<PAGE>
==============================================================================
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM N-1A
REGISTRATION STATEMENT (NO. 33-34261) UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
PRE-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO.
POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. 6
AND
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY
ACT OF 1940
AMENDMENT NO. 7
VANGUARD OHIO
TAX-FREE FUND
(EXACT NAME OF REGISTRANT AS SPECIFIED IN CHARTER)
P.O. BOX 2600
VALLEY FORGE, PA 19482
(ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICE)
REGISTRANT'S TELEPHONE NUMBER (610) 669-1000
RAYMOND J. KLAPINSKY, ESQUIRE
P.O. BOX 876
VALLEY FORGE, PA 19482
It is hereby requested that this filing become effective on March 29, 1996,
pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 485.
Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering: As soon as practicable after
this Registration Statement becomes effective*.
Registrant elects to register an indefinite number of shares pursuant to
Regulation 24f-2 under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Registrant filed
its Rule 24f-2 Notice for the year ended November 30, 1995 on January 25,
1996.
==============================================================================
<PAGE>
VANGUARD OHIO TAX-FREE FUND
CROSS-REFERENCE SHEET
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Form N-1A Item
Number Location in Prospectus
<S> <C> <C>
Item 1. Cover Page ................................ Cover Page
Item 2. Synopsis .................................. Not Applicable
Item 3. Condensed Financial Information ........... Financial Highlights
Item 4. General Description of Registrant ......... Investment Objective; Investment
Limitations; Investment Policies;
General Information
Item 5. Management of the Fund .................... Trustees and Officers; Management of
the Fund
Item 6. Capital Stock and Other Securities ........ Opening an Account and Purchasing Shares;
Selling Your Shares; The Share Price of Each
Portfolio; Dividends, Capital Gains and Taxes;
General Information
Item 7. Purchase of Securities Being Offered ...... Cover Page; Opening an Account and Purchasing
Shares
Item 8. Redemption or Repurchase .................. Selling Your Shares
Item 9. Pending Legal Proceedings ................. Not Applicable
Form N-1A Item Location in Statement
Number of Additional Information
Item 10. Cover Page ................................ Cover Page
Item 11. Table of Contents ......................... Cover Page
Item 12. General Information and History ........... Management of the Fund
Item 13. Investment Objective and Policies ......... Investment Limitations
Item 14. Management of the Fund .................... Management of the Fund; Investment Management
Item 15. Control Persons and Principal Holders of
Securities ................................ Management of the Fund
Item 16. Investment Advisory and Other Services .... Management of the Fund; Investment Management
Item 17. Brokerage Allocation ...................... Not Applicable
Item 18. Capital Stock and Other Securities ........ Financial Statements
Item 19. Purchase, Redemption and Pricing of
Securities Being Offered .................. Purchase of Shares; Redemption of Shares
Item 20. Tax Status ................................ Appendix
Item 21. Underwriters .............................. Not Applicable
Item 22. Calculations of Yield Quotations of Money
Market Fund ............................... Calculation of Yield
Item 23. Financial Statements ...................... Financial Statements
</TABLE>
<PAGE>
==============================================================================
Vanguard
OHIO
TAX-FREE FUND A Member of The Vanguard Group
==============================================================================
PROSPECTUS-March 29, 1996
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEW ACCOUNT INFORMATION: Investor Information Department-1-800-662-7447 (SHIP)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SHAREHOLDER ACCOUNT SERVICES: Client Services Department-1-800-662-2739 (CREW)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVE &
POLICIES Vanguard Ohio Tax-Free Fund (the "Fund") is an open-end
non-diversified investment company that seeks to provide
income that is exempt from federal and Ohio personal income
taxes. The Fund will invest primarily in securities issued
by Ohio state and local governments and public financing
authorities, but may also invest in securities of issuers
other than Ohio and its political subdivisions. The Fund
consists of a Money Market Portfolio and an Insured
Long-Term Portfolio, each of which has distinct investment
objectives and policies. The Money Market Portfolio seeks to
maintain, but does not guarantee, a constant net asset value
of $1.00 per share. The Portfolios are available only to
Ohio residents. Although the Money Market Portfolio invests
in high quality instruments, the shares of the Portfolio are
neither insured nor guaranteed by any agency of the U.S.
government, including the FDIC.
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OPENING AN
ACCOUNT Please complete and return the Account Registration Form. If
you need assistance in completing this Form, please call our
Investor Information Department, Monday through Friday, from
8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Saturday, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00
p.m. (Eastern time). The minimum initial investment is
$3,000 for each Portfolio or $1,000 for Uniform
Gifts/Transfers to Minors Act accounts. The Fund is offered
on a no-load basis (i.e., there are no sales commissions or
12b-1 fees). However, the Fund incurs expenses for
investment advisory, management, administrative, and
distribution services.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ABOUT THIS
PROSPECTUS This Prospectus is designed to set forth concisely the
information that you should know about the Fund before you
invest. It should be retained for future reference. A
"Statement of Additional Information" containing additional
information about the Fund has been filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. This Statement is dated
March 29, 1996, and has been incorporated by reference into
this Prospectus. It may be obtained, without charge, by
writing to the Fund or by calling the Investor Information
Department.
<PAGE>
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Fund Expenses .............................. 2
Financial Highlights ....................... 2
Yield and Total Return ..................... 4
FUND INFORMATION
Investment Objective ....................... 4
Investment Policies ........................ 5
Investment Risks ........................... 7
Who Should Invest .......................... 9
How to Compare Tax-Free and Taxable Yields . 10
Implementation of Policies ................. 11
Investment Limitations ..................... 16
Management of the Fund ..................... 16
Investment Adviser ......................... 17
Dividends, Capital Gains and Taxes ......... 18
The Share Price of Each
Portfolio ................................ 19
General Information ........................ 21
Page
SHAREHOLDER GUIDE
Opening an Account and
Purchasing Shares ........................ 22
When Your Account Will Be Credited ......... 25
Selling Your Shares ........................ 26
Exchanging Your Shares ..................... 29
Important Information About Telephone
Transactions ............................. 30
Transferring Registration .................. 31
Other Vanguard Services .................... 31
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED BY THE SECURITIES AND
EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION, NOR HAS THE SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE COMMISSION PASSED UPON THE ACCURACY OR
ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL
OFFENSE.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<PAGE>
FUND EXPENSES The following table illustrates all expenses and fees that
you would incur as a shareholder of the Fund. The expenses
and fees set forth in the table are for each Portfolio's
1995 fiscal year.
Money Insured
Market Long-Term
Shareholder Transaction Expenses Portfolio Portfolio
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sales Load Imposed on Purchases ...... None None
Sales Load Imposed on Reinvested
Dividends ............................ None None
Redemption Fees* ..................... None None
Exchange Fees ........................ None None
Money Insured
Market Long-Term
Annual Fund Operating Expenses Portfolio Portfolio
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Management & Administrative Expenses .. 0.15% 0.16%
Investment Advisory Expense ........... 0.01 0.01
12b-1 Fees ............................ None None
Other Expenses
Distribution Costs .................. 0.03% 0.02%
Miscellaneous Expenses .............. 0.02 0.02
Fund Insurance ...................... None 0.00
----- -----
Total Other Expenses .................. 0.05 0.04
---- -----
Total Operating Expenses .......... 0.21% 0.21%
===== =====
*Wire redemptions under $5,000 are subject to a $5 charge.
The purpose of this table is to assist you in understanding the various costs
and expenses that you would bear directly or indirectly as an investor in the
Fund.
The following example illustrates the expenses that you would incur on a $1,000
investment over various periods, assuming (1) a 5% annual rate of return and (2)
redemption at the end of each period. As noted in the table above, the Fund
charges no redemption fees of any kind.
1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years
-------- --------- --------- ----------
Money Market Portfolio ..... $2 $7 $12 $27
Insured Long-Term Portfolio.. $2 $7 $12 $27
This example should not be considered a representation of future expenses or
performance. Actual expenses may be higher or lower than those shown.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FINANCIAL
HIGHLIGHTS The following financial highlights for a share outstanding
throughout each period have been audited by Price Waterhouse
LLP, independent accountants, whose report thereon was
unqualified. This information should be read in conjunction
with the financial statements and notes thereto, which,
together with the remaining portions of the Fund's 1995
Annual Report to Shareholders, are incorporated by reference
in the Statement of Additional Information and this
Prospectus, and which appear, along with the report of Price
Waterhouse LLP, in the Fund's 1995 Annual Report to
Shareholders. For a more complete discussion of the Fund's
performance, please see the Fund's 1995 Annual Report to
Shareholders, which may be obtained without charge by
writing to the Fund or by calling our Investor Information
Department at 1-800-662-7447.
