overall stock market.
• Sector risk, which is the chance that significant problems will affect a particular sector, or that returns from that sector will trail returns from the overall stock market. Daily fluctuations in specific market sectors are often more extreme or volatile than fluctuations in the overall market. Because the Fund seeks to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the utilities sector, the Fund’s performance largely depends—for better or for worse—on the general condition of that sector. Companies in the utilities sector could be affected by government regulation, overall economic conditions, and fuel prices. Sector risk is expected to be high for the Fund.
• Nondiversification risk, which is the chance that the Fund’s performance may be hurt disproportionately by the poor performance of relatively few stocks or even a single stock. The Fund is considered nondiversified, which means that it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a small number of issuers as compared with diversified mutual funds. Because the Fund tends to invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in its ten largest holdings, fluctuations in the market value of a single Fund holding could cause significant changes to the Fund’s share price. Nondiversification risk is expected to be high for the Fund.
• Investment style risk, which is the chance that returns from the types of stocks in which the Fund invests will trail returns from the overall stock market. Small-, 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, small- and mid-cap stocks have been more volatile in price than large-cap stocks. The stock prices of small and mid-size companies tend to experience greater volatility because, among other things, these companies tend to be more sensitive to changing economic conditions.
• Index replicating risk, which is the chance that the Fund may be prevented from holding one or more securities in the same proportion as in its target index.
57

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 Admiral Shares has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the Admiral Shares compare with those of the Fund's target index and another comparative index, which have investment characteristics similar to those of the Fund. Keep in mind that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on our website at vanguard.com/performance or by calling Vanguard toll-free at 800-662-7447.
Annual Total Returns — Vanguard Utilities Index Fund Admiral Shares1

1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on September 30, 2023, was -14.77%.
During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were:
 
Total Return
Quarter
Highest
15.25
%
March 31, 2016
Lowest
-14.09
%
March 31, 2020
58

Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2022
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Vanguard Utilities Index Fund Admiral Shares
Return Before Taxes
1.13
%
8.97
%
10.93
%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
0.41
8.17
10.07
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
1.16
6.98
8.84
MSCI US IMI/Utilities 25/50
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
1.24
%
9.06
%
11.03
%
MSCI US Investable Market 2500 Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
-19.24
8.89
12.21
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 not relevant for a shareholder who holds fund shares in a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account or a 401(k) plan. Also, figures captioned Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other figures for the same period if a capital loss occurs upon redemption and results in an assumed tax deduction for the shareholder.
Investment Advisor
The Vanguard Group, Inc. (Vanguard)
Portfolio Managers
Awais Khan, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has co-managed the Fund since 2017.
Walter Nejman, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has co-managed the Fund since 2021.
59

