485BPOS
 
Vanguard U.S. Sector ETFs
Prospectus
 December 21, 2022
Exchange-traded fund shares that are not individually redeemable and are listed on NYSE Arca
Vanguard Communication Services Index Fund ETF Shares (VOX)
Vanguard Consumer Discretionary Index Fund ETF Shares (VCR)
Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund ETF Shares (VDC)
Vanguard Energy Index Fund ETF Shares (VDE)
Vanguard Financials Index Fund ETF Shares (VFH)
Vanguard Health Care Index Fund ETF Shares (VHT)
Vanguard Industrials Index Fund ETF Shares (VIS)
Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund ETF Shares (VGT)
Vanguard Materials Index Fund ETF Shares (VAW)
Vanguard Utilities Index Fund ETF Shares (VPU)
  
 
 
This prospectus contains financial data for the Funds through the fiscal year ended August 31, 2022.
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 ETF
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 ETF 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) 
 
Transaction Fee on Purchases and Sales
None*
Transaction Fee on Reinvested Dividends
None*
Transaction Fee on Conversion to ETF Shares
None*
*
None through Vanguard (Broker fees vary)
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 ETF Shares with the cost of investing in other 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 sell your shares 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
This example does not include the brokerage commissions that you may pay to buy and sell ETF Shares of the Fund.
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 16% 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.
 
2

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.
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.
3
Because ETF Shares are traded on an exchange, they are subject to additional risks:
• The Fund’s ETF Shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and are bought and sold on the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of an ETF Share typically will approximate its net asset value (NAV), there may be times when the market price and the NAV differ significantly. Thus, you may pay more or less than NAV when you buy ETF Shares on the secondary market, and you may receive more or less than NAV when you sell those shares.
• Although the Fund’s ETF Shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, it is possible that an active trading market may not be maintained.
• Trading of the Fund’s ETF Shares may be halted by the activation of individual or marketwide trading halts (which halt trading for a specific period of time when the price of a particular security or overall market prices decline by a specified percentage). Trading of the Fund’s ETF Shares may also be halted if (1) the shares are delisted from NYSE Arca without first being listed on another exchange or (2) NYSE Arca officials determine that such action is appropriate in the interest of a fair and orderly market or for the protection of investors.
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 ETF Shares (based on NAV) has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the ETF 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.
4
Annual Total Returns — Vanguard Communication Services Index Fund ETF Shares1
 
1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on September 30, 2022, was -38.86%.
During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were: 
 
Total Return
Quarter
Highest
22.22%
June 30, 2020
Lowest
-18.64%
March 31, 2020
Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2021 
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Vanguard Communication Services Index Fund ETF Shares
 
 
 
Based on NAV
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
13.78%
8.17%
10.88%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
13.53
7.70
10.24
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
8.34
6.31
8.83
Based on Market Price
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
13.73
8.17
10.89
Communication Services Spliced Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
13.86%
8.14%
10.86%
MSCI US IMI/Communication Services 25/50
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
13.86
10.96
12.29
MSCI US Investable Market 2500 Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
26.13
18.10
16.39
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
5
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.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
ETF Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a brokerage firm. The price you pay or receive for ETF Shares will be the prevailing market price, which may be more (premium) or less (discount) than the NAV of the shares. The brokerage firm may charge you a commission to execute the transaction. Unless imposed by your brokerage firm, there is no minimum dollar amount you must invest and no minimum number of shares you must buy. ETF Shares of the Fund cannot be directly purchased from or redeemed with the Fund, except by certain authorized broker-dealers. These broker-dealers may purchase and redeem ETF Shares only in large blocks (Creation Units), typically in exchange for baskets of securities.
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase ETF Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for ETF Shares (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (bid-ask spread). Recent information, including information on the Fund's NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, is available online at vanguard.com.
6
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.
7
Vanguard Consumer Discretionary ETF
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 ETF 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) 
 
Transaction Fee on Purchases and Sales
None*
Transaction Fee on Reinvested Dividends
None*
Transaction Fee on Conversion to ETF Shares
None*
*
None through Vanguard (Broker fees vary)
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%
8
Example
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund’s ETF Shares with the cost of investing in other 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 sell your shares 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
This example does not include the brokerage commissions that you may pay to buy and sell ETF Shares of the Fund.
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 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.
 
9

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.
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.
10
• 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.
Because ETF Shares are traded on an exchange, they are subject to additional risks:
• The Fund’s ETF Shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and are bought and sold on the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of an ETF Share typically will approximate its net asset value (NAV), there may be times when the market price and the NAV differ significantly. Thus, you may pay more or less than NAV when you buy ETF Shares on the secondary market, and you may receive more or less than NAV when you sell those shares.
• Although the Fund’s ETF Shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, it is possible that an active trading market may not be maintained.
• Trading of the Fund’s ETF Shares may be halted by the activation of individual or marketwide trading halts (which halt trading for a specific period of time when the price of a particular security or overall market prices decline by a specified percentage). Trading of the Fund’s ETF Shares may also be halted if (1) the shares are delisted from NYSE Arca without first being listed on another exchange or (2) NYSE Arca officials determine that such action is appropriate in the interest of a fair and orderly market or for the protection of investors.
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 ETF Shares (based on NAV) has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the ETF 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,
11
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 ETF Shares1
 
1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on September 30, 2022, was -30.65%.
During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were: 
 
Total Return
Quarter
Highest
37.76%
June 30, 2020
Lowest
-23.08%
March 31, 2020
Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2021 
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Vanguard Consumer Discretionary Index Fund ETF Shares
 
 
 
Based on NAV
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
24.88%
23.17%
20.20%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
24.59
22.71
19.81
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
14.85
18.90
17.33
Based on Market Price
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
24.82
23.16
20.20
Consumer Discretionary Spliced Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
24.99%
23.25%
20.30%
MSCI US IMI/Consumer Discretionary 25/50
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
24.99
23.63
20.48
MSCI US Investable Market 2500 Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
26.13
18.10
16.39
12
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.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
ETF Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a brokerage firm. The price you pay or receive for ETF Shares will be the prevailing market price, which may be more (premium) or less (discount) than the NAV of the shares. The brokerage firm may charge you a commission to execute the transaction. Unless imposed by your brokerage firm, there is no minimum dollar amount you must invest and no minimum number of shares you must buy. ETF Shares of the Fund cannot be directly purchased from or redeemed with the Fund, except by certain authorized broker-dealers. These broker-dealers may purchase and redeem ETF Shares only in large blocks (Creation Units), typically in exchange for baskets of securities.
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase ETF Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for ETF Shares (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (bid-ask spread). Recent information, including information on the Fund's NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, is available online at vanguard.com.
13
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.
14
Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF
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 ETF 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) 
 
Transaction Fee on Purchases and Sales
None*
Transaction Fee on Reinvested Dividends
None*
Transaction Fee on Conversion to ETF Shares
None*
*
None through Vanguard (Broker fees vary)
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%
15
Example
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund’s ETF Shares with the cost of investing in other 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 sell your shares 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
This example does not include the brokerage commissions that you may pay to buy and sell ETF Shares of the Fund.
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)/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.
 
