What Is VCLT? Vanguard Long-Term Corporate Bond Index Fund ETF Shares
Last updated July 2026
Short answer
VCLT is Vanguard Long-Term Corporate Bond Index Fund ETF Shares, an ETF that tracks a long-duration US bond index at a 0.03% expense ratio. VCLT holds long-duration US bonds, bundled into one ticker. It launched in 2009. It distributes about 5.52%, and that payout moves with rates rather than being fixed. It charges 0.03%.
VCLT is issued by Vanguard and tracks a long-duration US bond index. It charges a 0.03% expense ratio, holds approximately $10.1B in assets under management, yields about 5.52%, and launched in 2009.
What is VCLT?
VCLT is Vanguard Long-Term Corporate Bond Index Fund ETF Shares, an ETF that tracks a long-duration US bond index at a 0.03% expense ratio. VCLT holds long-duration US bonds, bundled into one ticker. It launched in 2009. It distributes about 5.52%, and that payout moves with rates rather than being fixed. It charges 0.03%.
VCLT is issued by Vanguard and tracks a long-duration US bond index, so a single ticker gives you the whole portfolio of underlying holdings weighted by the index's methodology rather than by any active stock-picking.
What does VCLT hold?
VCLT does not hold a basket of individual stocks. It gets its exposure synthetically, through derivatives such as swaps and futures rather than by owning the underlying shares, so there is no conventional top-10 equity holdings list. See the description above for what VCLT actually tracks and how that exposure is built.
How do I invest in VCLT?
There are three common ways to get VCLT exposure. Buy shares (or fractional shares) of VCLT directly at any major broker that lists it. Hold it as a core position and layer more concentrated ideas on top. Or build it into a thematic portfolio in Walnut, so VCLT sits alongside other holdings that express the same thesis, with target weights you can rebalance toward. VCLT trades like a stock during market hours, so you buy it the same way you would any listed share.
New to buying funds? See how to buy an ETF, step by step.
Is VCLT a good buy?
Whether VCLT is a good buy depends less on any single call and more on your time horizon and what you already hold: it tracks a long-duration US bond index, so the real question is whether you want that exposure in your mix and at what weight. We walk through valuation, concentration, and what would have to be true for it to outperform from here in is VCLT a buy?
The bottom line on VCLT
VCLT gives you a long-duration US bond index exposure in one ticker at a 0.03% expense ratio. Most investors use it as a core holding and layer more concentrated thematic portfolios on top.
More on VCLT
Whether VCLT is worth buying today depends more on your time horizon and what you already hold than on any single call. We walk through valuation, concentration, and what would have to be true for it to outperform from here in is VCLT a buy?
VCLT yields 5.52% as of August 2026, paid by passing through the dividends of its underlying holdings. For the payout schedule, history, and how the distributions are taxed, see VCLT dividend: yield and schedule.
New to funds like VCLT? Start with what an ETF is, then how to buy an ETF, or browse the full guide to ETF investing.
Wondering how VCLT fits the portfolio you already own? Walnut is an AI investing app that connects your brokerage read-only and answers questions like that about your actual holdings: overlap, concentration, and how each position tracks the S&P 500. Compare the best AI portfolio analyzers or see the best AI investing apps in 2026.
Investing in VCLT with AI
Connect the broker you already use and ask Walnut's AI how VCLT fits what you actually hold: what it overlaps with, what it leaves you exposed to, and how it has tracked the S&P 500. Read-only by default, and you approve anything before it reaches your broker.
FAQ
What is VCLT's ticker symbol?
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VCLT, Vanguard Long-Term Corporate Bond Index Fund ETF Shares. Issued by Vanguard; tracks a long-duration US bond index. Trades during US market hours, available at every major US brokerage.
What is VCLT's expense ratio?
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0.03% as of August 2026.
What are VCLT's top holdings?
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Top holdings as of August 2026: and others. See the full holdings table above.
How can I invest in VCLT through Walnut?
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Walnut isn't a broker. Connect a brokerage and Walnut sits on top to help you build and track thematic portfolios. VCLT can be a constituent alongside individual stocks.
How do I compare VCLT to similar ETFs?
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Put a few fields side by side: the expense ratio (fees compound over decades), the index or strategy it tracks, the top holdings and how much they overlap with what you already own, the dividend yield, and the AUM, liquidity, and bid-ask spread that affect trading costs. For index funds, tracking error (how closely it follows its index) and tax efficiency matter too. VCLT's figures are above; the full method is in Walnut's guide on how to compare ETFs.
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Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Holdings weights and fund statistics on this page are approximations stamped to August 2026; verify current figures against Vanguard's fund page or your broker before investing.