This all comes down to the intended use of bonds in your portfolio. BBB/BB-graded corporate bonds actually have better risk-adjusted returns than higher-grade corporates (as partially demonstrated in the testfolio link above), and VBILX has a slightly longer duration, so overall it should be slightly more volatile in exchange for slightly more risk. However, lower-grade corporates do also have more risk (a 5-year BB-graded corporate bond is about 100x more likely to default than an AAA-graded corporate bond), and if you want to avoid that in your bond fund, even at the expense of the bond fund's total return, that would be a reason to avoid them.
Historically, a portfolio of 70% total market and 30% VBILX had better total and risk-adjusted return than the same portfolio with 30% VBTLX (https://testfol.io/?s=cIOoIfH2BHf) but the performance is so close that the distinction is probably a coin flip.
Historically, a portfolio of 70% total market and 30% VBILX had better total and risk-adjusted return than the same portfolio with 30% VBTLX (https://testfol.io/?s=cIOoIfH2BHf) but the performance is so close that the distinction is probably a coin flip.
Statistics: Posted by breakfastinbed — Thu Nov 06, 2025 10:16 pm — Replies 2 — Views 278