16

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.
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.
17
Because ETF Shares are traded on an exchange, they are subject to additional risks:
• The Fund’s ETF Shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and are bought and sold on the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of an ETF Share typically will approximate its net asset value (NAV), there may be times when the market price and the NAV differ significantly. Thus, you may pay more or less than NAV when you buy ETF Shares on the secondary market, and you may receive more or less than NAV when you sell those shares.
• Although the Fund’s ETF Shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, it is possible that an active trading market may not be maintained.
• Trading of the Fund’s ETF Shares may be halted by the activation of individual or marketwide trading halts (which halt trading for a specific period of time when the price of a particular security or overall market prices decline by a specified percentage). Trading of the Fund’s ETF Shares may also be halted if (1) the shares are delisted from NYSE Arca without first being listed on another exchange or (2) NYSE Arca officials determine that such action is appropriate in the interest of a fair and orderly market or for the protection of investors.
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 ETF Shares (based on NAV) has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the ETF 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.
18
Annual Total Returns — Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund ETF Shares1
 
1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on September 30, 2022, was -12.60%.
During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were: 
 
Total Return
Quarter
Highest
14.55%
March 31, 2013
Lowest
-14.12%
March 31, 2020
Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2021 
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund ETF Shares
 
 
 
Based on NAV
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
17.49%
11.13%
12.14%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
16.84
10.46
11.51
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
10.74
8.72
9.97
Based on Market Price
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
17.46
11.13
12.13
MSCI US IMI/Consumer Staples 25/50
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
17.62%
11.24%
12.25%
MSCI US Investable Market 2500 Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
26.13
18.10
16.39
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
19
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.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
ETF Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a brokerage firm. The price you pay or receive for ETF Shares will be the prevailing market price, which may be more (premium) or less (discount) than the NAV of the shares. The brokerage firm may charge you a commission to execute the transaction. Unless imposed by your brokerage firm, there is no minimum dollar amount you must invest and no minimum number of shares you must buy. ETF Shares of the Fund cannot be directly purchased from or redeemed with the Fund, except by certain authorized broker-dealers. These broker-dealers may purchase and redeem ETF Shares only in large blocks (Creation Units), typically in exchange for baskets of securities.
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase ETF Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for ETF Shares (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (bid-ask spread). Recent information, including information on the Fund's NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, is available online at vanguard.com.
20
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions may be taxable as ordinary income or capital gain. If you are investing through a tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA or an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, special tax rules apply.
Payments to Financial Intermediaries
The Fund and its investment advisor do not pay financial intermediaries for sales of Fund shares.
21
Vanguard Energy ETF
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 ETF 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) 
 
Transaction Fee on Purchases and Sales
None*
Transaction Fee on Reinvested Dividends
None*
Transaction Fee on Conversion to ETF Shares
None*
*
None through Vanguard (Broker fees vary)
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%
22
Example
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund’s ETF Shares with the cost of investing in other 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 sell your shares 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
This example does not include the brokerage commissions that you may pay to buy and sell ETF Shares of the Fund.
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 6% 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.
23
Principal Risks
An investment in the Fund could lose money over short or long periods of time. You should expect the Fund's share price and total return to fluctuate within a wide range. The Fund is subject to the following risks, which could affect the Fund's performance:
• 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.
24
Because ETF Shares are traded on an exchange, they are subject to additional risks:
• The Fund’s ETF Shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and are bought and sold on the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of an ETF Share typically will approximate its net asset value (NAV), there may be times when the market price and the NAV differ significantly. Thus, you may pay more or less than NAV when you buy ETF Shares on the secondary market, and you may receive more or less than NAV when you sell those shares.
• Although the Fund’s ETF Shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, it is possible that an active trading market may not be maintained.
• Trading of the Fund’s ETF Shares may be halted by the activation of individual or marketwide trading halts (which halt trading for a specific period of time when the price of a particular security or overall market prices decline by a specified percentage). Trading of the Fund’s ETF Shares may also be halted if (1) the shares are delisted from NYSE Arca without first being listed on another exchange or (2) NYSE Arca officials determine that such action is appropriate in the interest of a fair and orderly market or for the protection of investors.
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 ETF Shares (based on NAV) has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the ETF 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.
25
Annual Total Returns — Vanguard Energy Index Fund ETF Shares1
 
1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on September 30, 2022, was 34.71%.
During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were: 
 
Total Return
Quarter
Highest
33.32%
June 30, 2020
Lowest
-52.43%
March 31, 2020
Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2021 
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Vanguard Energy Index Fund ETF Shares
 
 
 
Based on NAV
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
56.01%
-2.25%
0.35%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
54.37
-3.11
-0.34
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
34.11
-1.77
0.25
Based on Market Price
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
55.99
-2.25
0.35
MSCI US IMI/Energy 25/50
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
56.26%
-2.15%
0.48%
MSCI US Investable Market 2500 Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
26.13
18.10
16.39
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
26
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
William A. Coleman, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has co-managed the Fund since 2015.
Awais Khan, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has co-managed the Fund since 2017.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
ETF Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a brokerage firm. The price you pay or receive for ETF Shares will be the prevailing market price, which may be more (premium) or less (discount) than the NAV of the shares. The brokerage firm may charge you a commission to execute the transaction. Unless imposed by your brokerage firm, there is no minimum dollar amount you must invest and no minimum number of shares you must buy. ETF Shares of the Fund cannot be directly purchased from or redeemed with the Fund, except by certain authorized broker-dealers. These broker-dealers may purchase and redeem ETF Shares only in large blocks (Creation Units), typically in exchange for baskets of securities.
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase ETF Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for ETF Shares (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (bid-ask spread). Recent information, including information on the Fund's NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, is available online at vanguard.com.
27
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.
28
Vanguard Financials ETF
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 ETF 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) 
 