2
<PAGE>
-------------------------------
MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIO
-------------------------------
Year Ended November 30,
-------------------------------
1995 1994 1993
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period .... $1.00 $1.00 $1.00
-------- --------
Investment Operations
Net Investment Income ................. .037 .026 .023
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss)
on Investments ..................... -- -- --
-------- -------- --------
Total from Investment Operations ..... .037 .026 .023
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Distributions
Dividends from Net Investment Income .. (.037) (.026) (.023)
Distributions from Realized Capital
Gains .............................. -- -- --
-------- -------- --------
Total Distributions .................. (.037) (.026) (.023)
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Net Asset Value, End of Period .......... $1.00 $1.00 $1.00
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Return ............................ 3.78% 2.58% 2.37%
=============================================================================
Ratios/Supplemental Data
Net Assets, End of Period (Millions) .... $178 $147 $132
Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets . .21% .23% .21%
Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average
Net Assets ............................ 3.71% 2.56% 2.34%
Portfolio Turnover Rate ................. N/A N/A N/A
(RESTUBBED TABLE CONTINUED FROM ABOVE)
June 18+
to
Nov. 30,
1992 1991 1990
---------------------------------
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period .... $1.00 $1.00 $1.00
-------- -------- ----------
Investment Operations
Net Investment Income ................. .030 .045 .027
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss)
on Investments ..................... -- -- --
-------- -------- ----------
Total from Investment Operations ..... .030 .045 .027
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Distributions
Dividends from Net Investment Income .. (.030) (.045) (.027)
Distributions from Realized Capital
Gains .............................. -- -- --
-------- -------- ----------
Total Distributions .................. (.030) (.045) (.027)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Net Asset Value, End of Period .......... $1.00 $1.00 $1.00
==============================================================================
Total Return ............................ 3.01% 4.64% 2.59%
==============================================================================
Ratios/Supplemental Data
Net Assets, End of Period (Millions) .... $92 $79 $37
Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets . .31% .26% .23%*
Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average
Net Assets ............................ 2.95% 4.45% 5.65%*
Portfolio Turnover Rate ................. N/A N/A N/A
*Annualized.
+Commencement of operations.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<PAGE>
--------------------------------
INSURED LONG-TERM PORTFOLIO
--------------------------------
Year Ended November 30,
--------------------------------
1995 1994 1993
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period .... $10.28 $11.61 $11.07
-------- --------- --------
Investment Operations
Net Investment Income ................. .610 .599 .608
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss)
on Investments ..................... 1.350 (1.298) .685
-------- --------- --------
Total from Investment Operations .... 1.960 (.699) 1.293
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Distributions
Dividends from Net Investment Income .. (.610) (.599) (.608)
Distributions from Realized Capital
Gains .............................. -- (.032) (.145)
-------- --------- --------
Total Distributions ................. (.610) (.631) (.753)
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Net Asset Value, End of Period .......... $11.63 $10.28 $11.61
=============================================================================
Total Return ............................ 19.45% (6.29)% 12.03%
=============================================================================
Net Assets, End of Period (Millions) .... $197 $149 $166
Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets . .21% .23% .21%
Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average
Net Assets ............................ 5.45% 5.38% 5.29%
Portfolio Turnover Rate ................. 7% 16% 10%
<PAGE>
(RESTUBBED TABLE CONTINUED FROM ABOVE)
June 18+
to
Nov. 30,
1992 1991 1990
---------------------------------
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period .... $10.60 $10.30 $10.00
-------- -------- ----------
Investment Operations
Net Investment Income ................. .630 .650 .295
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss)
on Investments ..................... .474 .300 .300
-------- -------- ----------
Total from Investment Operations . 1.104 .950 .595
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Distributions
Dividends from Net Investment Income .. (.630) (.650) (.295)
Distributions from Realized Capital
Gains .............................. (.004) -- --
-------- -------- ----------
Total Distributions ................. (.634) (.650) (.295)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Net Asset Value, End of Period .......... $11.07 $10.60 $10.30
==============================================================================
Total Return ............................ 10.69% 9.50% 6.04%
==============================================================================
Net Assets, End of Period (Millions) .... $101 $61 $17
Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets . .31% .27% .22%*
Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average
Net Assets ............................ 5.77% 6.20% 6.55%*
Portfolio Turnover Rate ................. 27% 20% 2%
*Annualized.
+Commencement of operations.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3
<PAGE>
YIELD AND
TOTAL RETURN From time to time a Portfolio of the Fund may advertise its
yield and total return. Both yield and total return figures
are based on historical earnings and are not intended to
indicate future performance. The "total return" of a
Portfolio refers to the average annual compounded rates of
return over one-, five- and ten-year periods or over the
life of a Portfolio (as stated in the advertisement) that
would equate an initial amount invested at the beginning of
a stated period to the ending redeemable value of the
investment, assuming the reinvestment of all dividend and
capital gains distributions.
In accordance with industry guidelines set forth by the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission, the "30-day yield" of
the Insured Long-Term Portfolio is calculated by dividing
net investment income per share earned during a 30-day
period by the net asset value per share on the last day of
the period. Net investment income includes interest and
dividend income earned on the Portfolio's securities; it is
net of all expenses and all recurring and nonrecurring
charges that have been applied to all shareholder accounts.
The yield calculation assumes that net investment income
earned over 30 days is compounded monthly for six months and
then annualized.
The "seven-day" or "current" yield of the Money Market
Portfolio reflects the income earned by a hypothetical
account in the Portfolio during a seven-day period,
expressed as an annual percentage rate. The "effective
yield" of the Money Market Portfolio assumes that the income
over the seven-day period is reinvested weekly, resulting in
a slightly higher stated yield through compounding. Methods
used to calculate yields are standardized for money market
and bond funds. However, these methods differ from the
accounting methods used by the Portfolios to maintain their
books and records, and so advertised yields may not fully
reflect the income paid to an investor's account or the
yield reported in the Portfolios' financial statements.
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVE The Fund is an open-end non-diversified investment company.
The Fund consists of the Ohio Money Market Portfolio and the
The Fund seeks Ohio Insured Long-Term Portfolio, each of which has a
to provide income distinct investment objective:
that is exempt
from federal o The objective of the Ohio Money Market Portfolio is to
and Ohio income provide investors with income that is exempt from both
taxes federal and Ohio personal income taxes. The Portfolio also
seeks to maintain, but does not guarantee, a constant net
asset value of $1.00 per share. Although the Portfolio
invests in high-quality instruments, the shares of the
Portfolio are not insured or guaranteed by the U.S.
Government.
o The objective of the Ohio Insured Long-Term Portfolio
is to provide investors with a high level of income that
is exempt from federal and Ohio personal income taxes.
The two Portfolios of the Fund are available only to
investors who reside in Ohio. There is no assurance that
either Portfolio of the Fund will achieve its stated
objective.
The investment objective of each Portfolio is fundamental
and so may not be changed without the approval of a majority
of the Fund's shareholders.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4
<PAGE>
INVESTMENT
POLICIES Each Portfolio of the Fund will invest at least 80% of its
net assets in Ohio municipal securities, exclusive of Ohio
AMT bonds, see "Implementation of Policies." Ohio municipal
securities are debt obligations issued by or on behalf of
the State of Ohio, political subdivisions thereof and
agencies and instrumentalities of the State or its political
subdivisions (and by certain U.S. territories) that provide
interest income that is exempt from both federal and Ohio
personal income taxes. The Ohio municipal securities
described above, may include securities in which the
tax-exempt interest rate is determined by an index, swap or
some other formula. Although both invest primarily in Ohio
municipal obligations, the two Portfolios differ in terms of
credit quality and maturity standards.
The Money Market
Portfolio will
invest in
short-term
Ohio municipal
securities Under normal circumstances, the Ohio Money Market
Portfolio will invest at least 80% of its net assets in the
following high-quality, short-term Ohio municipal
securities:
o Municipal notes and variable rate demand instruments,
including derivative securities, rated MIG-1 or VMIG-1, or
P-1 by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's) or
SP-1+, or SP-1, A-1+, or A-1 by Standard & Poor's
Corporation ("Standard & Poor's");
o Tax-exempt commercial paper rated P-1 by Moody's or A-1+
or A-1 by Standard &
o Municipal bonds, including derivative Poor's; securities,
with an effective maturity of 13 months or less rated a
minimum of Aa by Moody's or AA by Standard & Poor's; and
o Unrated municipal notes considered by the Board of
Trustees to be comparable in credit quality to securities
rated MIG-1 by Moody's or SP-1+ or SP-1 by Standard &
Poor's.
In addition, up to 10% of Ohio's Money Market Portfolio's
net assets may be invested in "restricted" money market
securities which are not freely marketable or which are
subject to restrictions on disposition under the Securities
Act of 1933.
