What Is VGIT? Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury ETF

VGIT is the Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury ETF, a low-cost fund that holds US Treasury bonds with maturities between three and ten years. It tracks the Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 3-10 Year Index and owns around 100 government notes, delivering diversified exposure to the intermediate part of the Treasury yield curve.

Launched in November 2009, VGIT charges an expense ratio of just 0.03%, among the lowest of any bond ETF. Because it holds only US government paper, it carries essentially no credit risk; its returns are driven by coupon income and by how the price responds to changes in intermediate-term interest rates.

Approximate weights as of mid-2026; refresh quarterly from Vanguard's fund page. Each ticker links to its individual stock guide in Walnut.

VGIT's portfolio is made up entirely of US Treasury notes with maturities spread across the three-to-ten-year range, plus a small cash buffer. Rather than concentrating in a single bond, it diversifies across the intermediate curve so that no individual security dominates the fund.

The fund's duration of roughly five to six years is the key number to understand. It measures how sensitive the price is to interest-rate changes: a one-percentage-point move in rates would shift the price by about 5 to 6% in the opposite direction. That moderate sensitivity defines VGIT's role as a middle-ground Treasury holding.

Vanguard offers three maturity-segmented Treasury ETFs, and VGIT sits in the middle. VGSH holds short-term 1-to-3-year Treasuries and behaves almost like cash with minimal price movement, while VGLT holds long-term bonds whose prices swing sharply with rates. VGIT's 3-to-10-year focus lands between them on both duration and volatility.

The choice among them is largely a decision about interest-rate exposure. Investors who want more yield and are comfortable with more price movement lean longer; those who prioritize stability lean shorter. VGIT is a common default for people who want meaningful Treasury exposure without the large swings of a long-term fund.

VGIT's total return combines steady coupon income with price changes driven by interest rates. When rates fall, its price rises and it can post solid gains; when rates rise, its price declines, as many bond funds experienced during recent rate-hiking cycles. Its intermediate duration keeps those swings moderate compared with long-term funds.

The outlook depends mainly on the path of interest rates. A stable or falling-rate environment tends to favor VGIT, while rising rates pressure its price even as reinvested coupons benefit from higher yields. Its government backing means the primary variable to watch is the direction of intermediate Treasury yields, not credit conditions.

Walnut is not an investment adviser, and whether VGIT fits depends on your goals, time horizon, and need for stability. VGIT is designed as a safe, interest-rate-sensitive ballast for a portfolio rather than a growth holding, so it plays a defensive and income role rather than driving big returns.

Many investors use intermediate Treasuries like VGIT as the bond anchor of a diversified portfolio or as a counterweight to stocks. If you need long-term growth and can tolerate more risk, equities may suit you better; if you want near-cash stability, a short-term fund like VGSH may be a closer match.

VGIT trades on the Nasdaq and can be purchased through most major brokerages, including Robinhood, Fidelity, Schwab, and Public. Many of these platforms support fractional shares, so you can size your bond allocation precisely rather than buying whole shares.

You can also connect your brokerage account to Walnut to track VGIT alongside your other holdings and see how your fixed-income sleeve fits your overall target weights. Walnut helps you monitor the position and its yield; the trade itself is always placed and settled at your own broker.

VGIT is a rock-bottom-cost intermediate Treasury fund that serves as a portfolio ballast, with meaningful but moderate interest-rate sensitivity at a 0.03% fee. It is a core fixed-income building block, not a growth position, and sits between short-term VGSH and long-term VGLT.

Whether VGIT 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 VGIT a buy?

VGIT yields ~3.9% as of mid-2026, paid by passing through the dividends of its underlying holdings. For the payout schedule, history, and how the distributions are taxed, see VGIT dividend: yield and schedule.