Transaction Fee on Purchases and Sales
None*
Transaction Fee on Reinvested Dividends
None*
Transaction Fee on Conversion to ETF Shares
None*
*
None through Vanguard (Broker fees vary)
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%
29
Example
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund’s ETF Shares with the cost of investing in other 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 sell your shares 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
This example does not include the brokerage commissions that you may pay to buy and sell ETF Shares of the Fund.
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 6% 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.
30
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.
31
Because ETF Shares are traded on an exchange, they are subject to additional risks:
• The Fund’s ETF Shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and are bought and sold on the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of an ETF Share typically will approximate its net asset value (NAV), there may be times when the market price and the NAV differ significantly. Thus, you may pay more or less than NAV when you buy ETF Shares on the secondary market, and you may receive more or less than NAV when you sell those shares.
• Although the Fund’s ETF Shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, it is possible that an active trading market may not be maintained.
• Trading of the Fund’s ETF Shares may be halted by the activation of individual or marketwide trading halts (which halt trading for a specific period of time when the price of a particular security or overall market prices decline by a specified percentage). Trading of the Fund’s ETF Shares may also be halted if (1) the shares are delisted from NYSE Arca without first being listed on another exchange or (2) NYSE Arca officials determine that such action is appropriate in the interest of a fair and orderly market or for the protection of investors.
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 ETF Shares (based on NAV) has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the ETF 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.
32
Annual Total Returns — Vanguard Financials Index Fund ETF Shares1
 
1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on September 30, 2022, was -21.75%.
During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were: 
 
Total Return
Quarter
Highest
25.32%
December 31, 2020
Lowest
-33.12%
March 31, 2020
Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2021 
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Vanguard Financials Index Fund ETF Shares
 
 
 
Based on NAV
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
35.22%
12.60%
15.70%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
34.59
12.04
15.08
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
21.25
9.95
13.10
Based on Market Price
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
35.11
12.59
15.70
MSCI US IMI/Financials 25/50
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
35.37%
12.71%
15.81%
MSCI US Investable Market 2500 Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
26.13
18.10
16.39
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
33
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
William A. Coleman, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has co-managed the Fund since 2015.
Michelle Louie, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. She has co-managed the Fund since 2017.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
ETF Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a brokerage firm. The price you pay or receive for ETF Shares will be the prevailing market price, which may be more (premium) or less (discount) than the NAV of the shares. The brokerage firm may charge you a commission to execute the transaction. Unless imposed by your brokerage firm, there is no minimum dollar amount you must invest and no minimum number of shares you must buy. ETF Shares of the Fund cannot be directly purchased from or redeemed with the Fund, except by certain authorized broker-dealers. These broker-dealers may purchase and redeem ETF Shares only in large blocks (Creation Units), typically in exchange for baskets of securities.
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase ETF Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for ETF Shares (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (bid-ask spread). Recent information, including information on the Fund's NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, is available online at vanguard.com.
34
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.
35
Vanguard Health Care ETF
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 ETF 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) 
 
Transaction Fee on Purchases and Sales
None*
Transaction Fee on Reinvested Dividends
None*
Transaction Fee on Conversion to ETF Shares
None*
*
None through Vanguard (Broker fees vary)
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%
36
Example
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund’s ETF Shares with the cost of investing in other 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 sell your shares 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
This example does not include the brokerage commissions that you may pay to buy and sell ETF Shares of the Fund.
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 3% 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.
37
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.
38
Because ETF Shares are traded on an exchange, they are subject to additional risks:
• The Fund’s ETF Shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and are bought and sold on the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of an ETF Share typically will approximate its net asset value (NAV), there may be times when the market price and the NAV differ significantly. Thus, you may pay more or less than NAV when you buy ETF Shares on the secondary market, and you may receive more or less than NAV when you sell those shares.
• Although the Fund’s ETF Shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, it is possible that an active trading market may not be maintained.
• Trading of the Fund’s ETF Shares may be halted by the activation of individual or marketwide trading halts (which halt trading for a specific period of time when the price of a particular security or overall market prices decline by a specified percentage). Trading of the Fund’s ETF Shares may also be halted if (1) the shares are delisted from NYSE Arca without first being listed on another exchange or (2) NYSE Arca officials determine that such action is appropriate in the interest of a fair and orderly market or for the protection of investors.
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 ETF Shares (based on NAV) has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the ETF 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.
39
Annual Total Returns — Vanguard Health Care Index Fund ETF Shares1
 
1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on September 30, 2022, was -15.29%.
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
-13.15%
March 31, 2020
Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2021 
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Vanguard Health Care Index Fund ETF Shares
 
 
 
Based on NAV
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
20.50%
17.73%
17.45%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
20.15
17.33
17.08
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
12.35
14.31
14.85
Based on Market Price
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
20.41
17.73
17.45
MSCI US IMI/Health Care 25/50
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
20.61%
17.81%
17.53%
MSCI US Investable Market 2500 Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
26.13
18.10
16.39
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
40
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.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
ETF Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a brokerage firm. The price you pay or receive for ETF Shares will be the prevailing market price, which may be more (premium) or less (discount) than the NAV of the shares. The brokerage firm may charge you a commission to execute the transaction. Unless imposed by your brokerage firm, there is no minimum dollar amount you must invest and no minimum number of shares you must buy. ETF Shares of the Fund cannot be directly purchased from or redeemed with the Fund, except by certain authorized broker-dealers. These broker-dealers may purchase and redeem ETF Shares only in large blocks (Creation Units), typically in exchange for baskets of securities.
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase ETF Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for ETF Shares (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (bid-ask spread). Recent information, including information on the Fund's NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, is available online at vanguard.com.
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.
41
Vanguard Industrials ETF
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 ETF 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) 
 
Transaction Fee on Purchases and Sales
None*
Transaction Fee on Reinvested Dividends
None*
Transaction Fee on Conversion to ETF Shares
None*
*
None through Vanguard (Broker fees vary)
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%
42
Example
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund’s ETF Shares with the cost of investing in other 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 sell your shares 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
This example does not include the brokerage commissions that you may pay to buy and sell ETF Shares of the Fund.
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)/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.
 
