Vanguard Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF

VTES

Market cap $2.09B

Schwab's SCHO offers a lower expense ratio and higher trailing-12-month dividend yield than Vanguard's VTES. VTES targets municipal bonds to provide federal tax-exempt income, whereas the Schwab fund holds taxable U.S. Treasury notes.

Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF offers a lower expense ratio and a significantly higher dividend yield than Vanguard Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF. Vanguard Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF provides income that is generally exempt from federal taxes, while Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF focuses on taxable corporate debt.

Vanguard Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF offers a slightly lower expense ratio than iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF. iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF has delivered a higher 1-year total return and a higher dividend yield.

Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF offers a lower expense ratio and higher trailing dividend yield than Vanguard Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF. Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF manages significantly more assets and has a longer operational history than the newer Vanguard Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF.

The Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF (VGSH) offers a higher dividend yield and lower expense ratio than the Vanguard Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF (VTES). Vanguard Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF (VTES) provides interest income that is generally exempt from federal income taxes.

Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF offers a lower expense ratio and a higher trailing-12-month distribution yield than Vanguard Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF Vanguard Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF targets income exempt from federal taxes and the alternative minimum tax whereas Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF provides fully taxable income Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF is a much larger fund with a longer track record having launched in 2007 compared to the 2023 launch of Vanguard Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF

$1 billion in year-to-date inflows may seem minute compared to Vanguard's juggernaut bond fund, the Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND), but given the narrow and niche focus of the Vanguard California Tax-Exempt Bond ETF (VTEC), the accomplishment is noteworthy. Like the rest of the muni bond market, 2025 started slow amid heavy issuance.

At the very top of the list for anyone looking to retire right now without subjecting themselves to significant market swings, ETFs have become incredibly popular.

The tax exempt status of municipal bonds could be in jeopardy as Congress mulls over whether to tax the income from these debt issues. In the meantime, Vanguard has eight ETFs to contemplate when looking to attain muni exposure.

In times of uncertainty in the bond market, there's one thing for certain. And that's that deciding where to get exposure can be complex.