VBAL at a Glance
| Feature |
Details |
| Full name |
Vanguard Balanced ETF Portfolio |
| Ticker |
VBAL |
| Provider |
Vanguard Canada |
| Inception |
January 2018 |
| MER |
0.24% |
| Asset allocation |
60% equities / 40% bonds |
| Holdings |
13,000+ stocks + 18,000+ bonds |
| Distribution frequency |
Quarterly |
| Distribution yield |
~2.5% |
| Exchange |
TSX |
Asset Allocation
| Component |
Allocation |
Underlying ETF |
| US equities |
~25% |
VUN |
| Canadian equities |
~18% |
VCN |
| International developed |
~12% |
VIU |
| Emerging markets |
~5% |
VEE |
| Canadian bonds |
~24% |
VAB |
| Global bonds |
~16% |
VBG/VBU |
| Period |
VBAL (60/40) |
VGRO (80/20) |
VEQT (100/0) |
| Expected long-term return |
~6-7% |
~7.5-8.5% |
~9-10% |
| Max drawdown (2020) |
~-16% |
~-22% |
~-28% |
| 2022 drawdown |
~-12% |
~-12% |
~-10% |
Growth of $10,000
| Time Horizon |
VBAL (~6.5%) |
VGRO (~7.5%) |
VEQT (~9.5%) |
| 10 years |
$18,771 |
$20,610 |
$24,782 |
| 20 years |
$35,236 |
$42,479 |
$61,416 |
| 30 years |
$66,144 |
$87,550 |
$152,203 |
VBAL vs XBAL
| Feature |
VBAL |
XBAL |
| MER |
0.24% |
0.20% |
| Equity / Bond |
60/40 |
60/40 |
| Canadian equity |
~18% |
~15% |
| Provider |
Vanguard |
BlackRock |
| Performance |
Nearly identical |
Nearly identical |
Who Should Buy VBAL
| Profile |
Suitable? |
| 5-15 year time horizon |
✅ Ideal |
| Moderate risk tolerance |
✅ Yes |
| Pre-retirees (50-60s) |
✅ Good balance |
| RESP with 5-10 years to go |
✅ Good fit |
| Want higher growth |
⚠️ VGRO or VEQT better |
| Very conservative |
⚠️ Consider VCNS (40/60) or GICs |
| Short-term (under 3 years) |
❌ Still has equity risk |