43

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.
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
44
experience greater volatility because, among other things, these companies tend to be more sensitive to changing economic conditions.
Because ETF Shares are traded on an exchange, they are subject to additional risks:
• The Fund’s ETF Shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and are bought and sold on the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of an ETF Share typically will approximate its net asset value (NAV), there may be times when the market price and the NAV differ significantly. Thus, you may pay more or less than NAV when you buy ETF Shares on the secondary market, and you may receive more or less than NAV when you sell those shares.
• Although the Fund’s ETF Shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, it is possible that an active trading market may not be maintained.
• Trading of the Fund’s ETF Shares may be halted by the activation of individual or marketwide trading halts (which halt trading for a specific period of time when the price of a particular security or overall market prices decline by a specified percentage). Trading of the Fund’s ETF Shares may also be halted if (1) the shares are delisted from NYSE Arca without first being listed on another exchange or (2) NYSE Arca officials determine that such action is appropriate in the interest of a fair and orderly market or for the protection of investors.
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 ETF Shares (based on NAV) has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the ETF 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.
45
Annual Total Returns — Vanguard Industrials Index Fund ETF Shares1
 
1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on September 30, 2022, was -21.56%.
During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were: 
 
Total Return
Quarter
Highest
18.20%
June 30, 2020
Lowest
-27.89%
March 31, 2020
Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2021 
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Vanguard Industrials Index Fund ETF Shares
 
 
 
Based on NAV
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
20.70%
13.03%
14.46%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
20.37
12.60
14.03
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
12.47
10.34
12.10
Based on Market Price
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
20.66
13.02
14.46
MSCI US IMI/Industrials 25/50
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
20.83%
13.14%
14.57%
MSCI US Investable Market 2500 Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
26.13
18.10
16.39
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
46
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.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
ETF Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a brokerage firm. The price you pay or receive for ETF Shares will be the prevailing market price, which may be more (premium) or less (discount) than the NAV of the shares. The brokerage firm may charge you a commission to execute the transaction. Unless imposed by your brokerage firm, there is no minimum dollar amount you must invest and no minimum number of shares you must buy. ETF Shares of the Fund cannot be directly purchased from or redeemed with the Fund, except by certain authorized broker-dealers. These broker-dealers may purchase and redeem ETF Shares only in large blocks (Creation Units), typically in exchange for baskets of securities.
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase ETF Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for ETF Shares (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (bid-ask spread). Recent information, including information on the Fund's NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, is available online at vanguard.com.
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.
47
Vanguard Information Technology ETF
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 ETF 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) 
 
Transaction Fee on Purchases and Sales
None*
Transaction Fee on Reinvested Dividends
None*
Transaction Fee on Conversion to ETF Shares
None*
*
None through Vanguard (Broker fees vary)
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%
48
Example
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund’s ETF Shares with the cost of investing in other 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 sell your shares 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
This example does not include the brokerage commissions that you may pay to buy and sell ETF Shares of the Fund.
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 6% 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.
49
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.
50
Because ETF Shares are traded on an exchange, they are subject to additional risks:
• The Fund’s ETF Shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and are bought and sold on the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of an ETF Share typically will approximate its net asset value (NAV), there may be times when the market price and the NAV differ significantly. Thus, you may pay more or less than NAV when you buy ETF Shares on the secondary market, and you may receive more or less than NAV when you sell those shares.
• Although the Fund’s ETF Shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, it is possible that an active trading market may not be maintained.
• Trading of the Fund’s ETF Shares may be halted by the activation of individual or marketwide trading halts (which halt trading for a specific period of time when the price of a particular security or overall market prices decline by a specified percentage). Trading of the Fund’s ETF Shares may also be halted if (1) the shares are delisted from NYSE Arca without first being listed on another exchange or (2) NYSE Arca officials determine that such action is appropriate in the interest of a fair and orderly market or for the protection of investors.
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 ETF Shares (based on NAV) has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the ETF 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.
51
Annual Total Returns — Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund ETF Shares1
 
1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on September 30, 2022, was -32.53%.
During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were: 
 
Total Return
Quarter
Highest
31.74%
June 30, 2020
Lowest
-17.31%
December 31, 2018
Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2021 
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund ETF Shares
 
 
 
Based on NAV
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
30.38%
31.79%
23.67%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
30.15
31.46
23.35
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
18.11
26.57
20.60
Based on Market Price
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
30.28
31.78
23.66
Information Technology Spliced Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
30.49%
31.94%
23.81%
MSCI US IMI/Information Technology 25/50
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
30.49
31.22
23.48
MSCI US Investable Market 2500 Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
26.13
18.10
16.39
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
52
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.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
ETF Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a brokerage firm. The price you pay or receive for ETF Shares will be the prevailing market price, which may be more (premium) or less (discount) than the NAV of the shares. The brokerage firm may charge you a commission to execute the transaction. Unless imposed by your brokerage firm, there is no minimum dollar amount you must invest and no minimum number of shares you must buy. ETF Shares of the Fund cannot be directly purchased from or redeemed with the Fund, except by certain authorized broker-dealers. These broker-dealers may purchase and redeem ETF Shares only in large blocks (Creation Units), typically in exchange for baskets of securities.
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase ETF Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for ETF Shares (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (bid-ask spread). Recent information, including information on the Fund's NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, is available online at vanguard.com.
53
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 Materials ETF
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 ETF 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) 
 
Transaction Fee on Purchases and Sales
None*
Transaction Fee on Reinvested Dividends
None*
Transaction Fee on Conversion to ETF Shares
None*
*
None through Vanguard (Broker fees vary)
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) 
 