In seeking to provide a stable share price of $1.00, the
Ohio Money Market Portfolio is expected to maintain an
average weighted maturity of 90 days or less and will
purchase securities with an effective maturity of 13 months
or less and which are eligible for purchase under Rule 2a-7
of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "1940 Act").
Normally, the Ohio Money Market Portfolio will seek to
invest substantially all of its assets in the short-term
Ohio municipal obligations listed above. However, under
certain circumstances, such as a temporary decline in the
issuance of Ohio obligations, the Portfolio may invest up to
20% of its assets in the following: short-term municipal
securities issued outside of Ohio (the income from which may
be subject to Ohio income taxes) or certain taxable
fixed-income securities (the income from which may be
subject to federal and Ohio income taxes).
5
<PAGE>
The Insured
Long-Term
Portfolio
invests in
insured Ohio
municipal
securities Under normal circumstances, the Ohio Insured Long-Term
Portfolio will invest at least 80% of its net assets in
insured Ohio municipal securities. Insured municipal bonds
are those in which scheduled payments of interest and
principal are guaranteed by a private (non-governmental)
insurance company. The insurance feature does not guarantee
the market value of the municipal bonds or the value of the
shares of the Ohio Insured Long-Term Portfolio. The
insurance refers to the face or par value of the securities
in the Portfolio. See "Implementation of Policies" for a
description of the insurance feature of the Ohio Insured
Long-Term Portfolio.
The Ohio Insured Long-Term Portfolio is expected to maintain
a dollar-weighted average maturity of between 15 and 25
years. Bonds with longer maturities usually offer higher
yields but are also subject to greater market fluctuations
as interest rates change. See "Investment Risks."
Normally, the Ohio Insured Long-Term Portfolio seeks to
invest substantially all of its assets in insured Ohio
municipal obligations. However, under certain circumstances,
the Portfolio may invest up to 20% of its assets in any
combination of the following securities:
o Uninsured, long-term Ohio municipal securities rated a
minimum of Aa by Standards & Poor's;
o Uninsured, short-term municipal Moody's or AA by
securities, issued in Ohio or in other states, with the
same quality standards that apply for the Money Market
o Certain taxable fixed-income securities, Portfolio;
o Certain tax-exempt municipal securities including U.S.
Government securities; and issued by other states that
have similar characteristics to the securities
In such cases, a portion of the Portfolio's typically
purchased by the Portfolio. income may be subject to Ohio
income taxes, federal income taxes, or both. (See page 19).
Both the Money Market Portfolio and Insured Long-Term
Portfolio are authorized to invest in Ohio AMT bonds. The
income from Ohio AMT bonds is exempt from federal and Ohio
personal income taxes, but may be a tax preference item for
purposes of the federal alternative minimum tax,
"Implementation of Policies."
Under unusual circumstances, such as a national financial
emergency, each Portfolio of the Fund reserves the right to
invest more than 20% of its assets in securities other than
Ohio municipal obligations. In most instances, however, the
Portfolios of the Fund will seek to avoid such holdings in
an effort to provide income that is fully exempt from
federal and Ohio personal income taxes.
6
<PAGE>
Each Portfolio
will diversify
its holdings Although the Fund is organized as a non-diversified
investment company, each Portfolio of the Fund intends to
diversify its holdings of Ohio municipal securities by
complying with Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. In
part, Subchapter M requires that, at the close of each
quarter of the taxable year, those issues which represent
more than 5% of each Portfolio's assets be limited in
aggregate to 50% of each Portfolio, and that no one issue
exceed 25% of a Portfolio's total assets. As of November 30,
1995, the Ohio-Money Market Portfolio held securities of 39
issuers, with the largest holding representing 7.5% of the
Portfolio's assets; the Ohio Insured Long-Term Portfolio
held securities of 76 issuers, with the largest holding
representing 4.6% of the Portfolio's assets.
The Fund is responsible for voting the shares of all
securities it holds.
The policy of investing at least 80% of each Portfolio's net
assets in Ohio municipal securities under normal
circumstances is fundamental and may not be changed without
shareholder approval. The other investment policies
described above are not fundamental and so may be changed by
the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INVESTMENT
RISKS
The Fund is
subject to
interest rate,
credit, call,
income and
manager risk As mutual funds investing in municipal securities, both
Portfolios of the Fund are subject to interest rate, credit,
call, income and manager risk. However, the risk
characteristics of both Portfolios vary because of differing
maturity and credit quality standards.
Interest rate risk is the potential for fluctuations in the
price of a Portfolio's investments due to changing interest
rates. In general, bond prices vary inversely with interest
rates. If interest rates rise, bond prices generally
decline; if interest rates fall, bond prices generally rise.
In addition, for a given change in interest rates,
longer-maturity bonds exhibit greater price fluctuations
than shorter- maturity bonds. To compensate investors for
this risk, longer-maturity bonds generally offer higher
yields than shorter-maturity bonds, other factors, including
credit quality, being equal. Interest rate risk may be
increased or decreased when a portfolio initiates or
purchases derivative Ohio municipal securities. Such
derivative securities rely on sophisticated interest rate
calculation mechanisms. For certain types of derivative
bonds, the magnitude of increases and decreases in their
price may be proportionately larger or smaller than, or
inverse to, the price changes that broad market interest
rate fluctuations would produce in long-term bonds.
Credit risk is the possibility that a bond issuer will fail
to make timely payments of interest or principal to a
portfolio. The credit risk of a portfolio depends on the
credit quality of its underlying securities. In general, the
lower the credit quality of a portfolio's municipal
securities, the higher a portfolio's yield, all other
factors such as maturity being equal.
Call risk is the possibility that, during periods of falling
interest rates, a municipal security with a high stated
interest rate will be prepaid (or "called") prior to its
expected maturity date. As a result, a portfolio will be
required to invest the unanticipated proceeds at lower
interest rates, and the Portfolio's income may decline. Call
provisions are most common for intermediate- and long-term
municipal bonds.
7
<PAGE>
Income risk is the potential for a decline in a portfolio's
income due to falling market interest rates. Because a
portfolio's income is based on interest rates, which can
fluctuate substantially over short periods, income risk is
expected to vary from portfolio to portfolio
The Fund is
subject to
manager risk Finally, the investment adviser manages the Fund's
Portfolios according to the traditional methods of "active"
investment management, which involve the buying and selling
of securities based upon economic, financial and market
analysis and investment judgment. Manager risk refers to the
possibility that the Fund's investment adviser may fail to
execute a Portfolio's investment strategy effectively. As a
result, a Portfolio may lose money.
Given the Portfolio's stated objectives and policies,
interest rate risk for the Ohio Money Market Portfolio is
expected to be negligible. The Money Market Portfolio seeks
to maintain, but does not guarantee, a constant net asset
value of $1.00 per share. Although the Money Market
Portfolio invests in high-quality instruments, the shares of
the Portfolio are not insured or guaranteed by the U.S.
Government. In contrast, interest rate risk for the Ohio
Insured Long-Term Portfolio may be high. The average
weighted maturity of the Insured Long-Term Portfolio will
generally exceed 15 years, meaning that the Portfolio's
share price will fluctuate, sometimes substantially, when
interest rates change.
The following chart illustrates the potential interest rate
risk of the Ohio Insured Long-Term Portfolio. The chart
shows the market value of a $1,000 investment in a single
bond with the same yield and maturity characteristics as the
Insured Long-Term Portfolio on December 31, 1995, assuming a
1% and 2% increase or decrease in interest rates:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Hypothetical Value of $1,000 Investment
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Percentage Point Change in Interest Rates
--------------------------------------------------
30-Day Average 1% 1% 2% 2%
Portfolio Yield Maturity Increase Decrease Increase Decrease
- --------- -------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Insured Long-Term 4.80% 8.8 years $ 918 $ 1,060 $ 855 $ 1,141
</TABLE>
This chart is intended to provide you with general
guidelines for evaluating the effect of interest rate
changes on the Ohio Insured Long-Term Portfolio and
determining the degree of interest rate risk you may be
willing to assume. The yield and price changes shown are
purely for illustrative purposes and should not be taken as
representative of current or future yields or expected
changes in the share price of the Insured Long-Term
Portfolio.
Credit risk
is expected
to be low Credit risk depends on the average quality of a Portfolio's
underlying securities and its degree of diversification.
The Ohio Money Market Portfolio invests primarily in
high-quality, short-term Ohio municipal securities, and the
Ohio Insured Long-Term Portfolio invests primarily in bonds
insured by top-rated insurance companies against the
possible default of an issuer as to the timely payment of
interest and principal. As a result, the average credit
quality of each Portfolio is expected to be very high, and
credit risk is likely to be minimal.
