Vanguard Long-Term Tax-Exempt Fund Investor Shares (VWLTX)

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The chart shows the growth of an initial investment of $10,000 in Vanguard Long-Term Tax-Exempt Fund Investor Shares, comparing it to the performance of the S&P 500 index or another benchmark. All prices have been adjusted for splits and dividends.

Vanguard Long-Term Tax-Exempt Fund Investor Shares (VWLTX) has returned -0.78% so far this year and 4.00% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, VWLTX has returned 2.49% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 12.16% annually.

Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Aug 31, 1977, VWLTX's average daily return is +0.01%, while the average monthly return is +0.29%. At this rate, your investment would double in approximately 19.9 years.

Historically, 61% of months were positive and 39% were negative. The best month was Oct 1977 with a return of +10.6%, while the worst month was Aug 1981 at -11.3%. The longest winning streak lasted 10 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 8 months.

On a daily basis, VWLTX closed higher 36% of trading days. The best single day was Oct 31, 1977 with a return of +10.6%, while the worst single day was Aug 31, 1981 at -11.3%.

Vanguard Long-Term Tax-Exempt Fund Investor Shares has an annualized alpha of 3.48%, beta of 0.01, and R² of 0.00 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since September 30, 1977.

• This fund participates in less of S&P 500 Index's moves in both directions, but captures a larger share of gains (18.23%) than losses (14.61%) — typical of diversified or defensive assets.
• Beta of 0.01 may look defensive, but with R² of 0.00 this fund is largely uncorrelated with S&P 500 Index — low beta reflects independence, not downside protection. See the Volatility section for a true picture of this fund's risk.
• R² of 0.00 means this fund moves largely independently of S&P 500 Index — capture ratios reflect limited market correlation rather than active downside protection. Consider using a more representative benchmark.

VWLTX has an expense ratio of 0.17%, which is considered low.

VWLTX ranks 42 for risk / return — on par with similar mutual funds. You're getting a typical balance of risk and reward. Not a standout, but not a red flag either — a reasonable choice if other factors align with your goals.

The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for Vanguard Long-Term Tax-Exempt Fund Investor Shares (VWLTX) and compare them to a chosen benchmark (S&P 500 Index).

Vanguard Long-Term Tax-Exempt Fund Investor Shares provided a 3.72% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $0.40 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 3 consecutive years.

The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for Vanguard Long-Term Tax-Exempt Fund Investor Shares. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.

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.

The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the Vanguard Long-Term Tax-Exempt Fund Investor Shares. 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 Long-Term Tax-Exempt Fund Investor Shares was 49.97%, occurring on Dec 31, 1981. Recovery took 2823 trading sessions.

The current Vanguard Long-Term Tax-Exempt Fund Investor Shares drawdown is 2.91%.

The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.