Vanguard Charitable Adds Investment Pools for International Exposure

Donor-advised fund accounts in the Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program can now gain international exposure through three new investment pools the provider introduced Tuesday.

The single-fund pools comprise Vanguard mutual funds that invest in the following international equity market segments:

• The European Stock Pool invests in more than 400 stocks across the European region, which makes up about half of the non-U.S. equity marketplace.
• The Pacific Stock Pool invests in some 500 stocks in developed countries of the Asia/Pacific region, particularly Japan; the area makes up roughly a quarter on the non-U.S. equity marketplace.
• The Emerging Markets Pool provides exposure to emerging markets by investing in companies in 21 countries, including the so-called BRICs: Brazil, Russia, India and China.

The new investment pools "provide additional diversification and offer a low-cost way for donor-advised accounts to gain equity exposure to both developed and emerging international economies," Vanguard Charitable president Benjamin Pierce said in a statement.

The statement said the addition of the new pools aligned with Vanguard's strategic investment methodology, which has recently included more exposure to international equities.