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 Admiral Shares is $100,000. The minimum investment amount required to add to an existing Fund account is generally $1. Financial intermediaries, institutional clients, and Vanguard-advised clients should contact Vanguard for information on special eligibility rules that may apply to them regarding Admiral Shares. If you are investing through an intermediary, please contact that firm directly for more information regarding your eligibility. If you are investing through an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, your plan administrator or your benefits office can provide you with detailed information on how you can invest through your plan.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions may be taxable as ordinary income or capital gain. If you are investing through a tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA or an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, special tax rules apply.
Payments to Financial Intermediaries
The Fund and its investment advisor do not pay financial intermediaries for sales of Fund shares.
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Investing in Index Funds
What Is Indexing?
Indexing is an investment strategy for tracking the performance of a specified market benchmark, or “index.” An index is a group of securities whose overall performance is used as a standard to measure the investment performance of a particular market. There are many types of indexes. Some represent entire markets—such as the U.S. stock market or the U.S. bond market. Other indexes cover market segments—such as small-capitalization stocks or short-term bonds. One cannot invest directly in an index.
The index provider determines the securities to include in the index and the weighting of each security in the index. Under normal circumstances, the index provider will rebalance an index on a regular schedule. An index provider may carry out additional ad hoc index rebalances or delay or cancel a scheduled rebalance. Generally, the index provider does not provide any warranty, or accept any liability, with respect to the quality, accuracy, or completeness of either the target index or its related data. Errors made by the index provider may occur from time to time and may not be identified by the index provider for a period of time or at all. Vanguard does not provide any warranty or guarantee against such errors. Therefore, the gains, losses, or costs associated with the index provider’s errors will generally be borne by the index fund and its shareholders.
An index fund seeks to hold all, or a representative sample, of the securities that make up its target index. Index funds attempt to mirror the performance of the target index, for better or worse. However, an index fund generally does not perform exactly like its target index. For example, index funds have operating expenses and transaction costs. Market indexes do not, and therefore they will usually have a slight performance advantage over funds that track them. The ability of an index fund to match its performance to that of its target index can also be impacted by, among other things, the timing and size of cash flows, asset valuation differences, and the size of the fund. Market disruptions could also have an adverse effect on a fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the index. The risk that a fund may not track the performance of its target index may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions.
Index funds typically have the following characteristics:
• Variety of investments. Depending on a fund’s benchmark index, the fund may invest in the securities of a variety of companies, industries, and/or governments or government agencies.
• Relative performance consistency. Because they seek to track market benchmarks, index funds usually do not perform dramatically better or worse than their benchmarks.
• Low cost. Index funds are generally inexpensive to run compared with actively managed funds. They have low or no research costs and typically keep trading activity—and thus brokerage commissions and other transaction costs—to a minimum compared with actively managed funds.
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What are Vanguard U.S. Sector Index Funds?
Vanguard U.S. Sector Index Funds (Vanguard Sector Index Funds) are a group of ten index funds that seek to track the performance of the following distinct components—or “sectors”—of the U.S. economy:
Communication Services
Health Care
 
