JELMX vs. VTMFX

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about John Hancock Variable Insurance Trust Managed Volatility Moderate Portfolio (JELMX) and Vanguard Tax-Managed Balanced Fund Admiral Shares (VTMFX).

JELMX is managed by BlackRock. It was launched on Jan 6, 1997. VTMFX is managed by BlackRock. It was launched on Sep 6, 1994.

Performance

JELMX vs. VTMFX - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in John Hancock Variable Insurance Trust Managed Volatility Moderate Portfolio (JELMX) and Vanguard Tax-Managed Balanced Fund Admiral Shares (VTMFX). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

JELMX vs. VTMFX - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
JELMX John Hancock Variable Insurance Trust Managed Volatility Moderate Portfolio	-1.24%	9.26%	8.15%	10.70%	-14.86%	7.89%	3.27%	16.71%	-3.99%	5.84%
VTMFX Vanguard Tax-Managed Balanced Fund Admiral Shares	-2.15%	11.28%	12.17%	15.55%	-12.69%	13.10%	13.31%	18.01%	-1.40%	12.61%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, JELMX achieves a -1.24% return, which is significantly higher than VTMFX's -2.15% return. Over the past 10 years, JELMX has underperformed VTMFX with an annualized return of 3.62%, while VTMFX has yielded a comparatively higher 7.97% annualized return.

JELMX

• 1D: 1.47%
• 1M: -3.53%
• YTD: -1.24%
• 6M: 0.19%
• 1Y: 7.06%
• 3Y*: 7.66%
• 5Y*: 3.09%
• 10Y*: 3.62%

VTMFX

• 1D: 1.46%
• 1M: -3.58%
• YTD: -2.15%
• 6M: -0.34%
• 1Y: 10.95%
• 3Y*: 10.43%
• 5Y*: 6.18%
• 10Y*: 7.97%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

JELMX vs. VTMFX - Expense Ratio Comparison

JELMX has a 0.17% expense ratio, which is higher than VTMFX's 0.09% expense ratio. However, both funds are considered low-cost compared to the broader market, where average expense ratios usually range from 0.3% to 0.9%.

JELMX

John Hancock Variable Insurance Trust Managed Volatility Moderate Portfolio

VTMFX

Vanguard Tax-Managed Balanced Fund Admiral Shares

Return for Risk

JELMX vs. VTMFX — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

JELMX

JELMX Risk / Return Rank: 32
JELMX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 42
JELMX Sortino Ratio Rank: 42
JELMX Omega Ratio Rank: 39
JELMX Calmar Ratio Rank: 19
JELMX Martin Ratio Rank: 20

VTMFX

VTMFX Risk / Return Rank: 75
VTMFX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 74
VTMFX Sortino Ratio Rank: 76
VTMFX Omega Ratio Rank: 74
VTMFX Calmar Ratio Rank: 72
VTMFX Martin Ratio Rank: 81

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

JELMX vs. VTMFX - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for John Hancock Variable Insurance Trust Managed Volatility Moderate Portfolio (JELMX) and Vanguard Tax-Managed Balanced Fund Admiral Shares (VTMFX). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	JELMX	VTMFX	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.96	1.34	-0.37
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.42	1.94	-0.52
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.20	1.29	-0.09
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.76	1.73	-0.96
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	2.71	8.12	-5.41
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

JELMX vs. VTMFX - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current JELMX Sharpe Ratio is 0.96, which is comparable to the VTMFX Sharpe Ratio of 1.34. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of JELMX and VTMFX, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	JELMX	VTMFX	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.96	1.34	-0.37
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.42	0.73	-0.31
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.50	0.88	-0.38
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.12	0.82	-0.70

Correlation

The correlation between JELMX and VTMFX is 0.86, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

JELMX vs. VTMFX - Dividend Comparison

JELMX's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 5.36%, more than VTMFX's 2.28% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
JELMX John Hancock Variable Insurance Trust Managed Volatility Moderate Portfolio	5.36%	5.30%	2.83%	9.63%	6.29%	2.77%	7.50%	5.78%	9.60%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
VTMFX Vanguard Tax-Managed Balanced Fund Admiral Shares	2.28%	2.14%	2.08%	1.94%	1.85%	1.38%	1.72%	2.05%	2.22%	2.00%	2.13%	2.06%

Drawdowns

JELMX vs. VTMFX - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum JELMX drawdown since its inception was -44.89%, which is greater than VTMFX's maximum drawdown of -28.49%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for JELMX and VTMFX.

Drawdown Indicators

	JELMX	VTMFX	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-44.89%	-28.49%	-16.40%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-6.35%	-6.82%	+0.47%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-18.32%	-17.40%	-0.92%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-18.32%	-21.87%	+3.55%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-4.07%	-4.00%	-0.07%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-11.67%	-3.57%	-8.10%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.30%	1.45%	+0.85%

Volatility

JELMX vs. VTMFX - Volatility Comparison

John Hancock Variable Insurance Trust Managed Volatility Moderate Portfolio (JELMX) has a higher volatility of 3.49% compared to Vanguard Tax-Managed Balanced Fund Admiral Shares (VTMFX) at 2.86%. This indicates that JELMX's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than VTMFX based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	JELMX	VTMFX	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	3.49%	2.86%	+0.63%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	5.16%	4.82%	+0.34%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	8.91%	8.55%	+0.36%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	7.53%	8.51%	-0.98%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	7.36%	9.10%	-1.74%