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Any investors who are searching for Mutual Fund Bond funds should take a look at Vanguard Short Term Inflation Protected Security Index Investor (VTIPX - Free Report) . While this fund is not tracked by the Zacks Mutual Fund Rank, we were able to examine other factors like performance, volatility, and cost.
History of Fund/Manager
VTIPX finds itself in the Vanguard Group family, based out of Malvern, PA. The Vanguard Short Term Inflation Protected Security Index Investor made its debut in October of 2012 and VTIPX has managed to accumulate roughly $8.50 million in assets, as of the most recently available information. Joshua Barrickman is the fund's current manager and has held that role since October of 2012.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 2.88%, and it sits in the top third among its category peers. But if you are looking for a shorter time frame, it is also worth looking at its 3-year annualized total return of 3.01%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame.
When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Compared to the category average of 12.71%, the standard deviation of VTIPX over the past three years is 3.25%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 2.74% compared to the category average of 12.09%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
This fund has a beta of 0.24, meaning that it is less volatile than a broad market index of fixed income securities. Taking this into account, VTIPX has a positive alpha of 1.46, which measures performance on a risk-adjusted basis.
Expenses
For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, VTIPX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.14% compared to the category average of 0.65%. VTIPX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.
While the minimum initial investment for the product is $0, investors should also note that there is no minimum for each subsequent investment.
Bottom Line
Your research on the Mutual Fund Bond segment doesn't have to stop here. You can check out all the great mutual fund tools we have to offer by going to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds to see the additional features we offer as well for additional information. And don't forget, Zacks has all of your needs covered on the equity side too! Make sure to check out Zacks.com for more information on our screening capabilities, Rank, and all our articles as well.
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Is VTIPX a Strong Bond Fund Right Now?
Any investors who are searching for Mutual Fund Bond funds should take a look at Vanguard Short Term Inflation Protected Security Index Investor (VTIPX - Free Report) . While this fund is not tracked by the Zacks Mutual Fund Rank, we were able to examine other factors like performance, volatility, and cost.
History of Fund/Manager
VTIPX finds itself in the Vanguard Group family, based out of Malvern, PA. The Vanguard Short Term Inflation Protected Security Index Investor made its debut in October of 2012 and VTIPX has managed to accumulate roughly $8.50 million in assets, as of the most recently available information. Joshua Barrickman is the fund's current manager and has held that role since October of 2012.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 2.88%, and it sits in the top third among its category peers. But if you are looking for a shorter time frame, it is also worth looking at its 3-year annualized total return of 3.01%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame.
When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Compared to the category average of 12.71%, the standard deviation of VTIPX over the past three years is 3.25%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 2.74% compared to the category average of 12.09%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.
This fund has a beta of 0.24, meaning that it is less volatile than a broad market index of fixed income securities. Taking this into account, VTIPX has a positive alpha of 1.46, which measures performance on a risk-adjusted basis.
Expenses
For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, VTIPX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.14% compared to the category average of 0.65%. VTIPX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.
While the minimum initial investment for the product is $0, investors should also note that there is no minimum for each subsequent investment.
Bottom Line
Your research on the Mutual Fund Bond segment doesn't have to stop here. You can check out all the great mutual fund tools we have to offer by going to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds to see the additional features we offer as well for additional information. And don't forget, Zacks has all of your needs covered on the equity side too! Make sure to check out Zacks.com for more information on our screening capabilities, Rank, and all our articles as well.