 
Consumer Discretionary
Industrials
 
 
Consumer Staples
Information Technology
 
 
Energy
Materials
 
 
Financials
Utilities
 
 
For their benchmarks, the Funds use ten sector indexes licensed to Vanguard by MSCI. Each of these indexes measures the performance of a separate group of industries, as classified under the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS). Together, the Funds’ target indexes make up the MSCI US IMI/2500, a broad market index covering companies and industries across the entire U.S. economy.
What does the “25/50” in the name of the index mean?
To qualify for favorable tax treatment under the Internal Revenue Code (the Code), an investment company must, among other things, meet certain diversification standards under the Code. Those standards require an investment company to invest no more than 25% of its assets in any one security and at least 50% in securities that each represent no more than 5% of the fund’s assets. The 25/50 in the name of the index denotes that the index’s construction rules take into account the diversification standards for investment companies covered under the Code.
The 25/50 indexes were adopted by Vanguard Sector Index Funds on February 26, 2010. Prior to that date, some of the Funds’ former indexes became so concentrated that funds replicating them would have failed the Code’s diversification standards. To ensure that this did not happen, some of the Funds’ portfolios differed significantly from the composition of the target indexes, leading to considerable tracking error. By adopting the 25/50 indexes, the Funds can better achieve their objectives of tracking their target indexes while continuing to provide exposure to the relevant market sectors.
Note that although Vanguard Sector Index Funds continue to comply with the diversification standards of the Code, each Fund still invests a high percentage of assets in a small number of issuers and thus will not comply with the diversification standards of the Investment Company Act of 1940. Consequently, each of the Funds is subject to nondiversification risk, which is the chance that a Fund’s performance may be hurt disproportionately by poor performance of relatively few stocks or even a single stock.
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More on the Funds
This prospectus describes the principal risks you would face as a Fund shareholder. It is important to keep in mind one of the main principles of investing: generally, the higher the risk of losing money, the higher the potential reward. The reverse, also, is generally true: the lower the risk, the lower the potential reward. As you consider an investment in any mutual fund, you should take into account your personal tolerance for fluctuations in the securities markets. When considering an investment in sector funds, you should be aware that fluctuations in specific market sectors are often more extreme than fluctuations in the overall securities markets. Look for this  symbol throughout the prospectus. It is used to mark detailed information about the more significant risks that you would confront as a Fund shareholder. To highlight terms and concepts important to mutual fund investors, we have provided Plain Talk® explanations along the way. Reading the prospectus will help you decide whether a Fund is the right investment for you. We suggest that you keep this prospectus for future reference.
Share Class Overview
This prospectus offers the Funds’ Admiral Shares, which are generally for investors who invest a minimum of $100,000. A separate prospectus offers the Funds’ ETF Shares, an exchange-traded class of shares.
Both share classes offered by a Fund have the same investment objective, strategies, and policies. However, different share classes may have different expenses; as a result, their investment returns may differ.
Plain Talk About Costs of Investing
Costs are an important consideration in choosing a mutual fund. That is
because you, as a shareholder, pay a proportionate share of the costs of
operating a fund and any transaction costs incurred when the fund buys or
sells securities, 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 each Fund uses in pursuit of its investment objective. The Funds' board of trustees, which oversees each Fund's management, may change investment strategies or policies in the interest of shareholders without a shareholder vote, unless those strategies or policies are designated as fundamental. Note that each Fund’s investment objective is not fundamental and may be changed
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without a shareholder vote. Under normal circumstances, each Fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in the stocks that make up its target index. A Fund may change its 80% policy only upon 60 days' notice to shareholders.
Market Exposure
The Funds seek to invest mainly in common stocks of companies within designated market sectors. As a result, the Funds are subject to certain risks.
Each 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. Each Fund’s target index tracks a subset of the U.S. stock market, which could cause the Fund to perform differently from the overall stock market.