8
<PAGE>
Ordinarily, an investment company concentrating its
investments in one state, such as the Fund, would be exposed
to greater credit risks than an investment company investing
in a nationally diversified portfolio of municipal
securities. These risks include possible tax law changes, a
deterioration in economic conditions, and differing levels
of supply and demand for Ohio municipal obligations. For
example, during the past decade, as a consequence of a
severe business recession in U.S. manufacturing generally,
Ohio experienced above-average rates of unemployment
relative to the national average. Although the state's
economy has improved significantly in recent years, there is
still the risk that a future recession could affect the
market value of Ohio municipal securities or impair the
ability of certain Ohio governmental authorities to repay
their debt obligations in a timely fashion. (See the
Statement of Additional Information for further information
on economic developments in Ohio.)
To minimize the effects of concentrating its investments in
Ohio obligations, each Portfolio of the Fund intends to
diversify its holdings by complying with Subchapter M of the
Internal Revenue Code. (See "Investment Policies" for a
description of the requirements of Subchapter M.) In
addition, the high-quality instruments held by the Ohio
Money Market Portfolio and the use of municipal bond
insurance in the Ohio Insured Long-Term Portfolio should
minimize the credit risk associated with the Fund.
As of November 30, 1995, top ten portfolio holdings, based
on market value, represented 53.2% of the Money Market
Portfolio's net assets and 27.8% of the Insured Long-Term
Portfolio's net assets.
The following chart summarizes credit, interest rate,
income and call risks for the Fund's Portfolios.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Credit Interest Income Prepayment/
Portfolio Risk Rate Risk Risk Call Risk
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Money Market ........ Low Low High Very Low
Insured Long-Term ... Very Low High Low Medium
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>
9
<PAGE>
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHO SHOULD
INVEST
Ohio residents
seeking
tax-exempt
income The Fund is intended for Ohio residents seeking income that
is exempt from federal and Ohio personal income taxes. As a
rule, tax-free income is attractive to investors in high
federal and Ohio tax brackets. You can determine whether
tax- exempt or taxable income is more attractive in your own
case by comparing a Portfolio's tax-free yield with the
yield from a comparable taxable mutual fund investment. See
"How to Compare Tax-Free and Taxable Yields."
Assuming that tax-free income is attractive in your own tax
bracket, you should base your selection of a Portfolio (or
Portfolios) on its expected price volatility and yield, and
your own investment objectives, risk preferences and time
horizon.
The Ohio Money Market Portfolio is intended for investors
who are seeking a stable share price and minimal credit
risk. The yield on the Portfolio is expected to fluctuate
from day to day and to be lower on average than the yield
from the Ohio Insured Long-Term Portfolio. The Ohio Money
Market Portfolio is suitable as a short-term investment
vehicle, emphasizing maximum protection of principal.
In contrast, the Ohio Insured Long-Term Portfolio is
intended for investors who are seeking the highest, most
durable streams of income and who can tolerate possibly
sharp fluctuations in share price in pursuit of their income
objectives. The yield of the Portfolio is expected to be
higher, and the level of income provided more stable, than
that of the Ohio Money Market Portfolio. However, because of
the potential volatility of the Portfolio's share price, the
Ohio Insured Long-Term Portfolio is appropriate only for
those investors who can hold their investment over the long
term.
The Fund is intended to be a long-term investment vehicle
and is not designed to provide investors with a means of
speculating on short-term market movements. Investors who
engage in excessive account activity generate additional
costs which are borne by all of the Fund's shareholders. In
order to minimize such costs, the Fund has adopted the
following policies. The Fund reserves the right to reject
any purchase request (including exchange purchases from
other Vanguard portfolios) that is reasonably deemed to be
disruptive to efficient portfolio management, either because
of the timing of the investment or previous excessive
trading by the investor. Additionally, the Fund has adopted
exchange privilege limitations as described in the section
"Exchange Privilege Limitations." Finally, the Fund reserves
the right to suspend the offering of its shares.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOW TO COMPARE
TAX-FREE AND
TAXABLE YIELDS Before choosing a specific tax-exempt investment, such as a
Portfolio of the Fund, you should determine if you would be
better off with taxable or tax-exempt income in your tax
bracket. To compare taxable and tax-free income, you should
first determine your combined federal, state and local tax
brackets. Then you should calculate the "taxable equivalent
yield" for the Portfolio you are considering, and compare it
with the yield of a taxable investment with similar credit
and maturity characteristics.
1. Determine your combined tax bracket. Your combined tax
bracket depends on whether you itemize state and local taxes
as a deduction on your federal return. If you do not
itemize, then your combined tax bracket is the sum of your
federal, state and local tax brackets.
If you do itemize, then your combined tax bracket is
calculated as follows. First calculate your effective state
and local tax bracket using the following formula:
Federal Effective
( 100% - Tax ) X State & = State &
Bracket Local Bracket Local Bracket
10
<PAGE>
For example, if you are in a 5.9% state tax bracket and a
28% federal tax bracket, your effective state and local tax
bracket would be 4.2%:
(100% - 28%) X 5.9% = 4.2%
Next, add your effective state tax bracket to your federal
tax bracket to determine your combined tax bracket:
Federal Effective Combined
Tax + State & = Tax
Bracket Local Bracket Bracket
28% + 4.2% = 32.2%
2. Calculate your taxable equivalent yield. The taxable
equivalent yield for a Portfolio is based upon the
Portfolio's current tax-exempt yield and your combined tax
bracket. The formula is:
Portfolio's Tax-Free Yield Your Taxable
-------------------------------- = Equivalent Yield
100% - Your Combined Tax Bracket
For example, if you are in a combined tax bracket of 32.2%,
and a Portfolio's tax- free yield is 6%, the Portfolio's
taxable equivalent yield would be 8.8%:
6%
------------ = 8.8%
100% - 32.2%
In this example, you would choose the tax-free investment if
its taxable equivalent yield of 8.8% were greater than the
taxable yield from a comparable investment (e.g., a taxable
bond fund of comparable maturity and credit quality).
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IMPLEMENTATION
OF POLICIES
The Fund invests in
municipal bonds,
notes and securities
derived from
municipal bonds and
notes The Fund's adviser uses a variety of investment vehicles to
achieve the objective of the Fund.
Each Portfolio of the Fund invests principally in tax-exempt
Ohio municipal securities, which are debt obligations issued
by state and local governments and public financing
authorities (and by certain U.S. territories) that provide
interest income that is exempt from federal and Ohio
personal income taxes. Municipal securities include both
municipal bonds (those securities with maturities of five
years or more) municipal notes (those securities with
maturities of less than five years) and derivative
securities (those securities in which a maturity may have
been shortened by a demand feature).
Municipal bonds are issued for a wide variety of reasons: to
construct public facilities such as airports, highways,
bridges, schools, hospitals, housing, mass transportation,
streets, water and sewer works; to obtain funds for
operating expenses; to refund outstanding municipal
obligations; and, to loan funds to various public
institutions and facilities. Certain industrial development
bonds are also considered municipal bonds if their interest
is exempt from federal income tax. Industrial development
bonds are issued by, or on behalf of, public authorities to
obtain funds for privately-operated manufacturing
facilities, housing, sports arenas, convention centers,
airports, mass transportation systems, and water, gas or
sewage works.
11
<PAGE>
Under Ohio law, general obligation municipal bonds are
secured by the issuer's pledge of full faith and credit and
the general property taxing power. Revenue bonds are payable
from sources other than general tax revenues. Industrial
development bonds are ordinarily dependent on the credit
quality of a private entity.
Municipal notes are issued to meet the short-term funding
requirements of local, regional and state governments.
Municipal notes include tax anticipation notes, bond
anticipation notes, revenue anticipation notes, tax and
revenue anticipation notes, construction loan notes,
short-term discount notes, tax-exempt commercial paper,
demand notes, and similar instruments. Demand notes permit
an investor (such as the Fund) to demand from the issuer
payment of principal plus accrued interest upon a certain
number of days' notice
The Fund may
invest in
AMT bonds Each Portfolio is authorized to invest up to 20% of its
assets in "AMT" bonds. AMT bonds are tax-exempt "private
activity" bonds issued after August 7, 1986, whose proceeds
are directed at least in part to a private, for-profit
organization. While the income from AMT bonds is exempt from
regular federal income tax, it is a tax preference item for
purposes of the alternative minimum tax. The alternative
minimum tax is a special separate tax that applies to a
limited number of taxpayers who have certain adjustments to
income or tax preference items.
