- ISIN
- US92202E8628
- CUSIP
- 92202E862
- Issuer
- Vanguard
- Inception Date
- Jun 7, 2006
- Min. Investment
- $1,000
- Distribution Policy
- Distributing
- Asset Class
- Multi-Asset
- Asset Class Size
- Large-Cap
- Asset Class Style
- Blend
- Assets Under Management
- $108B
Share Price Chart
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Performance
VFIFX Performance Chart
Vanguard Target Retirement 2050 Fund (VFIFX) is up 9.9% since the beginning of the year. VFIFX is currently trading at $65 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of VFIFX shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,576.
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Returns By Period
Vanguard Target Retirement 2050 Fund (VFIFX) has returned 9.92% so far this year and 21.54% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, VFIFX has returned 11.19% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 13.26% annually.
Vanguard Target Retirement 2050 Fund
- 1D
- 1.88%
- 1M
- -0.46%
- 6M
- 6.73%
- YTD
- 9.92%
- 1Y
- 21.54%
- 3Y*
- 16.58%
- 5Y*
- 9.52%
- 10Y*
- 11.19%
- ALL TIME*
- 8.65%
Benchmark (S&P 500 Index)
- 1D
- 0.70%
- 1M
- 0.09%
- 6M
- 7.94%
- YTD
- 9.41%
- 1Y
- 20.07%
- 3Y*
- 17.84%
- 5Y*
- 11.25%
- 10Y*
- 13.26%
- ALL TIME*
- 8.09%
VFIFX Monthly Returns History
Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Jun 7, 2006, VFIFX's average daily return is +0.04%, while the average monthly return is +0.78%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 7.4 years.
Historically, 65% of months were positive and 35% were negative. The best month was Nov 2020 with a return of +11.3%, while the worst month was Oct 2008 at -16.8%. The longest winning streak lasted 13 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 5 months.
On a daily basis, VFIFX closed higher 54% of trading days. The best single day was Oct 13, 2008 with a return of +10.2%, while the worst single day was Mar 16, 2020 at -10.3%.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2.99% | 1.83% | -6.02% | 8.44% | 4.18% | -0.23% | -1.06% | 9.92% | |||||
| 2025 | 2.91% | -0.25% | -3.13% | 0.93% | 5.04% | 4.28% | 0.88% | 2.84% | 3.31% | 1.82% | 0.27% | 0.95% | 21.42% |
| 2024 | -0.22% | 3.89% | 2.90% | -3.39% | 4.10% | 1.47% | 2.21% | 2.18% | 2.17% | -2.30% | 3.64% | -2.69% | 14.45% |
| 2023 | 7.06% | -2.99% | 2.67% | 1.22% | -1.05% | 5.20% | 3.32% | -2.67% | -4.00% | -2.80% | 8.51% | 5.25% | 20.39% |
| 2022 | -4.46% | -2.54% | 1.33% | -7.48% | 0.39% | -7.64% | 6.59% | -3.78% | -8.96% | 5.50% | 7.92% | -4.08% | -17.48% |
| 2021 | -0.29% | 2.38% | 2.39% | 3.83% | 1.40% | 1.26% | 0.59% | 2.14% | -3.75% | 4.53% | -2.35% | 3.48% | 16.42% |
Benchmark Metrics
Vanguard Target Retirement 2050 Fund has an annualized alpha of 0.55%, beta of 0.86, and R2 of 0.96 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since June 07, 2006.
- This fund participated in 90.71% of S&P 500 Index downside but only 88.73% of its upside - more exposed to losses than it benefited from rallies.
- With beta of 0.86 and R2 of 0.96, this fund moves broadly in line with S&P 500 Index - much of its variation is explained by market exposure rather than independent behavior.
- Alpha
- 0.55%
- Beta
- 0.86
- R²
- 0.96
- Upside Capture
- 88.73%
- Downside Capture
- 90.71%
Expense Ratio
VFIFX has an expense ratio of 0.08%, which is considered low.
Return for Risk
Risk / Return Rank
VFIFX ranks 63 for risk / return — above 63% of mutual funds peers on PortfoliosLab. Its historical combined result is above most peers.
Risk / Return Metrics
The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for Vanguard Target Retirement 2050 Fund (VFIFX) and compare them to S&P 500 Index.
Values are calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. Risk-adjusted metrics are more stable over longer periods — use the period switch above to explore them.
| VFIFX | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | +0.17 | ||
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | +0.25 | ||
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.29 | 1.25 | +0.03 |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 2.24 | 2.00 | +0.23 |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 9.31 | 8.49 | +0.82 |
Dividends
Dividend History
Vanguard Target Retirement 2050 Fund provided a 1.90% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $1.24 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 3 consecutive years.
| Period | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend | $1.24 | $1.24 | $1.12 | $0.98 | $0.90 | $6.02 | $0.84 | $0.88 | $0.82 | $0.01 | $0.62 | $0.67 |
Dividend yield | 1.90% | 2.09% | 2.26% | 2.21% | 2.38% | 12.83% | 1.84% | 2.20% | 2.51% | 0.03% | 2.04% | 2.36% |
Monthly Dividends
The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for Vanguard Target Retirement 2050 Fund. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | |||||
| 2025 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $1.24 | $1.24 |
| 2024 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $1.12 | $1.12 |
| 2023 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.98 | $0.98 |
| 2022 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.90 | $0.90 |
| 2021 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $6.02 | $6.02 |
Drawdowns
Drawdowns Chart
The Drawdowns chart displays portfolio losses from any high point along the way. Drawdowns are calculated considering price movements and all distributions paid, if any.
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Worst Drawdowns
The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the Vanguard Target Retirement 2050 Fund. A maximum drawdown is a measure of risk, indicating the largest reduction in portfolio value due to a series of losing trades.
The maximum drawdown for the Vanguard Target Retirement 2050 Fund was 51.68%, occurring on Mar 9, 2009. Recovery took 762 trading sessions.
The current Vanguard Target Retirement 2050 Fund drawdown is 1.91%.
Drawdown | Fall | Recovery | Underwater | Related event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
-51.68%Mar 2009 | 1y 5mo | 3y 7d | 4y 5moOct 2007 - Mar 2012 | Financial crisis2007–2009 |
-31.36%Mar 2020 | 1mo 9d | 4mo 27d | 6mo 6dFeb 2020 - Aug 2020 | COVID crash2020 |
-25.40%Oct 2022 | 11mo 9d | 1y 3mo | 2y 3moNov 2021 - Feb 2024 | Bear market2022 |
-17.43%Dec 2018 | 10mo 29d | 6mo 9d | 1y 5moJan 2018 - Jul 2019 | Rate-hike selloffLate 2018 |
-16.59%Feb 2016 | 8mo 25d | 6mo 6d | 1y 2moMay 2015 - Aug 2016 | — |
Drawdown Indicators
| VFIFX | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -51.68% | -56.78% | +5.10% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -8.87% | -9.10% | +0.23% |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -14.54% | -18.90% | +4.36% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -25.40% | -25.43% | +0.03% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -31.36% | -33.92% | +2.56% |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -1.91% | -1.58% | -0.33% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -6.84% | -10.70% | +3.86% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 2.13% | 2.14% | -0.01% |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
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