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27 important things you should know about Vanguard BND ETF
- 3-year return above the benchmark
- 5-year return above the benchmark
- 10-year return above the benchmark
- Low expense ratio
- No Bear case arguments for now!
Before we start: if you’re looking for BND “stock” price, you can quickly find it out by visiting Finny and typing "BND quote". If you’re looking for a quick scoop on BND "stock" (price chart, key stats, buy or sell analysis and holdings), go to Finny and look for "BND". You’ll get all this info in one place.
Are you looking to buy or sell BND? Or perhaps you’re looking for BND fact sheet, and learn about its alternatives? If so, you came to the right place.
In this BND ETF review, we’ll address key questions our readers have been asking us about this fund, above and beyond what you can find in its prospectus, and on Morningstar or Yahoo Finance.
Here is what you’ll be able to find in this review:
- Fact Sheet: BND performance, returns, expense ratio, holdings and dividend yield;
- Analysis: BND buy or sell; the pros and cons of investing in BND ETF;
- Alternatives: other ETFs and mutual funds you should consider as alternatives to BND.
And here is the list of questions we’ll answer:
- Describe Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND).
- What is BND underlying index?
- What are BND holdings?
- What is BND performance? What are BND historical returns?
- How many up and down years did BND have historically?
- What is BND dividend yield?
- What is BND expense ratio?
- What is BND tax efficiency (tax-cost ratio)?
- What is BND beta? How would you assess BND risk?
- What is BND Sharpe ratio?
- What is BND Finny Score? BND buy or sell?
- What are the pros of investing in BND? What are BND buy reasons?
- What are the cons of investing in BND? What are BND sell reasons?
- Compare and contrast: BND vs AGG.
- Compare and contrast: BND vs BNDX.
- Compare and contrast: BND vs VBTLX.
- Compare and contrast: BND vs BIV.
- Compare and contrast: BND vs FBND.
- Compare and contrast: BND vs BLV.
- Compare and contrast: BND vs VTEB.
- Compare and contrast: BND vs TLT.
- Compare and contrast: BND vs SCHZ.
- Compare and contrast: BND vs BSV.
- Compare and contrast: BND vs LQD.
- Compare and contrast: BND vs EDV.
- Compare and contrast: BND vs INR.
So let’s start. Scroll down to the question that interests you the most.
Fact Sheet
1. Describe Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND).
The Fund seeks to track the performance of a broad, market-weighted bond index.
3. What are BND top holdings?
BND has 0 stock holdings and 18,342 bond holdings.
The top 4 holdings represent 2.28% of total assets. Here are the top holdings:
Name | Symbol | % Assets |
---|---|---|
Federal National Mortgage Association | N/A | 0.74% |
Federal National Mortgage Association 2.5% | N/A | 0.68% |
United States Treasury Bonds | N/A | 0.45% |
United States Treasury Notes | N/A | 0.41% |
4. What is BND performance? What are BND historical returns?
BND has generated the following returns:
- 1-month return is 0.14%;
- 3-month return is 0.23%;
- 1-year return is 7.49%;
- 3-year return is 5.29%;
- 5-year return is 4.32%;
- 10-year return is 3.81%.
5. How many up and down years did BND have historically?
In the last 10 years, BND had 8 up years and 2 down years.

6. What is BND dividend yield?
BND yield is 2.3%.
7. What is BND expense ratio?
BND expense ratio is 0.04%. The expense ratio of a fund is the total percentage of fund assets used for administrative, management, and all other expenses.

8. What is BND tax efficiency (tax-cost ratio)?
- 1-year ax cost ratio is 0.95%;
- 3-year ax cost ratio is 1.08%.

9. What is BND beta? How would you assess BND risk?
- 3-year beta is 1.02;
- 5-year beta is 1.04;
- 10-year beta is 1.04;
- 15-year beta is 1.02.

Analysis
11. What is Finny Score? buy or sell?
Finny Score is 100. Our quantitative analysis shows 4 reasons to buy and 0 reasons to sell it, resulting in the Finny Score of 100.