Management Fees
0.08%
12b-1 Distribution Fee
None
Other Expenses
0.02%
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 ETF Shares with the cost of investing in other 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 sell your shares 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
This example does not include the brokerage commissions that you may pay to buy and sell ETF Shares of the Fund.
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)/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.
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 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.
57
Because ETF Shares are traded on an exchange, they are subject to additional risks:
• The Fund’s ETF Shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and are bought and sold on the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of an ETF Share typically will approximate its net asset value (NAV), there may be times when the market price and the NAV differ significantly. Thus, you may pay more or less than NAV when you buy ETF Shares on the secondary market, and you may receive more or less than NAV when you sell those shares.
• Although the Fund’s ETF Shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, it is possible that an active trading market may not be maintained.
• Trading of the Fund’s ETF Shares may be halted by the activation of individual or marketwide trading halts (which halt trading for a specific period of time when the price of a particular security or overall market prices decline by a specified percentage). Trading of the Fund’s ETF Shares may also be halted if (1) the shares are delisted from NYSE Arca without first being listed on another exchange or (2) NYSE Arca officials determine that such action is appropriate in the interest of a fair and orderly market or for the protection of investors.
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 ETF Shares (based on NAV) has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the ETF 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.
58
Annual Total Returns — Vanguard Materials Index Fund ETF Shares1
 
1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on September 30, 2022, was -23.56%.
During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were: 
 
Total Return
Quarter
Highest
26.16%
June 30, 2020
Lowest
-27.97%
March 31, 2020
Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2021 
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Vanguard Materials Index Fund ETF Shares
 
 
 
Based on NAV
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
27.27%
13.93%
12.51%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
26.80
13.43
12.02
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
16.43
11.06
10.31
Based on Market Price
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
27.22
13.93
12.52
MSCI US IMI/Materials 25/50
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
27.40%
14.01%
12.61%
MSCI US Investable Market 2500 Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
26.13
18.10
16.39
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
59
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
William A. Coleman, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has co-managed the Fund since 2015.
Michelle Louie, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. She has co-managed the Fund since 2017.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
ETF Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a brokerage firm. The price you pay or receive for ETF Shares will be the prevailing market price, which may be more (premium) or less (discount) than the NAV of the shares. The brokerage firm may charge you a commission to execute the transaction. Unless imposed by your brokerage firm, there is no minimum dollar amount you must invest and no minimum number of shares you must buy. ETF Shares of the Fund cannot be directly purchased from or redeemed with the Fund, except by certain authorized broker-dealers. These broker-dealers may purchase and redeem ETF Shares only in large blocks (Creation Units), typically in exchange for baskets of securities.
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase ETF Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for ETF Shares (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (bid-ask spread). Recent information, including information on the Fund's NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, is available online at vanguard.com.
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.
60
Vanguard Utilities ETF
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 ETF 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) 
 
Transaction Fee on Purchases and Sales
None*
Transaction Fee on Reinvested Dividends
None*
Transaction Fee on Conversion to ETF Shares
None*
*
None through Vanguard (Broker fees vary)
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%
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Example
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund’s ETF Shares with the cost of investing in other 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 sell your shares 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
This example does not include the brokerage commissions that you may pay to buy and sell ETF Shares of the Fund.
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 3% 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.
62
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.
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Because ETF Shares are traded on an exchange, they are subject to additional risks:
• The Fund’s ETF Shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and are bought and sold on the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of an ETF Share typically will approximate its net asset value (NAV), there may be times when the market price and the NAV differ significantly. Thus, you may pay more or less than NAV when you buy ETF Shares on the secondary market, and you may receive more or less than NAV when you sell those shares.
• Although the Fund’s ETF Shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, it is possible that an active trading market may not be maintained.
• Trading of the Fund’s ETF Shares may be halted by the activation of individual or marketwide trading halts (which halt trading for a specific period of time when the price of a particular security or overall market prices decline by a specified percentage). Trading of the Fund’s ETF Shares may also be halted if (1) the shares are delisted from NYSE Arca without first being listed on another exchange or (2) NYSE Arca officials determine that such action is appropriate in the interest of a fair and orderly market or for the protection of investors.
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 ETF Shares (based on NAV) has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the ETF 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.
64
Annual Total Returns — Vanguard Utilities Index Fund ETF Shares1
 
1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on September 30, 2022, was -7.03%.
During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were: 
 
Total Return
Quarter
Highest
15.24%
March 31, 2016
Lowest
-14.10%
March 31, 2020
Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2021 
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Vanguard Utilities Index Fund ETF Shares
 
 
 
Based on NAV
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
17.33%
11.30%
11.00%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
16.52
10.48
10.17
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
10.74
8.85
8.89
Based on Market Price
 
 
 
