# Vanguard Balanced Index Fund Institutional Shares (VBAIX): Mutual Fund Facts & Distributions > Markdown mirror of https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/vbaix for AI agents. Same live data as the HTML page, regenerated on the same refresh cycle. Not investment advice. - Issuer: Vanguard · Asset class: Multi-Asset - Strategy: Passive Index · Inception: 2000-12-01 As an economical and straightforward index fund, it offers investors broad access to both equity and fixed income markets. The fund maintains an approximate allocation of 60% to equities and 40% to bonds, achieving this by mirroring the performance of two broad benchmark indices representing the overall U.S. stock market and U.S. taxable bond market, respectively. A key benefit of its extensive diversification is that the impact of any single holding on the fund's overall performance is substantially minimized. This fund may be well-suited as a foundational component for investors with a pr... ## Key Facts | Metric | Value | |---|---| | Price | $54.51 | | Expense Ratio | 0.04% | | AUM (All Share Classes) | $62.50B | | NAV | $54.51 | | Holdings Count | 3146 | | Distribution Yield (TTM) | 5.36% | | Annual Distribution (TTM) | $2.92 /share | | Distribution Frequency | Quarterly | | 52-Week Range | $48.96 – $55.50 | | Beta | 0.95 | ## Latest Distribution - Amount: $0.3043 /share - Ex-date: 2026-09-28 - Pay date: 2026-09-29 ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What does VBAIX invest in? As an economical and straightforward index fund, it offers investors broad access to both equity and fixed income markets. The fund maintains an approximate allocation of 60% to equities and 40% to bonds, achieving this by mirroring the performance of two broad benchmark indices representing the overall U.S. stock market and U.S. taxable bond market, respectively. A key benefit of its extensive diversification is that the impact of any single holding on the fund's overall performance is substantially minimized. This fund may be well-suited as a foundational component for investors with a protracted investment horizon who are seeking a combination of capital appreciation and modest income, and are comfortable with the inherent volatility of both the stock and bond markets. ### What is the expense ratio of VBAIX? Vanguard Balanced Index Fund Institutional Shares (VBAIX) charges an expense ratio of 0.04%. This is the annual fee deducted from fund assets to cover management and operations. ### What is VBAIX's dividend yield? VBAIX's trailing-twelve-month yield is 5.36%, calculated from the sum of dividends over the past year divided by the current price. ### How big is VBAIX? Vanguard Balanced Index Fund Institutional Shares (VBAIX) is one share class of a fund that manages $62.50B across all of its share classes (VBIAX, VBINX report the same total). Our data does not carry the assets of this share class alone. AUM determines bid-ask liquidity and the fund's vulnerability to closure. Funds below ~$50M are at higher risk of liquidation. ### Is VBAIX actively managed or an index fund? VBAIX is a passive index fund. It tracks a published benchmark by holding the constituents in their published weights. Index funds typically charge low expense ratios (VBAIX's is 0.04%) because there's no security selection cost. ### When was VBAIX launched? Vanguard Balanced Index Fund Institutional Shares (VBAIX) launched in December 2000 and is managed by Vanguard. ### Does VBAIX pay a dividend? Yes, Vanguard Balanced Index Fund Institutional Shares (VBAIX) distributes dividends to shareholders. The trailing-twelve-month yield is 5.36%. Full dividend history is on this page. ### How often does VBAIX pay dividends? Vanguard Balanced Index Fund Institutional Shares pays dividends Quarterly. Each ex-dividend date, record date, and payment date is listed in the dividend history table on this page. ### When is VBAIX's next ex-dividend date? The most recently announced ex-dividend date for VBAIX was 2026-09-28. The next ex-date typically follows Quarterly; once announced it appears at the top of the dividend history table on this page. ### How much will VBAIX's expense ratio cost me over 30 years? On a $10,000 investment compounding at 7% gross return, a 0.04% expense ratio quietly compounds against your balance every year. The Fee Compounding Forecast card above projects the dollar drag for any holding period and assumption you pick. The typical result for a 1.0% expense ratio on a 30-year hold is roughly 25% of the final balance lost to fees. ### How does VBAIX charge its expense ratio? The expense ratio is deducted in tiny daily slices from VBAIX's net asset value (NAV). You never see a bill. The price quoted on every exchange is already net of fees. There's no "fee day" to avoid; the cost is continuous and built into the trading price. ### Why does VBAIX cost more than a fund like VOO? VBAIX is a passive index fund (current expense ratio 0.04%). Differences from broad-market ETFs like VOO usually come from index licensing fees, asset class (bond funds typically run cheaper than equity), or fund scale (smaller funds spread fixed operating costs across less AUM). ### Are there cheaper alternatives to VBAIX? The Lower-Fee Alternatives card above lists mutual funds following the same investment strategy as VBAIX (0.04%) but at a lower expense ratio. Each row shows the fee gap, the peer's AUM as a liquidity sanity-check, and a direct link to that fund's analysis page. Cheaper price doesn't automatically mean better. Verify the peer holds what you actually want. ## More on Dividend Data - Overview (HTML): https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/vbaix - Distribution history: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/vbaix/dividend - Holdings & diversification: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/vbaix/diversification - Fees & cheaper alternatives: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/vbaix/expenses - Peer comparison: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/vbaix/peers Data sourced from primary filings and market data providers; see https://www.dividenddata.com/methodology.