Each Fund is subject to sector risk, which is the chance that significant problems will affect a particular sector, or that returns from that sector will trail returns from the overall stock market. Daily fluctuations in specific market sectors are often more extreme or volatile than fluctuations in the overall market. Because each Fund seeks to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in a specific sector, the Fund’s performance largely depends—for better or for worse—on the general condition of that sector. Sector risk is expected to be high for each Fund.
A variety of circumstances and events can affect the overall performance of a given market sector. In addition, a sector’s sensitivity to specific factors tends to change over time, so it is impossible to identify in advance the exact circumstances and events that will be most important to the future performance of that sector. Examples of factors that have proven important to the past performance of each Fund’s targeted market sector are shown in the following table.
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Sectors and Key Past Performance Factors
Communication Services Sector:
Overall economic conditions, competition, and government regulation.
Consumer Discretionary Sector:
Overall economic conditions, interest rates, consumer confidence, and disposable income.
Consumer Staples Sector:
Consumer tastes, government regulation, marketing, and consumer confidence.
Energy Sector:
Geopolitical events, government regulation, economic cycles, and fuel prices.
Financials Sector:
Government regulation, interest rates, cost of capital funds, credit losses, and financial
markets.
Health Care Sector:
Patent protection, government regulation, research and development costs, litigation, and
competitive forces.
Industrials Sector:
Government regulation, world events and economic conditions, insurance costs, and labor
relations issues.
Information Technology Sector:
Overall economic conditions, short product cycles, rapid obsolescence of products,
competition, and government regulation.
Materials Sector:
Commodity prices, government regulation, inflation expectations, resource availability, and
economic cycles.
Utilities Sector:
Government regulation, overall economic conditions, and fuel prices.
Each Fund invests across large-, mid-, and small-capitalization stocks, depending on the composition of its target index. The chart that follows provides a market capitalization breakdown for each Fund’s target index as of August 31, 2023. For purposes of this chart, we have used market capitalization ranges determined by FactSet Analytics. It is important to understand that there are no “official” definitions of large-, mid-, and small-cap, even among Vanguard fund advisors, and that market capitalization ranges can change over time.
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Target Index
Large-Cap
˃$36.06 billion
Mid-Cap
$6.46 - $36.06 billion
Small-Cap
˂$6.46 billion
MSCI US Investable Market Index
(IMI)/Communication Services 25/50
74.68%
12.95 %
12.37 %
MSCI US Investable Market Index
(IMI)/Consumer Discretionary 25/50
75.88
11.72
12.40
MSCI US Investable Market Index
(IMI)/Consumer Staples 25/50
78.59
13.39
8.02
MSCI US Investable Market Index
(IMI)/Energy 25/50
78.36
9.40
12.23
MSCI US Investable Market Index
(IMI)/Financials 25/501
75.25
13.44
11.25
MSCI US Investable Market Index
(IMI)/Health Care 25/501
80.06
11.01
8.94
MSCI US Investable Market Index
(IMI)/Industrials 25/50
64.35
19.86
15.79
MSCI US Investable Market Index
(IMI)/Information Technology 25/50
82.24
9.08
8.68
MSCI US Investable Market Index
(IMI)/Materials 25/50
56.14
25.46
18.40
MSCI US Investable Market Index
(IMI)/Utilities 25/50
52.07
39.04
8.89
1 Due to rounding, the total percentage may not be equal to 100%.
Market disruptions can adversely affect local and global markets as well as normal market conditions and operations. Any such disruptions could have an adverse impact on the value of a Fund's investments and Fund performance.
Security Selection
Each Fund attempts to track the investment performance of a benchmark index that measures the return of a particular market sector. Each Fund uses the replication method of indexing, meaning that each Fund generally holds the same stocks as its target index and in approximately the same proportions.
As described in the Investing in Index Funds section, each Fund’s current target index (25/50 index) is constructed to comply with diversification standards applicable to investment companies under the Internal Revenue Code. These standards require an investment company to invest no more than 25% of its assets in any one security and at least 50% in securities that each represent no more than 5% of the fund’s assets. Each 25/50 index is rebalanced quarterly as a float-adjusted, market-capitalization-weighted index; however, if the diversification standards are not met, the 25/50 index will be capped to comply with these standards. Any changes made in connection with the quarterly
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rebalancing process are implemented as of the last business day of February, May, August, and November to coincide with a quarterly review performed by the index provider.
The following table shows the number of stocks in each Fund’s target index as of August 31, 2023, along with the percentage of each index represented by its top ten holdings as of the same date.
Vanguard Fund
Number of Stocks
in Target Index
 
