Looking for consistent income in retirement beyond Social Security? Need more frequent payouts than the quarterly dividends that come from many stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs)? Most Vanguard ETFs pay quarterly dividends, but many retirees prefer monthly payouts. There are a few Vanguard ETFs that pay every 30 days vs. the more common 90 days. Let’s take a look.
Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND)
The Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND) is a great option for retirees. The fund focuses on U.S. investment-grade bonds and buys U.S. Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities of all maturities (short, medium, and long). About half of its holdings are issued by the U.S. Treasury or agencies, with 20% going to government mortgage-backed bonds and 14.5% going to industrials. Less than 4% come from foreign issuers.
- December Dividend Yield: 5.66%
- 30-Day SEC Yield: 4.13%
- NAV: 74.24
- Expense ratio: 0.03%
- Assets under management: $384.6 billion
Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF (VCSH)
The Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond Index Fund (VCSH) seeks current income with modest price fluctuation. The fund invests primarily in high-quality (investment-grade) corporate bonds, and maintains a dollar-weighted average maturity of 1 to 5 years. Most of its holdings have credit ratings of A or BBB, and lean heavily to industrial and finance industries.
- December Dividend Yield: 6.43%
- 30-Day SEC Yield: 4.17%
- NAV: 79.82
- Expense ratio: 0.03%
- Assets under management: $46.92 billion
Vanguard Emerging Markets Government Bond ETF (VWOB)
The Vanguard Emerging Markets Government Bond ETF (VWOB) is a way of getting exposure to government bonds in emerging markets like Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Turkey and Indonesia (the largest countries represented in the fund). This ETF attempts to track the performance of the Bloomberg USD Emerging Markets Government RIC Capped Index.
- December Dividend Yield: 5.94%
- 30-Day SEC Yield: 5.63%
- NAV: 67.37
- Expense ratio: 0.15%
- Assets under management: $6.13 billion
Vanguard High-Yield Active ETF (VGHY)
The Vanguard High-Yield Active ETF (VGHY) is a new offering in the Vanguard family, launched in September 2025. It’s a high-yield corporate fixed income portfolio, focusing on sustainable income. The fund’s benchmark is the Bloomberg U.S. High Yield 2% Issuer Capped Total Return Index. The majority of the fund’s holdings, which are diversified by industry, are BB-rated and lower bonds. The average duration is 2.9 years.
- December Dividend Yield: 1.48%
- 30-Day SEC Yield: 6.02%
- NAV: 75.37
- Expense ratio: 0.22%
- Assets under management: $145.4 million
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