# Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities ETF (VTIP): ETF Facts & Distributions > Markdown mirror of https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/vtip for AI agents. Same live data as the HTML page, regenerated on the same refresh cycle. Not investment advice. - Issuer: Vanguard · Asset class: Government Bond - Strategy: Buffered · Inception: 2012-10-12 This exchange-traded fund seeks to mirror an index tracking U.S. Treasury inflation-protected securities (TIPS) with maturities of less than five years. It is designed to produce returns closely aligned with actual short-term inflation and aims to provide investors with a more stable investment profile compared to TIPS funds holding longer-dated assets. Due to its shorter duration, the fund typically incurs less real interest rate risk, though this often translates to lower overall returns when compared to longer-duration TIPS funds. Its portfolio consists of bonds guaranteed by the U.S. go... ## Key Facts | Metric | Value | |---|---| | Price | $48.83 | | Expense Ratio | 0.03% | | Assets Under Management | $73.10B | | NAV | $48.80 | | Holdings Count | 21 | | Distribution Yield (TTM) | 4.81% | | Annual Distribution (TTM) | $2.35 /share | | Distribution Frequency | Quarterly | | 52-Week Range | $48.28 – $50.48 | | Beta | 0.21 | ## Latest Distribution - Amount: $0.9333 /share - Ex-date: 2026-10-01 - Pay date: 2026-10-05 ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What does VTIP invest in? This exchange-traded fund seeks to mirror an index tracking U.S. Treasury inflation-protected securities (TIPS) with maturities of less than five years. It is designed to produce returns closely aligned with actual short-term inflation and aims to provide investors with a more stable investment profile compared to TIPS funds holding longer-dated assets. Due to its shorter duration, the fund typically incurs less real interest rate risk, though this often translates to lower overall returns when compared to longer-duration TIPS funds. Its portfolio consists of bonds guaranteed by the U.S. government, with their principal value adjusted twice a year according to inflation, thereby offering a safeguard against unforeseen increases in inflation. ### What is the expense ratio of VTIP? Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities ETF (VTIP) charges an expense ratio of 0.03%. This is the annual fee deducted from fund assets to cover management and operations. ### What is VTIP's dividend yield? VTIP's trailing-twelve-month yield is 4.81%, calculated from the sum of dividends over the past year divided by the current price. ### What is the duration of VTIP? Effective duration measures VTIP's sensitivity to interest-rate changes: a duration of 6 means a 1% rate move shifts NAV by roughly 6% in the opposite direction. VTIP's current duration is published on the fund's factsheet on the issuer's website. ### What is the credit quality of VTIP? VTIP's credit quality breakdown (the share of holdings rated AAA through CCC and below) is published on the fund's factsheet. Higher-quality (investment-grade) funds yield less but carry less default risk than high-yield / junk bond funds. ### What is the yield to maturity of VTIP? Yield to maturity (YTM) is the total return you'd earn from VTIP if every bond in the portfolio is held to maturity at the current price. VTIP's YTM is published on the fund's factsheet on the issuer's website. It differs from the trailing-12-month yield because YTM reflects current bond prices rather than historical income paid. ### Does VTIP pay a dividend? Yes, Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities ETF (VTIP) distributes dividends to shareholders. The trailing-twelve-month yield is 4.81%. Full dividend history is on this page. ### How often does VTIP pay dividends? Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities ETF pays dividends Quarterly. Each ex-dividend date, record date, and payment date is listed in the dividend history table on this page. ### When is VTIP's next ex-dividend date? The most recently announced ex-dividend date for VTIP was 2026-10-01. 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 VTIP's expense ratio cost me over 30 years? On a $10,000 investment compounding at 7% gross return, a 0.03% 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 VTIP charge its expense ratio? The expense ratio is deducted in tiny daily slices from VTIP'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 VTIP cost more than a fund like VOO? VTIP's strategy (current expense ratio 0.03%) is different from a broad-market index tracker like VOO, so its fee belongs to a different cohort. The Cost Verdict card above shows you where VTIP sits within its own category, which is the comparison that actually matters. ### Are there cheaper alternatives to VTIP? The Lower-Fee Alternatives card above lists ETFs following the same investment strategy as VTIP (0.03%) 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/vtip - Distribution history: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/vtip/dividend - Holdings & diversification: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/vtip/diversification - Fees & cheaper alternatives: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/vtip/expenses - Peer comparison: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/vtip/peers Data sourced from primary filings and market data providers; see https://www.dividenddata.com/methodology.