Vanguard LifeStrategy 40% Eq ETF EUR Acc (EUR) | V40A |
by Ben Sater
The Vanguard LifeStrategy target-risk series' straightforward and efficient approach to delivering broad equity and fixed-income exposure should continue to serve investors well. A well-equipped and experienced team oversees this strategy. In February 2023, William Coleman stepped away from his role comanaging the equity sleeve after being promoted to head of U.S. exchange-traded fund capital markets. Michael Roach and Aurélie Denis joined the roster in his place alongside Walter Nejman. Roger Aliaga-Diaz, the firm's global head of portfolio construction and chief economist for the Americas, was also added to the strategy. Vanguard's well-resourced equity and fixed-income indexing groups support the managers and continuously work to enhance the sampling, indexing, and trading methods that drive this series' underlying components. Vanguard LifeStrategy Income VASIX, Vanguard LifeStrategy Conservative Growth VSCGX, Vanguard LifeStrategy Moderate Growth VSMGX, and Vanguard LifeStrategy Growth VASGX target static equity exposures of 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80%, respectively. The portfolios’ equity sleeves have a 60% U.S./40% non-U.S. stock split, while the bond sleeves have a 70% U.S./30% non-U.S. bond split. The funds' U.K.- and Ireland-domiciled siblings target the same static equity exposures but have different geographic breakdowns within each sleeve. The U.S. funds own four low-cost index funds to gain broad exposure to global stocks and bonds. Vanguard Total Stock Market Index VTSMX, which has a Morningstar Medalist Rating of Silver, (ratings as of January 2024) tracks the CRSP US Total Market Index, which provides exposure to nearly every investable U.S. stock. For non-U.S. stock exposure, Gold-rated Vanguard Total International Stock Index VGTSX holds more than 8,400 names across international emerging and developed markets. The series' two bond funds, Vanguard Total Bond Market II Index VTBIX and Vanguard Total International Bond Index II VTIIX, which are exclusively used in the LifeStrategy and target retirement series, provide global investment-grade fixed-income exposure. Fees ranging from 11 to 14 basis points put the U.S. funds in the cheapest 5% of their respective allocation Morningstar Category peers. The UCITS versions cost about twice as much but are still among the cheapest in their respective cohorts. |
Morningstar Pillars | |
People | Above Average |
Parent | High |
Process | Above Average |