The Fund may
invest in Market
Discount bonds The Fund may invest in "Market Discount" bonds when, in the
opinion of the Fund's adviser, the investment will be
advantageous to the Fund's shareholders. A Market Discount
bond is a bond purchased at a discount from its original
issue price after April 30, 1993 and with a maturity in
excess of one year from its issue date. In certain
circumstances, disposition of a Market Discount bond will
result in taxable ordinary income to the extent of any gain
realized.
Although the objective of the Fund is to provide income free
of federal income tax, certain market conditions may make
Market Discount bonds desirable investments. The Fund will
purchase Market Discount bonds only if the Fund's adviser
expects that the purchase of these investments on an
after-tax basis will enhance the Fund's total return.
Three types of
insurance may
be used in
the Insured
Long-Term
Portfolio To provide an added level of credit protection, the Ohio
Insured Long-Term Portfolio purchases securities which have
one of the following types of insurance: new issue, mutual
fund and secondary market insurance. A new issue insurance
policy is purchased by a bond issuer who wishes to increase
the credit rating of a security. By paying a premium and
meeting the insurer's underwriting standards, the bond
issuer is able to obtain a high credit rating for the
security (usually Aaa from Moody's or AAA from Standard &
Poor's). New issue insurance policies are non-cancellable
and continue in force as long as the bonds are outstanding.
12
<PAGE>
A mutual fund insurance policy may be used to guarantee
specific bonds only while owned by a mutual fund. The
Insured Long-Term Portfolio of the Fund has obtained a
mutual fund insurance policy from Financial Guaranty
Insurance Company ("Financial Guaranty"), a AAA-rated
insurance company. Based upon the expected composition of
the Portfolio, the annual premiums for the policy are likely
to range from 0.20% to 0.40% of the principal value of the
bonds insured under the policy, thereby reducing the
Portfolio's current yield.
A secondary market insurance policy is purchased by an
investor (such as the Insured Long-Term Portfolio)
subsequent to the bond's original issuance and insures a
particular bond for the remainder of its term. The Portfolio
may purchase bonds that have already been insured under a
secondary market insurance policy by a prior investor, or
the Portfolio may itself purchase such a policy from
Financial Guaranty or other insurance company for bonds that
are currently uninsured.
An insured municipal bond in the Portfolio will typically be
covered by only one of the three policies. For instance, if
a bond is already covered by a new issue insurance policy or
a secondary market insurance policy, then that security will
not be insured under the Portfolio's mutual fund insurance
policy. All of the insurance policies used by the Portfolio
will be obtained only from insurance companies rated Aaa by
Moody's or AAA by Standard & Poor's. The purchase of
insurance from such companies will have the effect of making
the insured bonds equivalent in quality to AAA-rated bonds.
The Insured
Long-Term
Portfolio may
report an
effective
average weighted
maturity Each Portfolio of the Fund observes strict maturity
guidelines as set forth in detail under "Investment
Policies." These maturity standards are specified in terms
of a Portfolio's average weighted maturity. From time to
time, however, the Fund may also report an effective average
weighted maturity for the Insured Long-Term Portfolio, which
reflects, among other items, the likelihood that a municipal
bond or note held by the Portfolio may be redeemed or
"called" prior to its stated maturity date. For example, if
the Portfolio consists entirely of 20-year bonds, some of
which may be "called" prior to their stated maturity in 20
years, the Portfolio's average weighted maturity will be 20
years, while its effective average maturity will be shorter.
A Portfolio's effective average weighted maturity will be
influenced by bond market conditions and so may vary from
day to day, even if no change has been made to the
Portfolio's underlying investment securities. For example,
if interest rates decline, a greater proportion of a
Portfolio's securities may be subject to call (redemption)
prior to their stated maturity. As a result, reflecting this
increased call risk, the effective average maturity of the
Portfolio will shorten, independent of actual purchases or
sales of portfolio securities.
Temporary
Investments Except as described on page 7, each Portfolio will not
invest in securities other than municipal bonds except that
each Portfolio may make certain investments for temporary
defensive purposes in (a) notes issued by or on behalf of
municipal or corporate issuers, obligations of the U.S.
Government and its agencies, commercial paper, bank
certificates of deposit; (b) investment companies investing
in such securities which have investment objectives
consistent with those of the Portfolio to the extent
permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940; and (c) any
such securities or municipal bonds subject to repurchase
agreements.
13
<PAGE>
The Fund may
purchase
when-issued
securities Each Portfolio may purchase tax-exempt securities on a
"when-issued" basis. In buying "when-issued" securities, a
Portfolio commits to buy securities at a certain price even
though the securities may not normally be delivered for up
to 45 days. The Portfolio pays for the securities and begins
earning interest when the securities are actually delivered.
As a consequence, it is possible that the market price of
the securities at the time of delivery may be higher or
lower than the purchase price.
The Fund may
lend its
securities Each Portfolio may lend its investment securities to
qualified institutional investors for either short-term or
long-term purposes of realizing additional net investment
income. Loans of securities by a Portfolio will be
collateralized by cash, letters of credit, or securities
issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies.
The collateral will equal at least 100% of the current
market value of the loaned securities. Income derived from
the lending of securities is not tax-exempt, and a portion
of the tax-exempt interest earned when a municipal security
is on loan must be characterized as taxable income.
Therefore, each Portfolio will limit such activity in
accordance with its investment objective.
The Fund may
invest in
municipal
lease
obligations Each Portfolio may purchase municipal lease obligations,
which are securities issued by state and local governments
to acquire land, equipment and facilities. These obligations
typically are not backed by the issuing municipality's full
authority to assess taxes to meet its debt obligations. If
the issuing authority fails to make the appropriations
necessary to cover lease payments, then the lease may
terminate, with the possibility of default on the lease
obligation and loss to investors.
Derivative
Investing Derivatives are instruments whose values are linked to or
derived from an underlying security or index. The most
common and conventional types of derivative securities are
futures and options.
The Insured
Long-term
Portfolio may
invest in
derivative
securities The Insured Long-term Portfolio may invest in conventional
derivative securities including futures contracts and
options, but only to a limited extent. The Portfolio may
enter into futures contracts provided that not more than 5%
of its assets are required as futures contract deposits; in
addition, the Portfolio may enter into futures contracts and
options transactions only to the extent that obligations
under such contracts or transactions represent not more than
20% of the Portfolio's assets.
Futures contracts and options may be used for several common
fund management strategies: to maintain cash reserves while
simulating full investment, to facilitate trading, to reduce
transaction costs, or to seek higher investment returns when
a specific futures contract is priced more attractively than
other futures contracts or the underlying security or index.
14
<PAGE>
For example, in order to remain fully invested in bonds
while maintaining liquidity to meet potential shareholder
redemptions, the Portfolio may invest a portion of its
assets in a bond futures contract. Because futures contracts
only require a small initial margin deposit, the Portfolio
would then be able to maintain a cash reserve to meet
potential redemptions, while at the same time remaining
fully invested. Also, because the transaction costs of
futures and options may be lower than the costs of investing
in bonds directly, it is expected that the use of futures
contracts and options may reduce the Portfolio's total
transaction costs.
The Portfolio may use futures contracts for bona fide
"hedging" purposes. In executing a hedge, a manager sells,
for example, municipal bond futures contracts to protect
against a decline in the bond market. If the market drops,
the value of the futures position will rise, thereby
offsetting the decline in value of the portfolio's bond
holdings. The Portfolio may not use futures contracts or
options transactions to leverage its assets.
The Portfolio may invest in partnerships and grantor trust
derivative products. However, prior to the purchase of such
security, a determination must be made by the Portfolio that
the inherent risk of the partnership or grantor trust
derivative product is minimal.
Futures contracts
and options pose
risks The primary risks associated with the use of futures
contracts and options are: (i) imperfect correlation between
the change in market value of the bonds held by the
Portfolio and the prices of futures contracts and options;
and (ii) possible lack of a liquid secondary market for a
futures contract and the resulting inability to close a
futures position prior to its maturity date. The risk of
imperfect correlation will be minimized by investing in
those contracts whose price fluctuations are expected to
resemble those of the Portfolio's underlying securities. The
risk that the Portfolio will be unable to close out a
futures position will be minimized by entering into such
transactions on a national exchange with an active and
liquid secondary market.
The risk of loss in trading futures contracts in some
strategies can be substantial, due both to the low margin
deposits required and the extremely high degree of leverage
involved in future pricing. As a result, a relatively small
price movement in a futures contract may result in immediate
and substantial loss (or gain) to the investor. When
investing in futures contracts, the Fund will segregate cash
or cash equivalents in the amount of the underlying
obligation.