Percentage of
Index Holdings in
Top 10 Stocks
Vanguard Communication Services Index
Fund
118
70.6
%
Vanguard Consumer Discretionary Index
Fund
307
61.8
Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund
105
60.6
Vanguard Energy Index Fund
111
66.1
Vanguard Financials Index Fund
394
43.3
Vanguard Health Care Index Fund
407
47.8
Vanguard Industrials Index Fund
385
28.1
Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund
320
59.3
Vanguard Materials Index Fund
113
51.3
Vanguard Utilities Index Fund
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52.1
Each Fund is subject to nondiversification risk, which is the chance that the Fund’s performance may be hurt disproportionately by the poor performance of relatively few stocks or even a single stock.
Each Fund is considered nondiversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, which means that it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a small number of issuers as compared with diversified mutual funds. Because each Fund tends to invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in its ten largest holdings, fluctuations in the market value of a single Fund holding could cause significant changes to the Fund’s share price. Nondiversification risk is expected to be high for each Fund.
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Each Fund is subject to investment style risk, which is the chance that returns from the types of stocks in which the Fund invests will trail returns from the overall stock market. Small-, 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, small- and mid-cap stocks have been more volatile in price than large-cap stocks. The stock prices of small and mid-size companies tend to experience greater volatility because, among other things, these companies tend to be more sensitive to changing economic conditions.
Each Fund is subject to index replicating risk, which is the change that the Fund may be prevented from holding one or more securities in the same proportion as its target index.
The ability of an advisor to purchase or dispose of certain Fund investments is or may be restricted or impaired because of limitations imposed by law, regulation, or by certain regulators or issuers. As a result, an advisor may be required to limit purchases or sell existing investments. If the Funds is required to limit its investment in a particular issuer, then the Fund may seek to obtain regulatory relief or special permission from an issuer to exceed a certain percentage ownership in that issuer's shares. Other options the Funds may pursue include seeking to obtain economic exposure to that issuer through alternative means, such as through a derivative or through investment in a wholly owned subsidiary, both of which may be more costly than owning securities of the issuer directly. Ownership restrictions and limitations could result in unanticipated tax consequences to the Funds that may affect the amount, timing, and character of distributions to shareholders. See Other Investment Policies and Risks for further information related to derivatives.
Other Investment Policies and Risks
Each Fund reserves the right to substitute a different index for the index it currently tracks if the current index is discontinued, if the Fund's agreement with the provider of its target index is terminated, or for any other reason determined in good faith by the Fund’s board of trustees. In any such instance, the substitute index would represent the same market segment as the current index.
Each Fund has the ability to invest in foreign securities to the extent necessary to carry out its investment strategy of holding all, or substantially all, of the stocks that make up the index it tracks. It is not expected that any Fund will invest more than 5% of its assets in foreign securities.
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Each Fund may invest, to a limited extent, in derivatives. A Fund may use derivatives such as total return swaps to obtain exposure to a stock, a basket of stocks, or an index. 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 Funds to risks different from, and possibly greater than, those of investments directly in the underlying securities or assets. The Funds will not use derivatives for speculation or for the purpose of leveraging (magnifying) investment returns.
Plain Talk About Derivatives
Derivatives can take many forms. Some forms of derivatives—such as
exchange-traded futures and options on securities, commodities, or
indexes—have been trading on regulated exchanges for decades. These
types of derivatives are standardized contracts that can easily be bought and
sold and whose market values are determined and published daily. On the
other hand, non-exchange-traded derivatives—such as certain swap
agreements—tend to be more specialized or complex and may be more
difficult to accurately value.
Cash Management
Each Fund's daily cash balance may be invested in Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund and/or Vanguard Municipal Cash Management Fund (each, a CMT Fund), which are low-cost money market funds. When investing in a CMT Fund, each Fund bears its proportionate share of the expenses of the CMT Fund in which it invests. Vanguard receives no additional revenue from Fund assets invested in a CMT Fund.
Redemption Requests
