BSCS vs VBCC

BSCSAInvesco BulletShares 2028 Corporate Bond ETF

VBCCAVanguard Target Maturity 2029 Corporate Bond ETF

In short

BSCS One rung of a corporate bond ladder in a single ticket: roughly 500 investment-grade corporates that effectively mature in 2028, held to maturity, with income paid monthly along the way.

VBCC Vanguard's version of a single rung on a bond ladder: investment-grade corporates that all mature in 2029, wrapped in an ETF at 0.08% a year, under the typical fee in the target-maturity aisle.

Stated mandate

BSCS The fund seeks to track a held-to-maturity portfolio of U.S.-dollar investment-grade corporate bonds with effective maturities in 2028. It invests at least 80% of assets in bonds comprising its underlying index.

VBCC The fund seeks to follow a market-weighted index of U.S.-dollar-denominated, investment-grade corporate bonds scheduled to mature in 2029.

Why people hold it

• BSCS Behaves more like a bond than a bond fund: the portfolio is built to be held to maturity, with all its bonds effectively maturing in 2028.invesco.com
• About 500 investment-grade corporate bonds, so no single issuer's stumble decides the outcome.
• 0.10% a year, level with the median target-maturity bond fund and the same rate Invesco charges on its 2029 and 2030 rungs (BSCT, BSCU).
• Pays monthly, runs in the billions, and trades actively, a useful combination when you are building a ladder year by year.

• VBCC At 0.08% a year it undercuts the target-maturity median and the established 2029 corporate rungs from iShares (IBDU) and Invesco (BSCT), both at 0.10%.
• Every bond in the index is scheduled to mature in 2029, so the portfolio has an end date instead of rolling on forever like a standard bond fund.
• Investment-grade US dollar corporates, market-weighted. No high-yield sleeve, no manager leaning on favorite issuers.
• Stacks up among the stronger builds in a crowded target-maturity field, on the back of low cost and a straightforward investment-grade portfolio.

Worth knowing

• BSCS Corporate credit, not government paper. Investment-grade issuers can still be downgraded or default, and a fixed maturity year does not change that.
• As 2028 approaches, bonds roll off and the portfolio's remaining life shortens, so its character shifts toward short-dated cash-like holdings.
• Vanguard's 2028 corporate rung (VBCB) charges 0.08%, slightly less for the same maturity year.

• VBCC Launched in 2026, so live history is short and it trades less actively than the long-running iShares and Invesco ladders. Limit orders matter more here.
• Corporate credit, not Treasuries. An investment-grade issuer can still be downgraded or miss a payment, and a 2029 maturity date does not erase that.
• Income is paid quarterly, so cash arrives four times a year rather than monthly.

Full BSCS profile⁠

Full VBCC profile⁠