Return Before Taxes
17.28
11.29
11.00
MSCI US IMI/Utilities 25/50
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
17.48%
11.40%
11.12%
MSCI US Investable Market 2500 Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
26.13
18.10
16.39
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
65
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.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
ETF Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a brokerage firm. The price you pay or receive for ETF Shares will be the prevailing market price, which may be more (premium) or less (discount) than the NAV of the shares. The brokerage firm may charge you a commission to execute the transaction. Unless imposed by your brokerage firm, there is no minimum dollar amount you must invest and no minimum number of shares you must buy. ETF Shares of the Fund cannot be directly purchased from or redeemed with the Fund, except by certain authorized broker-dealers. These broker-dealers may purchase and redeem ETF Shares only in large blocks (Creation Units), typically in exchange for baskets of securities.
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase ETF Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for ETF Shares (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (bid-ask spread). Recent information, including information on the Fund's NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, is available online at vanguard.com.
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.
66
Investing in Vanguard ETF® Shares
What Are Vanguard ETF Shares?
Vanguard ETF Shares are an exchange-traded class of shares issued by certain Vanguard funds. ETF Shares represent an interest in the portfolio of stocks or bonds held by the issuing fund. The following ETF Shares are offered through this prospectus: 
Vanguard Fund
Vanguard ETF Shares
Vanguard Communication Services Index
Fund
Vanguard Communication Services ETF
Vanguard Consumer Discretionary Index
Fund
Vanguard Consumer Discretionary ETF
Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund
Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF
Vanguard Energy Index Fund
Vanguard Energy ETF
Vanguard Financials Index Fund
Vanguard Financials ETF
Vanguard Health Care Index Fund
Vanguard Health Care ETF
Vanguard Industrials Index Fund
Vanguard Industrials ETF
Vanguard Information Technology Index
Fund
Vanguard Information Technology ETF
Vanguard Materials Index Fund
Vanguard Materials ETF
Vanguard Utilities Index Fund
Vanguard Utilities ETF
In addition to ETF Shares, each Fund offers one conventional (i.e., not exchange-traded) class of shares. This prospectus, however, relates only to ETF Shares.
How Are Vanguard ETF Shares Different From Conventional Mutual Fund Shares?
Conventional mutual fund shares can be directly purchased from and redeemed with the issuing fund for cash at the net asset value (NAV), typically calculated once a day. ETF Shares, by contrast, cannot be purchased directly from or redeemed directly with the issuing fund by an individual investor. Rather, ETF Shares can only be purchased or redeemed directly from the issuing fund by certain authorized broker-dealers. These broker-dealers may purchase and redeem ETF Shares only in large blocks (Creation Units), usually in exchange for baskets of securities and not for cash (although some funds issue and redeem Creation Units in exchange for cash or a combination of cash and securities).
An organized secondary trading market is expected to exist for ETF Shares, unlike conventional mutual fund shares, because ETF Shares are listed for trading on a national securities exchange. Individual investors can purchase and sell ETF Shares on the secondary market through a broker. Secondary-market transactions occur not at NAV, but at market prices that are subject to change throughout the day based on the supply of and demand for ETF Shares, changes in the prices of the fund’s portfolio holdings, and other factors.
67
The market price of a fund's ETF Shares typically will differ somewhat from the NAV of those shares. The difference between market price and NAV is expected to be small most of the time, but in times of market disruption or extreme market volatility, the difference may become significant.
How Do I Buy and Sell Vanguard ETF Shares?
ETF Shares of the Funds are listed for trading on NYSE Arca. You can buy and sell ETF Shares on the secondary market in the same way you buy and sell any other exchange-traded security—through a broker. Your broker may charge a commission to execute a transaction. You will also incur the cost of the “bid-ask spread,” which is the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase ETF Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for ETF Shares (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market. Because secondary-market transactions occur at market prices, you may pay more (premium) or less (discount) than NAV when you buy ETF Shares and receive more or less than NAV when you sell those shares. In times of severe market disruption, the bid-ask spread and premiums/discounts can increase significantly. Unless imposed by your broker, there is no minimum dollar amount you must invest and no minimum number of ETF Shares you must buy.
Your ownership of ETF Shares will be shown on the records of the broker through which you hold the shares. Vanguard will not have any record of your ownership. Your account information will be maintained by your broker, which will provide you with account statements, confirmations of your purchases and sales of ETF Shares, and tax information. Your broker also will be responsible for ensuring that you receive income and capital gains distributions, as well as shareholder reports and other communications from the fund whose ETF Shares you own. You will receive other services (e.g., dividend reinvestment and average cost information) only if your broker offers these services.
68
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 sponsor determines the securities to include in the index and the weighting of each security in the index. Under normal circumstances, the index sponsor will rebalance an index on a regular schedule. An index sponsor may carry out additional ad hoc index rebalances or delay or cancel a scheduled rebalance. Generally, the index sponsor 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 sponsor may occur from time to time and may not be identified by the index sponsor 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 sponsor’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 and regulatory or policy restrictions 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.
69
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.
70
More on the Funds and ETF Shares
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 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 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’ ETF Shares, an exchange-traded class of shares. A separate prospectus offers the Funds’ Admiral™ Shares, which are generally for investors who invest a minimum of $100,000.
Both share classes offered by a Fund have the same investment objective, strategies, and policies. However, different share classes have different expenses; as a result, their investment returns will differ.
A Note to Investors
Vanguard ETF Shares can be purchased directly from the issuing Fund only by certain authorized broker-dealers in exchange for a basket of securities (or, in some cases, for cash or a combination of cash and securities). Individual investors generally will not be able to purchase ETF Shares directly from a Fund. Instead, these investors will purchase ETF Shares on the secondary market through a broker. 
Plain Talk About Costs of Investing
Costs are an important consideration in choosing an ETF. That is because
you, as a shareholder, pay a proportionate share of the costs of operating a
fund and any transaction costs incurred when the fund buys or sells
securities. These costs can erode a substantial portion of the gross income
or the capital appreciation a fund achieves. Even seemingly small differences
in expenses can, over time, have a dramatic effect on a fund’s performance.
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The following sections explain the principal investment strategies and policies that each Fund uses in pursuit of its investment objective. The Funds' board of trustees, which oversees each Fund's management, may change investment strategies or policies in the interest of shareholders without a shareholder vote, unless those strategies or policies are designated as fundamental. Note that each Fund’s investment objective is not fundamental and may be changed without a shareholder vote. 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, 2022. 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
70.57%
22.03%
7.39%
MSCI US Investable Market Index
(IMI)/Consumer Discretionary 25/50
76.33
16.91
6.76
MSCI US Investable Market Index
(IMI)/Consumer Staples 25/50
81.25
12.63
6.12
MSCI US Investable Market Index
(IMI)/Energy 25/50
80.44
14.82
4.74
MSCI US Investable Market Index
(IMI)/Financials 25/50
71.62
20.75
7.62
MSCI US Investable Market Index
(IMI)/Health Care 25/50
80.59
14.13
5.28
MSCI US Investable Market Index
(IMI)/Industrials 25/50
64.32
27.08
8.60
MSCI US Investable Market Index
(IMI)/Information Technology 25/50
87.31
10.22
2.46
MSCI US Investable Market Index
(IMI)/Materials 25/50
56.52
36.14
7.34
MSCI US Investable Market Index
(IMI)/Utilities 25/50
63.86
33.07
3.07
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 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.
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The following table shows the number of stocks in each Fund’s target index as of August 31, 2022, 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
112
 
54.30%
Vanguard Consumer Discretionary Index Fund
311
 
61.70
Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund
100
 
61.30
Vanguard Energy Index Fund
108
 
66.80
Vanguard Financials Index Fund
372
 
39.80
Vanguard Health Care Index Fund
405
 
47.20
Vanguard Industrials Index Fund
364
 
30.60
Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund
373
 
58.70
Vanguard Materials Index Fund
115
 
46.90
Vanguard Utilities Index Fund
65
 
54.30
   
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.
   