12. What are the pros of investing in BND? What are BND buy reasons?
The following are BND strengths from our perspective:
- BND 3-year return is 5.29%, which is higher than the 3-year return of the benchmark index (Bloomberg Barclays US Aggregate Bond TR USD), 5.24%.
- BND 5-year return is 4.32%, which is higher than the 5-year return of the benchmark index (Bloomberg Barclays US Aggregate Bond TR USD), 4.31%.
- BND 10-year return is 3.81%, which is in line with the 10-year return of the benchmark index (Bloomberg Barclays US Aggregate Bond TR USD), 3.84%.
- BND expense ratio is 0.04%, which is considered low. Nice job picking a low-cost fund.
13. What are the cons of investing in BND? What are BND negatives?
There are no visible red flags.
Alternatives
14. Compare and contrast: BND vs AGG.
Both BND and AGG are ETFs. BND has a higher 5-year return than AGG (4.32% vs 4.25%). BND and AGG have the same expense ratio (0.04%). Below is the comparison between BND and AGG.
BND | AGG | |
---|---|---|
Segment | Fixed Income: U.S. - Broad Market Investment Grade | Fixed Income: U.S. - Broad Market Investment Grade |
Net Assets | $65.94B | $83.43B |
Expense Ratio | 0.04% | 0.04% |
Management Style | passive (index-based) | passive (index-based) |
Underlying Index | Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Float Adjusted Index | Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index |
YTD Return | 7.25% | 7.11% |
1-Year Return | 7.49% | 7.3% |
3-Year Return | 5.29% | 5.17% |
5-Year Return | 4.32% | 4.25% |
10-Year Return | 3.81% | 3.78% |
Dividend Yield | 2.3% | 2.23% |
AGG profile: The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the United States investment grade securities markets as defined by the Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Index.
For further information, check out BND vs AGG comparison details.
15. Compare and contrast: BND vs BNDX.
Both BND and BNDX are ETFs. BND has a lower 5-year return than BNDX (4.32% vs 4.38%). BND has a lower expense ratio than BNDX (0.04% vs 0.08%). Below is the comparison between BND and BNDX.
BND | BNDX | |
---|---|---|
Segment | Fixed Income: U.S. - Broad Market Investment Grade | Fixed Income: Global Ex-U.S. - Broad Market Investment Grade |
Net Assets | $65.94B | $35.22B |
Expense Ratio | 0.04% | 0.08% |
Management Style | passive (index-based) | passive (index-based) |
Underlying Index | Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Float Adjusted Index | Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate ex-USD Float Adjusted RIC Capped Index |
YTD Return | 7.25% | 4.41% |
1-Year Return | 7.49% | 4.21% |
3-Year Return | 5.29% | 4.89% |
5-Year Return | 4.32% | 4.38% |
10-Year Return | 3.81% | N/A |
Dividend Yield | 2.3% | 3.2% |
BNDX profile: The Fund seeks to track the performance of a benchmark index that measures the investment return of investment-grade bonds issued outside the United States. The Fund is designed to track the peroformance of the Barclays Capital Global Aggregate ex-USD Float-Adjusted Index.
For further information, check out BND vs BNDX comparison details.
16. Compare and contrast: BND vs VBTLX.
BND is an ETF, whereas VBTLX is a mutual fund. BND has a lower 5-year return than VBTLX (4.32% vs 4.33%). BND has a lower expense ratio than VBTLX (0.04% vs 0.05%). Below is the comparison between BND and VBTLX.
BND | VBTLX | |
---|---|---|
Segment | Fixed Income: U.S. - Broad Market Investment Grade | Taxable Fixed Income: Intermediate-Term Bond |
Net Assets | $65.94B | $120.21B |
Expense Ratio | 0.04% | 0.05% |
Management Style | passive (index-based) | passive (index-based) |
Underlying Index | Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Float Adjusted Index | N/A |
YTD Return | 7.25% | 7.39% |
1-Year Return | 7.49% | 7.47% |
3-Year Return | 5.29% | 5.46% |
5-Year Return | 4.32% | 4.33% |
10-Year Return | 3.81% | 3.79% |
Dividend Yield | 2.3% | 2.27% |
VBTLX profile: The Fund seeks to track the performance of a broad, market-weighted bond index.
