UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-CSR

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF

REGISTERED MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

 

 

Annual Report | October 31, 2016

Vanguard Tax-Exempt Bond Index Fund

 

A new format, unwavering commitment

As you begin reading this report, you’ll notice that we’ve made some improvements to the opening sections—based on feedback from you, our clients.

Page 1 starts with a new ”Your Fund’s Performance at a Glance,” a concise, handy summary of how your fund performed during the period.

In the renamed ”Chairman’s Perspective,” Bill McNabb will focus on enduring principles and investment insights.

We’ve modified some tables, and eliminated some redundancy, but we haven’t removed any information.

At Vanguard, we’re always looking for better ways to communicate and to help you make sound investment decisions. Thank you for entrusting your assets to us.

Please note: The opinions expressed in this report are just that—informed opinions. They should not be considered promises or advice.
Also, please keep in mind that the information and opinions cover the period through the date on the front of this report. Of course, the
risks of investing in your fund are spelled out in the prospectus.
See the Glossary for definitions of investment terms used in this report.
About the cover: No matter what language you speak, Vanguard has one consistent message and set of principles. Our primary
focus is on you, our clients. We conduct our business with integrity as a faithful steward of your assets. This message is shown
translated into seven languages, reflecting our expanding global presence.

 

Your Fund’s Performance at a Glance

• For the 12 months ended October 31, 2016, Vanguard Tax-Exempt Bond Index Fund returned 4.28% for Investor Shares, 4.29% for ETF Shares, and 4.36% for Admiral Shares. Its benchmark index returned 4.32%, and the average return of peer funds was 4.34%.

• Municipal bond issuance picked up in the second half of the fiscal year. At the same time, demand was solid, helped by concerns about global growth and Britain’s vote to leave the European Union.

• Toward the end of the period, the fund posted negative monthly returns. Demand cooled while supply accelerated as the prospect of a Federal Reserve rate hike seemed increasingly likely.

• By maturity, lower-quality investment-grade bonds generally returned more than their higher-quality counterparts. And with the muni bond yield curve flattening, longer-dated bonds outstripped shorter-dated ones, although returns were positive across the maturity spectrum.

The calculation of taxable-equivalent yield assumes a typical itemized tax return and is based on the maximum federal tax rate of 43.4%.
State and local taxes were not considered. Please see the prospectus for a detailed explanation of the calculation.
General Municipal Funds Average: Derived from data provided by Lipper, a Thomson Reuters Company.
Admiral Shares carry lower expenses and are available to investors who meet certain account-balance requirements. The Vanguard ETF®
Shares shown are traded on the NYSE Arca exchange and are available only through brokers. The table provides ETF returns based on both
the NYSE Arca market price and the net asset value for a share. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,879,964; 7,337,138; 7,720,749; 7,925,573; 8,090,646; and
8,417,623.
For the ETF Shares, the market price is determined by the midpoint of the bid-offer spread as of the closing time of the New York Stock
Exchange (generally 4 p.m., Eastern time). The net asset value is also determined as of the NYSE closing time. For more information about
how the ETF Shares' market prices have compared with their net asset value, visit vanguard.com, select your ETF, and then select the Price
and Performance tab. The ETF premium/discount analysis there shows the percentages of days on which the ETF Shares' market price was
above or below the NAV.

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The fund expense ratios shown are from the prospectus dated February 26, 2016, and represent estimated costs for the current fiscal year.
For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2016, the fund’s expense ratios were 0.19% for Investor Shares, 0.09% for ETF Shares, and 0.09% for
Admiral Shares. The peer-group expense ratio is derived from data provided by Lipper, a Thomson Reuters Company, and captures information
through year-end 2015.

Peer group: General Municipal Funds Average.

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Chairman’s Perspective

Bill McNabb
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Shareholder,

Over the three years ended August 31, 2016, investors poured more than $1 trillion into index funds. Indexing now accounts for nearly a third of all mutual fund assets—more than double what it did a decade ago and eight times its share two decades ago.¹

By contrast, active management’s commercial struggles have reflected its disappointing investment performance. Over the decade ended December 31, 2015, 82% of actively managed stock funds and 81% of active bond funds have either underperformed their benchmarks or shut down.

This subpar performance has fueled the explosion of asset growth in indexing among individual, retirement, and nonprofit investors. So what might the trend mean for the future of actively managed funds?

Our research and experience indicate that active management can survive—and even succeed—but only if it’s offered at much lower expense.

High costs, which limit a manager’s ability to deliver benchmark-beating returns to clients, are the biggest reason why active has lagged. Industrywide as of December 31, 2015, the average expense ratio for all active stock funds is 1.14%, compared with 0.76% for stock index

1 Sources: Wall Street Journal; Morningstar, Inc.; and Investment Company Institute, 2016.

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funds. And the expense advantage is even wider for bonds; the average expense ratio for an active bond fund is 0.93%, compared with 0.43% for bond index funds.