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.
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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 sponsor 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 may 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.
Each Fund may invest, to a limited extent, in derivatives. Generally speaking, a derivative is a financial contract whose value is based on the value of a financial asset (such as a stock, a bond, or a currency), a physical asset (such as gold, oil, or wheat), a market index, or a reference rate. Investments in derivatives may subject the 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.
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Redemption Requests
Methods used to meet redemption requests. Redemptions of ETF Shares are typically met through a combination of cash and securities held by each Fund; see “How Are Vanguard ETF Shares Different From Conventional Mutual Fund Shares?” If cash is used to meet redemptions, the Fund typically obtains such cash through positive cash flows or the sale of Fund holdings consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and strategy. Please consult the Funds' Statement of Additional Information for further information on redemptions of ETF Shares.
Under certain 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, 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.
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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Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Shares
   
ETF Shares are not individually redeemable. They can be redeemed with the issuing Fund at NAV only by certain authorized broker-dealers and only in large blocks known as Creation Units. Consequently, if you want to liquidate some or all of your ETF Shares, you must sell them on the secondary market at prevailing market prices.
   
The market price of ETF Shares may differ from NAV. Although it is expected that the market price of an ETF Share typically will approximate its NAV, there may be times when the market price and the NAV differ significantly. Thus, you may pay more (premium) or less (discount) than NAV when you buy ETF Shares on the secondary market, and you may receive more or less than NAV when you sell those shares. These discounts and premiums are likely to be greatest during times of market disruption or extreme market volatility.
Vanguard’s website at vanguard.com shows the previous day’s closing NAV and closing market price for each Fund's ETF Shares. The website also discloses, in the Premium/Discount Analysis section of the ETF Shares’ Price & Performance page, how frequently each Fund’s ETF Shares traded at a premium or discount to NAV (based on closing NAVs and market prices) and the magnitudes of such premiums and discounts.
   
An active trading market may not exist. Although Vanguard ETF Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, it is possible that an active trading market may not be maintained. Although this could happen at any time, it is more likely to occur during times of severe market disruption. If you attempt to sell your ETF Shares when an active trading market is not functioning, you may have to sell at a significant discount to NAV. In extreme cases, you may not be able to sell your shares at all.
   