Partnerships
and grantor
trusts pose
certain risks The primary risks associated with partnerships and grantor
trust derivative products are (i) the possibility of a tax
ruling which affects the status of the state or federal
opinions which are necessary to support the issuance of the
derivative; (ii) the possibility that the tender option on a
security could be withdrawn upon the occurrence of certain
events and (iii) the possible lack of a liquid secondary
market for the securities. The Portfolio will attempt to
minimize the risks of partnership and grantor trust
derivative products by carefully selecting which securities
to purchase and by constantly monitoring securities held by
the Portfolio.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15
<PAGE>
INVESTMENT
LIMITATIONS
The Fund has
adopted
certain
fundamental
limitations The Fund has adopted certain limitations designed to reduce
its exposure to specific situations. These limitations
include the following:
(a) The Ohio Insured Long-Term Portfolio will invest a
minimum of 80% of its net assets in insured municipal
bonds, the interest on which is exempt from federal and
Ohio personal income taxes, except that it may make
temporary investments as described in the section
"Implementation of Policies."
(b) The Ohio Money Market Portfolio will invest a minimum of
80% of its net assets in short-term municipal
securities, the interest on which is exempt from federal
and Ohio personal income taxes, except that it may make
temporary investments as described in the section
"Implementation of the Policies."
(c) At the close of each quarter of taxable year, those
issues which represent more than 5% of a Portfolio's
assets will be limited in aggregate to 50% of the assets
of that Portfolio (except U.S. Government and cash
items, as defined by the Internal Revenue Code (the
"Code").
(d) Each Portfolio will limit the aggregate value of
holdings of a single issuer (except U.S. Government and
cash items as defined in the Code) to a maximum of 25%
of the Portfolio's total assets. For the purposes of
this limitation, identification of the issuer will be
based on a determination of the source of assets and
revenues committed to meeting interest and principal
payments on each security.
(e) A Portfolio will not borrow money except for temporary
or emergency purposes, and then not in excess of 10% of
the Portfolio's total assets. The Portfolio will repay
all borrowings before making additional investments, and
the interest paid on such borrowings will reduce income.
(f) A Portfolio will not pledge, mortgage, or hypothecate
more than 10% of its total assets.
These investment limitations are considered at the time
investment securities are purchased. The limitations
described here and in the Statement of Additional
Information may be changed only with the approval of a
majority of the Fund's shareholders.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MANAGEMENT
OF THE FUND
Vanguard
administers and
distributes the
Fund The Fund is a member of The Vanguard Group of Investment
Companies, a family of more than 30 investment companies
with more than 90 distinct investment portfolios and total
assets in excess of $190 billion. Through their
jointly-owned subsidiary, The Vanguard Group, Inc.
("Vanguard"), the Fund and the other funds in the Group
obtain at cost virtually all of their corporate management,
administrative, shareholder accounting and distribution
services. Vanguard also provides investment advisory
services on an at-cost basis to certain Vanguard funds. As a
result of Vanguard's unique corporate structure, the
Vanguard funds have costs substantially lower than those of
most competing mutual funds. In 1995, the average expense
ratio (annual costs including advisory fees divided by total
net assets) for the Vanguard funds amounted to approximately
.31%, compared to an average of 1.11% for the mutual fund
industry (data provided by Lipper Analytical Services).
16
<PAGE>
The Officers of the Fund manage its day-to-day operations and are responsible to
the Fund's Board of Trustees. The Trustees set broad policies for the Fund and
choose its Officers. A list of the Trustees and Officers of the Fund and a
statement of their present positions and principal occupations during the past
five years can be found in the Statement of Additional Information.
Vanguard employs a supporting staff of management and administrative personnel
needed to provide the requisite services to the funds and also furnishes the
funds with necessary office space, furnishings and equipment. Each fund pays its
share of Vanguard's total expenses, which are allocated among the funds under
methods approved by the Board of Trustees (Directors) of each fund. In addition,
each fund bears its own direct expenses, such as legal, auditing and custodian
fees.
Vanguard also provides distribution and marketing services to the Vanguard
funds. The Funds are available on a no-load basis (i.e., there are no sales
commissions or 12b-1 fees). However, each fund bears its share of the Group's
distribution costs.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INVESTMENT
ADVISER
Vanguard manages
the Fund's
investments The two Portfolios of the Fund receive all investment
advisory services on an at-cost basis from Vanguard's Fixed
Income Group. The Group also provides investment advisory
services to more than 40 other Vanguard money market and
bond portfolios, both taxable and tax-exempt. Total assets
under management by Vanguard's Fixed Income Group
approximately were $66 billion as of December 31, 1995. The
Fixed Income Group is supervised by the Officers of the
Fund. Ian A. MacKinnon, Senior Vice President of Vanguard,
has been in charge of the Group since its inception in 1981.
o David Hamlin, a Principal of Vanguard, serves as portfolio
manager of the Ohio Insured Long-Term Portfolio. Mr.
Hamlin has managed the Portfolio since its inception in
1988. Previously he managed tax-exempt money market funds
for a major investment company.
The Fixed Income Group manages the investment and
reinvestment of the assets of the Fund's Portfolios and
continuously reviews, supervises and administers each
Portfolio's investment program, subject to the maturity and
quality standards specified in this Prospectus and
supplemental guidelines approved by the Fund's Board of
Trustees. The Fixed Income Group's selection of investments
for the Portfolios is based on: (a) continuing credit
analysis of those instruments held in the Portfolios and
those being considered for inclusion therein; (b) possible
disparities in yield relationships between different
fixed-income securities and money market instruments; and
(c) actual or anticipated movements in the general level of
interest rates.
17
<PAGE>
Vanguard's Fixed Income Group places all orders for
purchases and sales of portfolio securities. Purchases of
portfolio securities are made either directly from the
issuer or from municipal securities dealers. The Fixed
Income Group may sell portfolio securities prior to their
maturity if circumstances and considerations warrant and if
it believes such dispositions advisable. The Fund's policy
of investing in short-term instruments in the Ohio Money
Market Portfolio will likely result in significant portfolio
turnover. The Fixed Income Group seeks to obtain the best
available net price and most favorable execution for all
portfolio transactions.
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DIVIDENDS,
CAPITAL GAINS
AND TAXES
The Fund pays
month-end
dividends Dividends consisting of virtually all of the ordinary income
of each Portfolio are declared daily and are payable to
shareholders of record at the close of the previous business
day. Such dividends are paid on the first business day of
each month. Net capital gains distributions, if any, will be
made annually.
Dividends and capital gains distributions may be
automatically reinvested or received in cash. See "Choosing
a Distribution Option" for a description of these
distributions methods.
In addition, in order to satisfy certain distribution
requirements of the Tax Reform Act of 1986, each Portfolio
may declare special year-end dividend and capital gains
distributions during December. Such distributions, if
received by shareholders by January 31, are deemed to have
been paid by the Portfolio and received by shareholders by
December 31 of the prior year.
Dividends will
be exempt from
federal and Ohio
income taxes Each Portfolio of the Fund intends to continue to qualify
for taxation as a "regulated investment company" under the
Internal Revenue Code so that each Portfolio will not be
subject to federal income tax to the extent that its income
is distributed to shareholders. In addition, each Portfolio
intends to invest a sufficient portion of its assets in
municipal bonds and notes so that it will qualify to pay
"exempt-interest dividends" to shareholders. Such
exempt-interest dividends are excluded from a shareholder's
gross income for federal tax purposes. The Revenue
Reconciliation Act enacted during 1993 provides that market
discount on tax-exempt bonds purchased after April 30, 1993
must be taxed as ordinary income. Accordingly, to the extent
that the Fund purchases such discounted securities, taxable
income may result. Furthermore, each Portfolio expects to
invest at least 80% of its net assets in Ohio municipal
securities. As a result, each Portfolio will be eligible to
pay dividends to Ohio residents that will be exempt from
Ohio personal income taxes, Ohio school district income
taxes, or the net income base of the Ohio corporation
franchise tax to the extent that (i) those dividends are
derived from interest on Ohio municipal securities (other
than obligations issued by certain United States
territories), and, (ii) at all times at least 50% of the
value of the total assets of the Portfolio consists of Ohio
municipal securities (other than obligations issued by
certain United States territories), or similar obligations
of other states or their subdivisions.
Under certain circumstances, a portfolio may invest in
securities other than Ohio municipal securities. In such
cases, a portion of the Portfolio's income may be subject to
Ohio income taxes, federal income taxes, or both.
18
<PAGE>
Net long-term capital gains realized by a portfolio from the
sale of securities will be distributed as taxable capital
gains distributions for federal income tax purposes. Any
short-term capital gains or any taxable interest income will
be distributed as a taxable ordinary dividend distribution
for federal income tax purposes. In general, such taxable
income distributions from a portfolio are expected to be
negligible in comparison with tax-exempt dividends.
