There are plenty of choices in the Muni - Bonds category, but where should you start your research? Well, one fund that might be worth investigating is Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Admiral (VWALX Quick QuoteVWALX - Free Report) . VWALX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

Objective

VWALX is one of many Muni - Bonds funds to choose from. Muni - Bonds funds invest in debt securities issued by states and local municipalities, which are typically used to pay for infrastructure construction, schools, and other government functions. These securities can be backed by taxes (revenue bonds), but others are known as "general obligation" and are not necessarily backed by a defined source. These bonds are especially attractive because of their inherent tax benefits.

History of Fund/Manager

VWALX finds itself in the Vanguard Group family, based out of Malvern, PA. Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Admiral made its debut in November of 2001, and since then, VWALX has accumulated about $15.59 billion in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. Mathew Kiselak is the fund's current manager and has held that role since July of 2010.

Performance

Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. VWALX has a 5-year annualized total return of 1.28%, and is 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 5.03%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame.

It is important to note that the product's returns may not reflect all its expenses. Any fees not reflected would lower the returns. Total returns do not reflect the fund's [%] sale charge. If sales charges were included, total returns would have been lower.

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. The standard deviation of VWALX over the past three years is 6.71% compared to the category average of 8.6%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 7.5% compared to the category average of 9.91%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Bond Duration

Modified duration is a measure of a given bond's interest rate sensitivity, so when judging how fixed income securities will respond in a shifting rate environment, it is an excellent figure to look at.

If you believe interest rates will rise, this is an important factor to look at. VWALX has a modified duration of 8.51, which suggests that the fund will decline 8.51% for every hundred-basis-point increase in interest rates.

Income

Since income is, of course, a big reason for purchasing a fixed income security, it is always important to consider the fund's average coupon. This metric calculates the fund's average payout in a given year. For example, this fund's average coupon of 4.88% means that a $10,000 investment should result in a yearly payout of $488.

If you are looking for a strong level of current income, a higher coupon is a good choice, though it could pose a reinvestment risk; these risks can occur if rates are lower in the future when compared to the initial purchase date of the bond. Because income is only one part of the bond picture, investors should also consider risk relative to broad benchmarks.

This fund has a beta of 0.82, meaning that it is less volatile than a broad market index of fixed income securities. Taking this into account, VWALX has a positive alpha of 1, which measures performance on a risk-adjusted basis.

Ratings

Investors should also consider a bond's rating, which is a grade "AAA" to "D" given to a bond that indicates its credit quality. With this letter scale in mind, VWALX has 27.23% in high quality bonds rated at least "AA" or higher, while 47.22% are of medium quality, with ratings of "A" to "BBB". The fund has an average quality of A, and focuses on high quality securities.

Expenses

As competition heats up in the mutual fund market, costs become increasingly important. Compared to its otherwise identical counterpart, a low-cost product will be an outperformer, all other things being equal. Thus, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is vital for investors. In terms of fees, VWALX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.09% compared to the category average of 0.76%. VWALX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.

Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $50,000 and that each subsequent investment needs to be at $1.

Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into consideration. Returns would be less if those were included.

Bottom Line

Overall, Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Admiral ( VWALX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Admiral ( VWALX ) looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.

For additional information on the Muni - Bonds area of the mutual fund world, make sure to check out www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds. There, you can see more about the ranking process, and dive even deeper into VWALX too for additional information. If you are more of a stock investor, make sure to also check out our Zacks Rank, and our full suite of tools we have available for novice and professional investors alike.