Trading may be halted. Trading of Vanguard ETF Shares on an exchange may be halted by the activation of individual or marketwide trading halts (which halt trading for a specific period of time when the price of a particular security or overall market prices decline by a specified percentage). Trading of ETF Shares may also be halted if (1) the shares are delisted from the listing exchange without first being listed on another exchange or (2) exchange officials determine that such action is appropriate in the interest of a fair and orderly market or for the protection of investors.
Conversion Privilege
Owners of conventional shares issued by a Fund may convert those shares to ETF Shares of equivalent value of the same fund. Please note that investors who own conventional shares through a 401(k) plan or other employer-sponsored retirement or benefit plan generally may not convert those shares to ETF Shares
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and should check with their plan sponsor or recordkeeper. ETF Shares, whether acquired through a conversion or purchased on the secondary market, cannot be converted to conventional shares by a shareholder. Also, ETF Shares of one fund cannot be exchanged for ETF Shares of another fund.
You must hold ETF Shares in a brokerage account. Thus, before converting conventional shares to ETF Shares, you must have an existing, or open a new, brokerage account. This account may be with Vanguard Brokerage Services® or with any other brokerage firm. To initiate a conversion of conventional shares to ETF Shares, please contact your broker.
Vanguard Brokerage Services does not impose a fee on conversions from Vanguard conventional shares to Vanguard ETF Shares. However, other brokerage firms may charge a fee to process a conversion. Vanguard reserves the right, in the future, to impose a transaction fee on conversions or to limit, temporarily suspend, or terminate the conversion privilege.
Converting conventional shares to ETF Shares is generally accomplished as follows. First, after your broker notifies Vanguard of your request to convert, Vanguard will transfer your conventional shares from your account to the broker’s omnibus account with Vanguard (an account maintained by the broker on behalf of all its customers who hold conventional Vanguard fund shares through the broker). After the transfer, Vanguard’s records will reflect your broker, not you, as the owner of the shares. Next, your broker will instruct Vanguard to convert the appropriate number or dollar amount of conventional shares in its omnibus account to ETF Shares of equivalent value, based on the respective NAVs of the two share classes.
Your Fund’s transfer agent will reflect ownership of all ETF Shares in the name of the Depository Trust Company (DTC). The DTC will keep track of which ETF Shares belong to your broker, and your broker, in turn, will keep track of which ETF Shares belong to you.
Because the DTC is unable to handle fractional shares, only whole shares can be converted. For example, if you owned 300.25 conventional shares, and this was equivalent in value to 90.75 ETF Shares, the DTC account would receive 90 ETF Shares. Conventional shares with a value equal to 0.75 ETF Shares (in this example, that would be 2.481 conventional shares) would remain in the broker’s omnibus account with Vanguard. Your broker then could either (1) credit your account with 0.75 ETF Shares or (2) redeem the 2.481 conventional shares for cash at NAV and deliver that cash to your account. If your broker chose to redeem your conventional shares, you would realize a gain or loss on the redemption that must be reported on your tax return (unless you hold the shares
79
in an IRA or other tax-deferred account). Please consult your broker for information on how it will handle the conversion process, including whether it will impose a fee to process a conversion.
If you convert your conventional shares to ETF Shares through Vanguard Brokerage Services, all conventional shares for which you request conversion will be converted to ETF Shares of equivalent value. Because no fractional shares will have to be sold, the transaction will not be taxable.
Here are some important points to keep in mind when converting conventional shares of a Vanguard fund to ETF Shares:
• The conversion process can take anywhere from several days to several weeks, depending on your broker. Vanguard generally will process conversion requests either on the day they are received or on the next business day. Vanguard imposes conversion blackout windows around the dates when a fund with ETF Shares declares dividends. This is necessary to prevent a shareholder from collecting a dividend from both the conventional share class currently held and also from the ETF share class to which the shares will be converted.
• Until the conversion process is complete, you will remain fully invested in a fund’s conventional shares, and your investment will increase or decrease in value in tandem with the NAV of those shares.
• The conversion transaction is nontaxable except, if applicable, to the very limited extent previously described.
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.
Shareholder Rights
Each Fund's Agreement and Declaration of Trust, as amended, requires a shareholder bringing a derivative action on behalf of Vanguard World Fund (the Trust) that is subject to a pre-suit demand to collectively hold at least 10% of the outstanding shares of the Trust or at least 10% of the outstanding shares of the series or class to which the demand relates and to undertake to reimburse the Trust for the expense of any counsel or advisors used when considering the merits of the demand in the event that the board of trustees determines not to
80
bring such action. In each case, these requirements do not apply to claims arising under the federal securities laws to the extent that any such federal securities laws, rules, or regulations do not permit such application.
Frequent Trading and Market-Timing
Unlike frequent trading of a Vanguard fund’s conventional (i.e., not exchange-traded) classes of shares, frequent trading of ETF Shares does not disrupt portfolio management or otherwise harm fund shareholders. The vast majority of trading in ETF Shares occurs on the secondary market. Because these trades do not involve the issuing fund, they do not harm the fund or its shareholders. Certain broker-dealers are authorized to purchase and redeem ETF Shares directly with the issuing fund. Because these trades typically are effected in kind (i.e., for securities and not for cash), or are assessed a transaction fee when effected in cash, they do not cause any of the harmful effects to the issuing fund (as previously noted) that may result from frequent trading. For these reasons, the board of trustees of each fund that issues ETF Shares has determined that it is not necessary to adopt policies and procedures to detect and deter frequent trading and market-timing of ETF Shares.
Portfolio Holdings
Please consult the Funds' Statement of Additional Information or our website for a description of the policies and procedures that govern disclosure of a Fund’s portfolio holdings.
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
81
rates may be more likely to generate capital gains, including short-term capital gains, that must be distributed to shareholders and will be taxable to shareholders investing through a taxable account.
The 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, 2022, Vanguard served as advisor for approximately $6 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, 2022, the advisory expenses represented an effective annual rate of each Fund's average net assets as follows: for Vanguard Communication Services Index, Vanguard Consumer Discretionary Index, Vanguard Consumer Staples Index, Vanguard Energy Index, Vanguard Financials Index, Vanguard Health Care Index, Vanguard Industrials Index, Vanguard Materials Index Funds, and Vanguard Utilities Index Funds 0.01%; for Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund, less than 0.01%.
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Under the terms of an SEC exemption, the Funds' board of trustees may, without prior approval from shareholders, change the terms of an advisory agreement with a third-party investment advisor or hire a new third-party investment advisor—either as a replacement for an existing advisor or as an additional advisor. Any significant change in a Fund's advisory arrangements will be communicated to shareholders in writing. As the Funds' sponsor and overall manager, Vanguard may provide investment advisory services to a Fund at any time. Vanguard may also recommend to the board of trustees that an advisor be hired, terminated, or replaced or that the terms of an existing advisory agreement be revised. The Funds have filed an application seeking a similar SEC exemption with respect to investment advisors that are wholly owned subsidiaries of Vanguard. If the exemption is granted, the Funds may rely on the new SEC relief.
For a discussion of why the board of trustees approved each Fund's investment advisory arrangement, see the most recent 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 has worked in investment banking from 2005 to 2016; 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. Prior to joining Vanguard, he was at JPMorgan for 11 years, where he last held the position of Executive Director, Head of European Program Trading Risk. Education: B.S., University of Bath.
William A. Coleman, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Vanguard. He has worked in investment management since joining Vanguard in 2006 and has co-managed Vanguard Energy Index, Vanguard Financials Index, and Vanguard Materials Index Funds since 2015. Education: B.S., King’s College; M.S., Saint Joseph’s University.
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.
83
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.
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 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. 
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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Reinvestment of Distributions
In order to reinvest dividend and capital gains distributions, investors in a Fund's ETF Shares must hold their shares at a broker that offers a reinvestment service. This can be the broker’s own service or a service made available by a third party, such as the broker’s outside clearing firm or the Depository Trust Company (DTC). If a reinvestment service is available, distributions of income and capital gains can automatically be reinvested in additional whole and fractional ETF Shares of the Fund. If a reinvestment service is not available, investors will receive their distributions in cash. To determine whether a reinvestment service is available and whether there is a commission or other charge for using this service, consult your broker.
As with all exchange-traded funds, reinvestment of dividend and capital gains distributions in additional ETF Shares will occur four business days or more after the ex-dividend date (the date when a distribution of dividends or capital gains is deducted from the price of a Fund’s shares). The exact number of days depends on your broker. During that time, the amount of your distribution will not be invested in the Fund and therefore will not share in the Fund’s income, gains, and losses.
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 ETF 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 ETF 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 ETF Shares.
• 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 your ETF Shares.
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• 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 of ETF 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.
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 of ETF Shares.
Dividend distributions and capital gains distributions that you receive, as well as your gains or losses from any sale of ETF 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.
Share Price and Market 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).
Remember: If you buy or sell ETF Shares on the secondary market, you will pay or receive the market price, which may be higher or lower than NAV. Your transaction will be priced at NAV only if you purchase or redeem your ETF Shares in Creation Unit blocks (an option available only to certain authorized broker-dealers), or if you convert your conventional fund shares to ETF Shares.
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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 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.
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Vanguard’s website will show the previous day’s closing NAV and closing market price for each Fund’s ETF Shares.
Additional Information
Each Fund's Bylaws require, unless the Trust otherwise consents in writing, that the U.S. Federal District Courts be the sole and exclusive forum for the resolution of complaints under the Securities Act of 1933. This provision may limit a shareholder’s ability to bring a claim in a different forum and may result in increased shareholder costs in pursuing such a claim. 
Vanguard Fund
Inception Date
Vanguard
Fund Number
CUSIP Number
Vanguard Communication Services
Index Fund
 
 
 
ETF Shares
9/23/2004
959
92204A884
Vanguard Consumer Discretionary
Index Fund
 
 
 
ETF Shares
1/26/2004
954
92204A108
Vanguard Consumer Staples Index
Fund
 
 
 
ETF Shares
1/26/2004
955
92204A207
Vanguard Energy Index Fund
 
 
 
ETF Shares
9/23/2004
951
92204A306
Vanguard Financials Index Fund
 
 
 
ETF Shares
1/26/2004
957
92204A405
Vanguard Health Care Index Fund
 
 
 
ETF Shares
1/26/2004
956
92204A504
Vanguard Industrials Index Fund
 
 
 
ETF Shares
9/23/2004
953
92204A603
Vanguard Information Technology
Index Fund
 
 
 
ETF Shares
1/26/2004
958
92204A702
Vanguard Materials Index Fund
 
 
 
ETF Shares
1/26/2004
952
92204A801
Vanguard Utilities Index Fund