At present, neither Portfolio invests in AMT bonds. However,
were a portfolio to invest in such bonds, all or a portion
of the Portfolio's dividends, while exempt from regular
federal income tax, would be a tax preference item for
purposes of the alternative minimum tax.
A capital
gain or loss
may be realized
upon exchange or
redemption A sale of shares in the Insured Long-Term Portfolio is a
taxable event and may result in a capital gain or loss. A
capital gain or loss may be realized from an ordinary
redemption of shares, a checkwriting redemption, or an
exchange of shares between two mutual funds (or two
portfolios of a mutual fund). In addition, if you held
shares in the Insured Long-Term Portfolio for six months or
less, any capital loss realized upon redemption is
disallowed to the extent of the tax-exempt dividend income
you received.
Capital gains distributions from a portfolio and any capital
gains or losses realized from the sale or exchange of shares
will generally be subject to state and local taxes.
The Fund is required to withhold 31% of any taxable
dividends, capital gains distributions, and redemptions paid
to shareholders who have not complied with IRS taxpayer
identification regulations. You may avoid this withholding
requirement by indicating your proper Social Security or
Employer Identification Number on your Account Registration
Form and by certifying that you are not subject to backup
withholding.
Up to 85% of an individual's Social Security benefits may be
subject to federal income tax. Along with other factors,
total tax-exempt income, including any tax-exempt dividend
income from Portfolios of the Fund, is used to calculate the
taxable portion of Social Security benefits.
The Fund is organized as a Pennsylvania business trust and,
in the opinion of counsel, is not liable for any income or
franchise tax in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Fund
will be subject to Pennsylvania county personal property tax
in the county which is the site of its principal office.
The tax discussion set forth above is included for general
information only. Prospective investors should consult their
own tax advisers concerning the tax consequences of an
investment in the Fund.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE SHARE
PRICE OF
EACH PORTFOLIO The share price or "net asset value" per share of each
Portfolio is determined daily by dividing the total value of
the investments and other assets of each Portfolio, less any
liabilities, by the Portfolio's total outstanding shares.
19
<PAGE>
Ohio Money Market Portfolio. For the purpose of calculating
the Ohio Money Market Portfolio's net asset value per share,
securities are valued by the "amortized cost" method of
valuation, which does not take into account unrealized gains
or losses. This involves valuing an instrument at its cost
and thereafter assuming a constant amortization to maturity
of any discount or premium, regardless of the impact of
fluctuating interest rates on the market value of the
instrument. While this method provides certainty in
valuation, it may result in periods during which value, as
determined by amortized cost, is higher or lower than the
price the Portfolio would receive if it sold the instrument.
The use of amortized cost and the maintenance of the Ohio
Money Market Portfolio's per share net asset value at $1.00
is based on its election to operate under the provisions of
Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940. As a
condition of operating under that rule, the Ohio Money
Market Portfolio must maintain a dollar-weighted average
portfolio maturity of 90 days or less, purchase only
instruments having remaining maturities of 13 months or
less, and invest only in securities that are determined by
the Trustees to present minimal credit risks and that are of
high quality as determined by any major rating service, or
in the case of any instrument not so rated, considered by
the Trustees to be of comparable quality.
The Trustees have established procedures designed to
stabilize the net asset value per share as computed for the
purposes of sales and redemptions at $1.00.
These procedures include periodic review, as the Trustees
deem appropriate and at such intervals as are reasonable in
light of current market conditions, of the relationship
between the amortized cost value per share and a net asset
value per share based upon available indications of market
value. In such a review, investments for which market
quotations are readily available are valued at the most
recent bid price or quoted yield equivalent for such
securities or for securities of comparable maturity, quality
and type as obtained from one or more of the major market
makers for the securities to be valued. Other investments
and assets are valued at fair value, as determined in good
faith by the Trustees.
In the event of a deviation of over 1/2 of 1% between a
Portfolio's net asset value based upon available market
quotations or market equivalents and $1.00 per share based
on amortized cost, the Trustees will promptly consider what
action, if any, should be taken. The Trustees will also take
such action as they deem appropriate to eliminate or to
reduce, to the extent reasonably practicable, any material
dilution or other unfair results to investors or existing
shareholders which might arise from differences between the
two. Such action may include redeeming shares in kind,
selling instruments prior to maturity to realize capital
gains or losses or to shorten average maturity, withholding
dividends, paying distributions from capital or capital
gains, or utilizing a net asset value per share based upon
available market quotations.
Ohio Insured Long-Term Portfolio. The net asset value per
share of the Ohio Insured Long-Term Portfolio is determined
at the close of regular trading on the New York Stock
Exchange, (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) on each day the
20
<PAGE>
Exchange is open for business. When approved by the Board of
Trustees, bonds and other fixed-income securities may be
valued on the basis of prices provided by a pricing service
when such prices are believed to reflect the fair market
value of such securities. (The prices provided by pricing
services are generally determined without regard to bid or
last sale prices. Because of the large number of outstanding
municipal bonds, the majority of issues do not trade each
day; therefore, last sale prices are not normally available.
In valuing such securities, the pricing services generally
take into account institutional size trading in similar
groups of securities and any developments related to
specific securities.) The methods used by the pricing
service and the valuations so established are reviewed by
the Officers of the Fund under the general supervision of
the Trustees. There are a number of pricing services
available and the Trustees, on the basis of ongoing
evaluation of these services, may use other pricing services
or discontinue the use of any pricing service.
Securities not priced in this manner are priced at the most
recent quoted bid price provided by investment dealers.
Short-term instruments maturing within 60 days of the
valuation date may be valued at cost, plus or minus any
amortized discount or premium. Other assets and securities
for which no quotations are readily available will be valued
in good faith at their fair value using methods determined
by the Trustees.
The price per share of the Insured Long-Term Portfolio can
be found daily in the mutual fund section of most major
newspapers under the heading of Vanguard.
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GENERAL
INFORMATION
Vanguard Ohio Tax-Free Fund is a Pennsylvania business
trust. The Declaration of Trust permits the Trustees to
issue an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest,
without par value, from an unlimited number of classes of
shares. Currently the Fund is offering two classes of shares
(known as "Portfolios").
Shares of each Portfolio when issued are fully paid and
non-assessable; participate equally in dividends,
distributions and net assets; are entitled to one vote per
share; have pro rata liquidation rights; and do not have
pre-emptive rights. Also, shares of the Fund have
non-cumulative voting rights, meaning that the holders of
more than 50% of the shares voting for the election of the
Trustees can elect all of the Trustees if they so choose.
Annual meetings of shareholders will not be held except as
required by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and other
applicable law. An annual meeting will be held to vote on
the removal of a Trustee or Trustees of the Fund if
requested in writing by the holders of not less than 10% of
the outstanding shares of the Fund.
All securities and cash are held by CoreStates Bank, N.A.,
Philadelphia, PA. The Vanguard Group, Inc., Valley Forge,
PA, serves as the Fund's Transfer and Dividend Disbursing
Agent. Price Waterhouse LLP, serves as independent
accountants for the Fund and audits its financial statements
annually. The Fund is not involved in any litigation.
21
<PAGE>
SHAREHOLDER GUIDE
OPENING AN
ACCOUNT AND
PURCHASING
SHARES To open a new account, either by mail or by wire, simply
complete and return an Account Registration Form and any
required legal documentation. Please indicate the
Portfolio(s) you have chosen and the amount you wish to
invest. Your purchase must be equal to or greater than the
$3,000 minimum initial investment requirement in any
Portfolio ($1,000 for Uniform Gifts/Transfers to Minors Act
accounts). In addition, you must be an Ohio resident to
invest in the Fund. If you need assistance with the Account
Registration Form or have any questions, please call our
Investor Information Department at 1-800-662-7447. Note: For
other types of account registrations (e.g. corporations,
associations, other organizations, trusts or powers of
attorney), please call our Investor Information Department
to determine which additional forms you may need.
Each Portfolio's shares generally are purchased at the
next-determined net asset value after your investment has
been received in the form of Federal Funds. The Fund is
offered on a no-load basis (i.e., there are no sales
commissions or 12b-1 fees).
Purchase
Restrictions 1) Because of the risks associated with bond investments,
the Fund is intended to be a long-term investment
vehicle and is not designed to provide investors with a
means of speculating on short-term market movements.
Consequently, the Fund reserves the right to reject any
specific purchase (and exchange purchase) request. The
Fund also reserves the right to suspend the offering of
shares for a period of time.
2) Vanguard will not accept third-party checks to purchase
shares of the Fund. Please be sure your purchase check
is made payable to the Vanguard Group.
Additional
Investments Subsequent investments may be made by mail ($100 minimum per
Portfolio), wire ($1,000 minimum per Portfolio), exchange
from another Vanguard Fund account ($100 minimum per
Portfolio), or Vanguard Fund Express.