Methods used to meet redemption requests. Under normal circumstances, each Fund typically expects to meet redemptions with positive cash flows. When this is not an option, each Fund seeks to maintain its risk exposure by selling a cross section of the Fund’s holdings to meet redemptions, while also factoring in transaction costs. Additionally, a Fund may work with larger clients to implement their redemptions in a manner that is least disruptive to the portfolio; see “Potentially disruptive redemptions” under Redeeming Shares in the Investing With Vanguard section.
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Under certain circumstances, including under stressed market conditions, there are additional tools that each Fund may use in order to meet redemptions, including advancing the settlement of market trades with counterparties to match investor redemption payments or delaying settlement of an investor’s transaction to match trade settlement within regulatory requirements. A Fund may also suspend payment of redemption proceeds for up to seven days; see “Emergency circumstances” under Redeeming Shares in the Investing With Vanguard section. Additionally under these unusual circumstances, a Fund may 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, a 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 a Fund to sell portfolio securities at times when it would not otherwise do so. This may result in a Fund distributing capital gains or other taxable income to non-redeeming shareholders. Large redemptions may also increase a 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 a 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
Each 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 when the Fund receives large cash flows that it cannot prudently invest immediately.
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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.
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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: Each Fund's ETF Shares are issued by registered investment companies, 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 Funds generally seek to invest for the long term, each Fund may sell securities regardless of how long they have been held. Generally, an index fund sells securities in response to redemption requests from shareholders of conventional (i.e., not exchange-traded) shares or to changes in the composition of its target index. Turnover rates for large-cap stock index funds tend to be low because large-cap indexes typically do not change significantly from year to year. Turnover rates for mid-cap and small-cap stock index funds tend to be higher than for large-cap stock index funds (although still relatively low, compared with actively managed stock funds) because the indexes they track are more likely to change as a result of companies merging, growing, or failing. The Financial Highlights section of this prospectus shows historical turnover rates for the Funds. A turnover rate of 100%, for example, would mean that a Fund had sold and replaced securities valued at 100% of its net assets within a one-year period. 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.
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The Funds and Vanguard
Each 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
The Vanguard Group, Inc., P.O. Box 2600, Valley Forge, PA 19482, which began operations in 1975, serves as advisor to the Funds through its Equity Index Group. As of August 31, 2023, Vanguard served as advisor for approximately $6.8 trillion in assets. Vanguard provides investment advisory services to the Funds pursuant to the Funds’ Service Agreement and subject to the supervision and oversight of the trustees and officers of the Funds.
For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2023, the advisory expenses represented an effective annual rate of less than 0.01% of each Fund's average net assets.
Under the terms of an SEC exemption, the Funds' board of trustees may, without prior approval from shareholders, change the terms of an advisory agreement with a third-party investment advisor or hire a new third-party investment advisor—either as a replacement for an existing advisor or as an additional advisor. Any significant change in a Fund's advisory arrangements will be communicated to shareholders in writing. As the Funds' sponsor and overall manager, Vanguard may provide investment advisory services to a Fund at any time. Vanguard may also recommend to the board of trustees that an advisor be hired, terminated, or replaced or that the terms of an existing advisory agreement
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be revised. The Funds have filed an application seeking a similar SEC exemption with respect to investment advisors that are wholly owned subsidiaries of Vanguard. If the exemption is granted, the Funds may rely on the new SEC relief.
For a discussion of why the board of trustees approved each Fund's investment advisory arrangement, see the most recent annual report to shareholders covering the fiscal year ended August 31.
The managers primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds are:
Nick Birkett, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He worked in investment management since 2006; has been with Vanguard since 2017; and has co-managed Vanguard Consumer Discretionary Index, Vanguard Consumer Staples Index, and Vanguard Information Technology Index Funds since 2021 and Vanguard Energy Index Fund since February 2023. Education: B.S., University of Bath.