For further information, check out BND vs VBTLX comparison details.
17. Compare and contrast: BND vs BIV.
Both BND and BIV are ETFs. BND has a lower 5-year return than BIV (4.32% vs 5.1%). BND has a lower expense ratio than BIV (0.04% vs 0.05%). Below is the comparison between BND and BIV.
BND | BIV | |
---|---|---|
Segment | Fixed Income: U.S. - Broad Market Investment Grade | Fixed Income: U.S. - Government/Credit Investment Grade Intermediate |
Net Assets | $65.94B | $15.07B |
Expense Ratio | 0.04% | 0.05% |
Management Style | passive (index-based) | passive (index-based) |
Underlying Index | Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Float Adjusted Index | Bloomberg Barclays U.S. 5-10 Year Government/Credit Float Adjusted Index |
YTD Return | 7.25% | 9.32% |
1-Year Return | 7.49% | 9.64% |
3-Year Return | 5.29% | 6.38% |
5-Year Return | 4.32% | 5.1% |
10-Year Return | 3.81% | 4.82% |
Dividend Yield | 2.3% | 2.32% |
BIV profile: The Fund seeks to track the performance of a market-weighted bond index with an intermediate-term dollar-weighted average maturity. The Fund employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the Barclays U.S. 5-10 Year Government/Credit Float Adjusted Index.
For further information, check out BND vs BIV comparison details.
18. Compare and contrast: BND vs FBND.
Both BND and FBND are ETFs. BND has a lower 5-year return than FBND (4.32% vs 5.27%). BND has a lower expense ratio than FBND (0.04% vs 0.36%). Below is the comparison between BND and FBND.
BND | FBND | |
---|---|---|
Segment | Fixed Income: U.S. - Broad Market Investment Grade | Fixed Income: Global - Broad Market |
Net Assets | $65.94B | $1.64B |
Expense Ratio | 0.04% | 0.36% |
Management Style | passive (index-based) | passive (index-based) |
Underlying Index | Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Float Adjusted Index | -- |
YTD Return | 7.25% | 7.13% |
1-Year Return | 7.49% | 7.41% |
3-Year Return | 5.29% | 5.43% |
5-Year Return | 4.32% | 5.27% |
10-Year Return | 3.81% | N/A |
Dividend Yield | 2.3% | 2.38% |
FBND profile: The Fund seeks a high level of current income. The Fund invests at least 80% of assets in debt securities of all types and repurchase agreements for those securities and uses the Barclays US Universal Bond Index as a guide in allocating assets across the investment-grade, high yield, and emerging market asset classes.
For further information, check out BND vs FBND comparison details.
19. Compare and contrast: BND vs BLV.
Both BND and BLV are ETFs. BND has a lower 5-year return than BLV (4.32% vs 8.89%). BND has a lower expense ratio than BLV (0.04% vs 0.05%). Below is the comparison between BND and BLV.
BND | BLV | |
---|---|---|
Segment | Fixed Income: U.S. - Broad Market Investment Grade | Fixed Income: U.S. - Government/Credit Investment Grade Long-Term |
Net Assets | $65.94B | $5.68B |
Expense Ratio | 0.04% | 0.05% |
Management Style | passive (index-based) | passive (index-based) |
Underlying Index | Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Float Adjusted Index | Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Long Government/Credit Float Adjusted Index |
YTD Return | 7.25% | 14.87% |
1-Year Return | 7.49% | 14.75% |
3-Year Return | 5.29% | 9.5% |
5-Year Return | 4.32% | 8.89% |
10-Year Return | 3.81% | 8.16% |
Dividend Yield | 2.3% | 2.88% |
BLV profile: The Fund seeks to track the performance of a market-weighted bond index with a long-term dollar-weighted average maturity. The Fund employs an indexing investment approach to track the performance of the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Long Government/Credit Float Adjusted Index and invests by sampling the index.
For further information, check out BND vs BLV comparison details.
20. Compare and contrast: BND vs VTEB.
Both BND and VTEB are ETFs. BND has a higher 5-year return than VTEB (4.32% vs 3.71%). BND has a lower expense ratio than VTEB (0.04% vs 0.06%). Below is the comparison between BND and VTEB.
