Vanguard launched the Vanguard Total International Bond II Index Fund to provide three retirement funds exposure to international bonds: the Vanguard Target Retirement Funds, Vanguard Target Retirement Trusts and Vanguard LifeStrategy Funds.
As previously stated by the firm's chief investment officer, Greg Davis, the Target Retirement series and LifeStrategy Funds had become "increasingly large shareholders of their underlying index funds" in the first Total International Bond Index Fund so Vanguard decided to start a second fund, like the first in term of investments "to segregate the transaction costs produced by these funds of funds from the costs generated by other investors in the Total International Bond Index Fund."
Like its predecessor the Vanguard Total International Bond II Index Fund tracks the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate ex-USD Float Adjusted RIC Capped Index, which hedges its currency risks against the U.S. dollar.
Expense ratios for the new fund range from 0.07% for Institutional shares (VTILX) to 0.13% for Admiral shares (VTIEX). Investor shares (VTIXX) have a 0.13% fee, according to a spokeswoman.
BNY Mellon Rolls Out SMA ETF Model Portfolios on Envestnet Platform
BNY Mellon Investment Management introduced 14 separately managed account ETF Portfolio models, available on the Envestnet advisory platform.
The models include taxable and tax-free versions of seven passive strategies that use proprietary and ETFs and ETFs from outside asset managers. They are the BNY Mellon Growth, Growth & Income, Balanced, Stable Growth, Income, Stability and Stable Income. According to the BNY website, all the models include stocks and bonds and some cash, and except for the BNY Mellon Growth ETF Model, some alternatives as well, but the allocations of these assets differ from model to model. Fees range from roughly 0.05% to 0.13% for each portfolio.
By the end of the first quarter, Lockwood Asset Allocation Portfolios, from Lockwood Advisors, an affiliate of BNY Mellon | Pershing, will also be available on the Envestnet platform.
"While some of these services have been offered previously to our institutional clients, through the vehicle of ETF model portfolios we are now opening up that capability to wider audiences," said Jamie Lewin, head of BNY Mellon Investor Solutions, in a statement.
SoFi Files for Sixth ETF
Digital advisor SoFi in partnership with Tidal ETF Trust has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to trade its sixth ETF, the SoFi Weekly Dividend ETF.
Like the SoFi Weekly Income ETF (TGIF), the dividend ETF is designed to provide investors with a weekly dividend payout. The passive equity ETF will invest at least 80% of its net assets in dividend-paying companies.
The fund will attempt to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the component securities that make up the Solactive GBS Developed Markets Large & Mid Cap USD Index, according to SoFi.