Awais Khan, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has been with Vanguard since 2010; has worked in investment management since 2012; and has co-managed Vanguard Communication Services Index, Vanguard Consumer Discretionary Index, Vanguard Consumer Staples Index, Vanguard Energy Index, and Vanguard Utilities Index Funds since 2017. Education: B.S./B.S.B.A., University of North Carolina at Charlotte.


Michelle Louie, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. She has been with Vanguard since 2010; has worked in investment management since 2011; has managed investment portfolios since 2016; and has co-managed Vanguard Financials Index, Vanguard Health Care Index, Vanguard Industrials Index, and Vanguard Materials Index Funds since 2017. Education: B.S., The American University; M.B.A., Georgia Institute of Technology.


Kenny Narzikul, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has been with Vanguard since 2012, has worked in investment management since 2016, has managed investment portfolios since 2023, and has co-managed Vanguard Financials Index and Vanguard Materials Index Funds since February 2023. Education: B.B.A., James Madison University.


Walter Nejman, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has been with Vanguard since 2005; has worked in investment management since 2008; and has co-managed Vanguard Communication Services Index, Vanguard Health Care
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Index, Vanguard Industrials Index, and Vanguard Information Technology Index Funds since 2015 and Vanguard Utilities Index Fund since 2021. Education: B.A., Arcadia University; M.B.A., Villanova University.
The Funds' Statement of Additional Information provides information about each portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts under management, and ownership of shares of the Funds.
Dividends, Capital Gains, and Taxes
Fund Distributions
Each Fund distributes to shareholders virtually all of its net income (interest 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, each 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, each Fund may occasionally make a supplemental distribution at some other time during the year.
You can receive distributions of income or capital gains in cash, or you can have them automatically reinvested in more shares of the Fund. However, if you are investing through an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, your distributions will be automatically reinvested in additional Fund shares.
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.
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Basic Tax Points
Investors in taxable accounts should be aware of the following basic federal income tax points:
• Distributions are taxable to you whether or not you reinvest these amounts in additional Fund shares.
• Distributions declared in December—if paid to you by the end of January—are taxable as if received in December.
• Any 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 may vary considerably from year to year as a result of the Funds' normal investment activities and cash flows.
• Your cost basis in the Fund will be decreased by the amount of any return of capital that you receive. This, in turn, will affect the amount of any capital gain or loss that you realize when selling or exchanging your Fund shares.
• Return of capital distributions generally are not taxable to you until your cost basis has been reduced to zero. If your cost basis is at zero, return of capital distributions will be treated as capital gains.
• A sale or exchange of Fund shares is a taxable event. This means that you may have a capital gain to report as income, or a capital loss to report as a deduction, when you complete your tax return.
• Any conversion between classes of shares of the same fund is a nontaxable event. By contrast, an exchange between classes of shares of different funds is a taxable event.
• Vanguard (or your intermediary) will send you a statement each year showing the tax status of all of your distributions.
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.
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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.
Foreign investors. Vanguard funds offered for sale in the United States (Vanguard U.S. funds), including the Funds offered in this prospectus, are not widely available outside the United States. Non-U.S. investors should be aware that U.S. withholding and estate taxes and certain U.S. tax reporting requirements may apply to any investments in Vanguard U.S. funds. Foreign investors should visit the non-U.S. investors page on our website at vanguard.com for information on Vanguard’s non-U.S. products.
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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.
Share Price
Share price, also known as net asset value (NAV), is calculated as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), generally 4 p.m., Eastern time, on each day that the NYSE is open for business (a business day). In the rare event the NYSE experiences unanticipated disruptions and is unavailable at the close of the trading day, NAVs will be calculated as of the close of regular trading on the Nasdaq (or another alternate exchange if the Nasdaq is unavailable, as determined at Vanguard’s discretion), generally 4 p.m., Eastern time. Each share class has its own NAV, which is computed by dividing the total assets, minus liabilities, allocated to the share class by the number of Fund shares outstanding for that class. On U.S. holidays or other days when the NYSE is closed, the NAV is not calculated, and the Funds do not sell or redeem shares. However, on those days the value of a Fund’s assets may be affected to the extent that the Fund holds securities that change in value on those days (such as foreign securities that trade on foreign markets that are open).
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. When a fund determines that market quotations either are not readily available or do not accurately reflect the value of a security, the security is priced at its fair value (the amount that the owner might reasonably expect to receive upon the current sale of the security).
The values of any foreign securities held by a fund are converted into U.S. dollars using an exchange rate obtained from an independent third party as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE. The values of any mutual fund shares, including institutional money market fund shares, held by a fund are based on the NAVs of the shares. The values of any ETF shares or closed-end fund shares held by a fund are based on the market value of the shares.
A fund also 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
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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.
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.
Each Fund has authorized certain financial intermediaries and their designees, and may, from time to time, authorize certain funds 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.
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Financial Highlights
Financial highlights information is intended to help you understand a fund’s performance for the past five years (or, if shorter, its period of operations). Certain information reflects financial results for a single fund share. Total return represents the rate that an investor would have earned or lost each period on an investment in a fund or share class (assuming reinvestment of all distributions). This information has been obtained from the financial statements audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with fund financial statements, is included in a fund’s most recent annual report to shareholders. You may obtain a free copy of a fund’s latest annual or semiannual report, which is available upon request.
Vanguard Communication Services Index Fund Admiral Shares
For a Share Outstanding
Throughout Each Period
Year Ended August 31,
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$47.97
$76.38
$55.06
$44.46
$44.25
Investment Operations
Net Investment Income1
.591
.572
.519
.512
.470
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments
7.682
(28.388)
21.259
10.571
.157
Total from Investment Operations
8.273
(27.816)
21.778
11.083
.627
Distributions
Dividends from Net Investment Income
(.493)
(.594)
(.458)
(.483)
(.417)
Distributions from Realized Capital Gains
Total Distributions
(.493)
(.594)
(.458)
(.483)
(.417)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$55.75
$47.97
$76.38
$55.06
$44.46
Total Return2
17.44%
-36.61%
39.76%
25.16%
1.46%
Ratios/Supplemental Data
 
 
 
 
 
Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)
$115
$70
$124
$67
$50
Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets
0.10%3
0.10%
0.10%
0.10%
0.10%
Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets
1.21%
0.93%
0.79%
1.10%
1.09%
Portfolio Turnover Rate4
15%
16%
15%
15%
33%
 
 
1