BND | VTEB | |
---|---|---|
Segment | Fixed Income: U.S. - Broad Market Investment Grade | Fixed Income: U.S. - Municipals Investment Grade |
Net Assets | $65.94B | $9.79B |
Expense Ratio | 0.04% | 0.06% |
Management Style | passive (index-based) | passive (index-based) |
Underlying Index | Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Float Adjusted Index | S&P National AMT-Free Municipal Bond Index |
YTD Return | 7.25% | 4.71% |
1-Year Return | 7.49% | 4.75% |
3-Year Return | 5.29% | 4.42% |
5-Year Return | 4.32% | 3.71% |
10-Year Return | 3.81% | N/A |
Dividend Yield | 2.3% | 2.05% |
VTEB profile: The Fund seeks to track the performance of a benchmark index that measures the investment-grade segment of the U.S. municipal bond market. This Index includes municipal bonds from issuers that are primarily state or local governments or agencies whose interest is exempt from U.S. federal income taxes.
For further information, check out BND vs VTEB comparison details.
21. Compare and contrast: BND vs TLT.
Both BND and TLT are ETFs. BND has a lower 5-year return than TLT (4.32% vs 7.33%). BND has a lower expense ratio than TLT (0.04% vs 0.15%). Below is the comparison between BND and TLT.
BND | TLT | |
---|---|---|
Segment | Fixed Income: U.S. - Broad Market Investment Grade | Fixed Income: U.S. Government Treasury Long-Term |
Net Assets | $65.94B | $17.93B |
Expense Ratio | 0.04% | 0.15% |
Management Style | passive (index-based) | passive (index-based) |
Underlying Index | Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Float Adjusted Index | ICE U.S. Treasury 20+ Year Bond Index |
YTD Return | 7.25% | 17.1% |
1-Year Return | 7.49% | 16.44% |
3-Year Return | 5.29% | 9.54% |
5-Year Return | 4.32% | 7.33% |
10-Year Return | 3.81% | 8.16% |
Dividend Yield | 2.3% | 1.56% |
TLT profile: The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the long-term sector of the U.S. Treasury market as defined by the Barclays Capital 20+ Year Treasury Index.
For further information, check out BND vs TLT comparison details.
22. Compare and contrast: BND vs SCHZ.
Both BND and SCHZ are ETFs. BND has a higher 5-year return than SCHZ (4.32% vs 4.23%). BND and SCHZ have the same expense ratio (0.04%). Below is the comparison between BND and SCHZ.
BND | SCHZ | |
---|---|---|
Segment | Fixed Income: U.S. - Broad Market Investment Grade | Fixed Income: U.S. - Broad Market Investment Grade |
Net Assets | $65.94B | $8.51B |
Expense Ratio | 0.04% | 0.04% |
Management Style | passive (index-based) | passive (index-based) |
Underlying Index | Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Float Adjusted Index | Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index |
YTD Return | 7.25% | 7.23% |
1-Year Return | 7.49% | 7.52% |
3-Year Return | 5.29% | 5.2% |
5-Year Return | 4.32% | 4.23% |
10-Year Return | 3.81% | N/A |
Dividend Yield | 2.3% | 2.48% |
SCHZ profile: The Fund seeks to track the total return of the Barclays Capital U.S Aggregate Bond Index. This Index measures the performance of the U.S. investment grade, taxable bond market.
For further information, check out BND vs SCHZ comparison details.
23. Compare and contrast: BND vs BSV.
Both BND and BSV are ETFs. BND has a higher 5-year return than BSV (4.32% vs 2.68%). BND has a lower expense ratio than BSV (0.04% vs 0.05%). Below is the comparison between BND and BSV.