But even these big differences understate the real gap. These days, it’s not hard to find an index fund that charges maybe 0.05% or 0.10%. So even if you have identified active managers who are skilled at selecting stocks and bonds, to match the return of a comparable (much cheaper) index fund would require significant outperformance. Think about it. Any fund that charges 1.00% in expenses—not even the high end of the range—will find it extraordinarily difficult to overcome the index fund’s head start.

Active management also has taken a hit from a regulatory environment that has been favorable to low-cost strategies. The U.S. Department of Labor several years ago mandated greater disclosure of retirement plan fees. And its new fiduciary rule, which is set to take effect in April, requires financial advisors to demonstrate that their recommendations are aligned with their clients’ best interest. Both changes encourage the use of lower-cost investments, including index funds.

The future of active management

In light of all this, people have been asking me whether active management is “dead.” My response is both yes and no. High-cost active management is dead, and rightly so. It has never been a winning proposition

 

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for investors. Low-cost active funds, though, can potentially play an important role for investors who seek to outperform the market.

Paying less for your funds is the only sure-fire way to improve your odds of achieving success in active management. But even if you have found an active manager with low costs, the odds of outperforming the market are still long. You have to be able to identify talented stock and bond portfolio managers with long time horizons and clear investment strategies. Look for managers with consistent track records and the discipline to stick closely to their investment strategy.

Know what you own and why

Despite the well-deserved reputation of indexing and the challenges for active managers, there’s still a place for traditional active strategies that are low-cost, diversified, and highly disciplined, and are run by talented managers who focus on the long term.

Vanguard has always applied these principles to our active strategies, and investors have benefited as a majority of our active funds outperformed their benchmarks and bested their peers’ average annual return over the ten years ended September 30, 2016.

 

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But it’s crucial for investors to be patient. Even active managers with the best track records frequently underperform their benchmarks when their investment styles are out of favor. Such periods, though temporary, can persist. So it’s important when entrusting your assets to an active strategy to be in it for the long haul.

Make sure you know what you’re buying and what the risks are. Active strategies are becoming more complex, so it’s important to clearly understand what the investments in your portfolio are designed to accomplish and why you want to hold them. Otherwise, you run the risk of selecting strategies that don’t fit your needs or objectives.

Keeping these considerations in mind can potentially boost your chances of success in identifying active strategies that may be able to help you reach your goals.

As always, thank you for investing with Vanguard.

Sincerely,

F. William McNabb III
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
November 9, 2016

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Tax-Exempt Bond Index Fund

Fund Profile
As of October 31, 2016

 

 

 

 

Credit-quality ratings are from Moody's and S&P. The higher rating
for each issue is shown. "Not Rated" is used to classify securities
for which a rating is not available. For more information about
these ratings, see the Glossary entry for Credit Quality.

Investment Focus

 

1 The expense ratios shown are from the prospectus dated February 26, 2016, and represent estimated costs for the current fiscal year. For the fiscal
year ended October 31, 2016, the expense ratios were 0.19% for Investor Shares, 0.09% for ETF Shares, and 0.09% for Admiral Shares.

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Tax-Exempt Bond Index Fund

Performance Summary

All of the returns in this report represent past performance, which is not a guarantee of future results that may be achieved by the fund. (Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data cited. For performance data current to the most recent month-end, visit our website at vanguard.com/performance.) Note, too, that both investment returns and principal value can fluctuate widely, so an investor’s shares, when sold, could be worth more or less than their original cost. The returns shown do not reflect taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or on the sale of fund shares.

Cumulative Performance: August 21, 2015, Through October 31, 2016
Initial Investment of $10,000

General Municipal Funds Average: Derived from data provided by Lipper, a Thomson Reuters Company.
"Since Inception" performance is calculated from the Investor Shares’ inception date for both the fund and its comparative standards.

 

 

Vanguard fund returns are adjusted to reflect the 0.25% fee on purchases of fund shares. The fee does not apply to the ETF Shares. The
Fiscal-Year Total Returns table is not adjusted for fees.
See Financial Highlights for dividend and capital gains information.

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Tax-Exempt Bond Index Fund

 

 

 

Average Annual Total Returns: Periods Ended September 30, 2016
This table presents returns through the latest calendar quarter—rather than through the end of the fiscal period.
Securities and Exchange Commission rules require that we provide this information.

 

Vanguard fund returns are adjusted to reflect the 0.25% fee on purchases of fund shares. The fee does not apply to the ETF Shares. The
Fiscal-Year Total Returns table is not adjusted for fees.

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Tax-Exempt Bond Index Fund

Financial Statements

Statement of Net Assets
As of October 31, 2016

The fund reports a complete list of its holdings in regulatory filings four times in each fiscal year, at the quarter-ends. For the second and fourth fiscal quarters, the lists appear in the fund’s semiannual and annual reports to shareholders. For the first and third fiscal quarters, the fund files the lists with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Form N-Q. Shareholders can look up the fund’s Forms N-Q on the SEC’s website at sec.gov. Forms N-Q may also be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room (see the back cover of this report for further information).

 

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