BND | BSV | |
---|---|---|
Segment | Fixed Income: U.S. - Broad Market Investment Grade | Fixed Income: U.S. - Government/Credit Investment Grade Short-Term |
Net Assets | $65.94B | $28.06B |
Expense Ratio | 0.04% | 0.05% |
Management Style | passive (index-based) | passive (index-based) |
Underlying Index | Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Float Adjusted Index | Bloomberg Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Float Adjusted Index |
YTD Return | 7.25% | 4.59% |
1-Year Return | 7.49% | 4.82% |
3-Year Return | 5.29% | 3.62% |
5-Year Return | 4.32% | 2.68% |
10-Year Return | 3.81% | 2.09% |
Dividend Yield | 2.3% | 1.9% |
BSV profile: The Fund seeks to track the performance of a market-weighted bond index with a short-term dollar-weighted average maturity. The Fund employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the Barclays Capital U.S. 1-5 Year Government/ Credit Float Adjusted Index.
For further information, check out BND vs BSV comparison details.
24. Compare and contrast: BND vs LQD.
Both BND and LQD are ETFs. BND has a lower 5-year return than LQD (4.32% vs 7.16%). BND has a lower expense ratio than LQD (0.04% vs 0.14%). Below is the comparison between BND and LQD.
BND | LQD | |
---|---|---|
Segment | Fixed Income: U.S. - Broad Market Investment Grade | Fixed Income: U.S. - Corporate Investment Grade |
Net Assets | $65.94B | $58.45B |
Expense Ratio | 0.04% | 0.14% |
Management Style | passive (index-based) | passive (index-based) |
Underlying Index | Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Float Adjusted Index | Markit iBoxx $ Liquid Investment Grade Index |
YTD Return | 7.25% | 10.19% |
1-Year Return | 7.49% | 10.53% |
3-Year Return | 5.29% | 7.67% |
5-Year Return | 4.32% | 7.16% |
10-Year Return | 3.81% | 6.1% |
Dividend Yield | 2.3% | 2.75% |
LQD profile: The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Markit iBoxx USD Liquid Investment Grade Index which is a rules-based index consisting of liquid, US dollar-denominated, investment grade corporate bonds for sale in the US. The Fund invests at least 90% in component securities and at least 95% in corporate bonds.
For further information, check out BND vs LQD comparison details.
25. Compare and contrast: BND vs EDV.
Both BND and EDV are ETFs. BND has a lower 5-year return than EDV (4.32% vs 9.43%). BND has a lower expense ratio than EDV (0.04% vs 0.07%). Below is the comparison between BND and EDV.
BND | EDV | |
---|---|---|
Segment | Fixed Income: U.S. - Broad Market Investment Grade | Fixed Income: U.S. Government Treasury Long-Term |
Net Assets | $65.94B | $1.46B |
Expense Ratio | 0.04% | 0.07% |
Management Style | passive (index-based) | passive (index-based) |
Underlying Index | Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Float Adjusted Index | Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Treasury STRIPS 20-30 Year Equal Par Bond Index |
YTD Return | 7.25% | 22.42% |
1-Year Return | 7.49% | 21.42% |
3-Year Return | 5.29% | 11.95% |
5-Year Return | 4.32% | 9.43% |
10-Year Return | 3.81% | 11.34% |
Dividend Yield | 2.3% | 1.98% |
EDV profile: The Fund seeks to track the performance of an index of extended-duration zero-coupon U.S. Treasury securities. At least 80% of the Fund's assets will be invested in U.S. Treasury securities held in the Index.
For further information, check out BND vs EDV comparison details.
26. Compare and contrast: BND vs INR.
Both BND and INR are ETFs. BND has a lower 5-year return than INR (4.32% vs 5.17%). BND has a lower expense ratio than INR (0.04% vs 0.85%). Below is the comparison between BND and INR.
BND | INR | |
---|---|---|
Segment | Fixed Income: U.S. - Broad Market Investment Grade | Currency: Indian Rupee |
Net Assets | $65.94B | N/A |
Expense Ratio | 0.04% | 0.85% |
Management Style | passive (index-based) | passive (index-based) |
Underlying Index | Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Float Adjusted Index | S&P Indian Rupee Total Return Index |
YTD Return | 7.25% | 1.82% |
1-Year Return | 7.49% | 0.41% |
3-Year Return | 5.29% | 1.98% |
5-Year Return | 4.32% | 5.17% |
10-Year Return | 3.81% | 2.84% |
Dividend Yield | 2.3% | N/A |
For further information, check out BND vs INR comparison details.