----------------------------------------------------------
Purchasing By
Mail Complete
and sign the
enclosed Account
Registration Form NEW ACCOUNT
Please include the amount of your initial
investment and the name of the Portfolios
you have selected on the registration form,
make your check payable to The Vanguard
Group--(Portfolio Number). See page 24 for
the appropriate Portfolio number, and mail
to:
Vanguard Financial Center
P.O. Box 2600
Valley Forge, PA 19482
ADDITIONAL INVESTMENTS
TO EXISTING ACCOUNTS
Additional investments should include the
Invest-by-Mail remittance form attached to
your Fund confirmation statements. Please
make your check payable to The Vanguard
Group--(Portfolio Number). See page 24 for
the appropriate Portfolio number, write your
account number on your check and, using the
return envelope provided, mail to the
address indicated on the Invest-by-Mail
Form.
22
<PAGE>
For express
or registered mail,
send to: Vanguard Financial Center
455 Devon Park Drive
Wayne, PA 19087
All written requests should be mailed to one
of the addresses indicated for new accounts.
Do not send registered or express mail to
the post office box address.
VANGUARD OHIO TAX-FREE PORTFOLIOS:
Ohio Money Market Portfolio-96
Ohio Insured Long-Term Portfolio-97
Purchasing By Wire
Money should be
wired to: CORESTATES BANK, N.A.
ABA 031000011
Before Wiring CORESTATES NO 0141 1274
Please contact ATTN VANGUARD
Client Services VANGUARD OHIO TAX-FREE FUND
(1-800-662-2739) NAME OF PORTFOLIO
ACCOUNT NUMBER
ACCOUNT REGISTRATION
To assure proper receipt, please be sure your bank includes
the Portfolio name, the account number Vanguard has assigned
to you and the eight-digit CoreStates number. If you are
opening a new account, please complete the Account
Registration Form and mail it to the "New Account" address
after completing your wire arrangement. Note: Federal Funds
wire purchase orders will be accepted only when the Fund and
Custodian Bank are open for business.
----------------------------------------------------------
Purchasing By
Exchange (from a
Vanguard account) You may open an account or purchase additional shares of the
Fund by making an exchange from an existing Vanguard Fund
account. Accounts opened by exchange will have the same
registration as the existing account. Please note: the Fund
reserves the right to reject any exchange purchase request.
For more information, please call our Client Services
Department at 1-800-662-2739.
----------------------------------------------------------
Purchasing By
Fund Express The Fund Express Special Purchase option lets you move money
from your bank account to your Vanguard account on an "as
Special Purchase needed" basis. If you choose the Automatic Investment
and Automatic option, money will be moved automatically from your bank
Investment account to your Vanguard account on the schedule (monthly,
bimonthly [every other month], quarterly or yearly) you
select. To establish these Fund Express options, please
provide the appropriate information on the Account
Registration Form. We will send you a confirmation of your
Fund Express service; please wait three weeks before using
the service.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHOOSING A
DISTRIBUTION
OPTION You must select one of three distribution options:
1. Automatic Reinvestment Option--Both dividends and
capital gains distributions will be reinvested in
additional shares. This option will be selected for you
automatically unless you specify one of the other
options.
23
<PAGE>
2. Cash Dividend Option--Your dividends will be paid in
cash and your capital gains will be reinvested in
additional shares.
3. All Cash Option--Both dividend and capital gains
distributions will be paid in cash.
You may change your option by calling our Client Services
Department (1-800-662-2739).
In addition, an option to invest your cash dividends and/or
capital gains distributions in another Vanguard Fund account
is available. Please call our Client Services Department
(1-800-662-2739) for information. You may also elect
Vanguard Dividend Express which allows you to transfer your
cash dividends and/or capital gains distributions
automatically to your bank account. Please see "Other
Vanguard Services" for more information.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAX CAUTION Under Federal tax laws, the Fund is required to distribute
net capital gains and investment income to Fund
Investors should shareholders. These distributions are made to all
ask about the shareholders who own Fund shares as of the distribution's
timing of record date, regardless of how long the shares have been
capital gains owned. Purchasing shares just prior to the record date could
and dividend have a significant impact on your tax liability for the
distributions year. For example, if you purchase shares immediately prior
before investing to the record date of a sizable capital gain distribution,
you will be assessed taxes on the amount of the capital gain
distribution later paid even though you owned the Fund
shares for just a short period of time. (Taxes are due on
the distributions even if the capital gain is reinvested in
additional Fund shares.) While the total value of your
investment will be the same after the capital gain
distribution--the amount of the capital gain distribution
will offset the drop in the net asset value of the
shares--you should be aware of the tax implications the
timing of your purchase may have.
Prospective investors should, therefore, inquire about
potential distributions before investing. The Fund's annual
capital gains distribution normally occurs in December,
while income dividends are generally paid on the first
business day of each month. For additional information on
distributions and taxes, see the section titled "Dividends,
Capital Gains, and Taxes."
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IMPORTANT
ACCOUNT
INFORMATION The easiest way to establish optional Vanguard services on
your account is to select the options you desire when you
Establishing complete your Account Registration Form. If you wish to add
Optional shareholder options later, you may need to provide Vanguard
Services with additional information and a signature guarantee.
Please call our Client Services Department (1-800-662-2739)
for further assistance.
Signature
Guarantees For our mutual protection, we may require a signature
guarantee on certain written transaction requests. A
signature guarantee verifies the authenticity of your
signature and may be obtained from banks, brokers and any
other guarantor that Vanguard deems acceptable. A signature
guarantee cannot be provided by a notary public.
24
<PAGE>
Certificates With the exception of the Money Market Portfolio, share
certificates will be issued upon request. If a certificate
is lost, you may incur an expense to replace it.
Broker-Dealer
Purchases If you purchase shares in Vanguard Funds through a
registered broker-dealer or investment adviser, the
broker-dealer or adviser may charge a service fee.
Cancelling
Trades The Fund will not cancel any trade (e.g., a purchase,
exchange or redemption) believed to be authentic, received
in writing or by telephone, once the trade request has been
received.
Electronic
Prospectus
Delivery If you would prefer to receive a prospectus for the Fund or
any of the Vanguard Funds in an electronic format, please
call 1-800-231-7870 for additional information. If you elect
to do so, you may also receive a paper copy of the
prospectus, by calling 1-800-662-7447.
WHEN YOUR
ACCOUNT WILL
BE CREDITED The trade date is the date on which your account is
credited. It is generally the day on which the Fund receives
your investment in the form of Federal Funds (monies
credited to the Fund's Custodian Bank by a Federal Reserve
Bank). Your trade date varies according to your method of
payment for your shares.
Purchases of Fund shares by check (except the Money Market
Portfolio) will receive a trade date the day the funds are
received in good order by Vanguard. Thus, if your purchase
by check is received by the close of regular trading on the
New York Stock Exchange (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time),
your trade date is the business day your check is received
in good order. If your purchase is received after the close
of the Exchange, your trade date is the business day
following receipt of your check.
For purchases by check for the Money Market Portfolio, the
Fund is ordinarily credited with Federal Funds within one
business day. Thus, if your purchase by check is received by
the close of the New York Stock Exchange (generally 4:00
p.m. Eastern time), your trade date is the business day
following receipt of your check. If your purchase is
received after the close of the Exchange, your trade date is
the second business day following receipt of your check.
For purchases by Federal Funds wire or exchange, the Fund is
credited immediately with Federal Funds. Thus, if your
purchase by Federal Funds wire or exchange is received by
the close of the Exchange your trade date is the day of
receipt. If your purchase is received after the close of the
Exchange, your trade date is the business day following
receipt of your wire or exchange.
Your shares are purchased at the net asset value determined
on your trade date. You will begin to earn dividends on the
calendar day following the trade date. (For a Friday trade
date, you will begin earning dividends on Saturday.) For a
purchase of the Money Market Portfolio by Federal Funds
wire, you may qualify for a dividend on the date of purchase
if you have notified the Fund of your intention to make the
purchase by 10:45 a.m. (Eastern time) on the business day of
the wire.
25
<PAGE>
In order to prevent lengthy processing delays caused by the
clearing of foreign checks, Vanguard will only accept a
foreign check which has been drawn in U.S. dollars and has
been issued by a foreign bank with a U.S. correspondent
bank. The name of the U.S. correspondent bank must be
printed on the face of the foreign check.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SELLING YOUR
SHARES You may withdraw any portion of the funds in your account by
redeeming shares at any time. You generally may initiate a
request by writing or by telephoning. Your redemption
proceeds are normally mailed, credited or wired--depending
upon the method of withdrawal you have previously
chosen--within two business days after the receipt of the
request in Good Order.
Selling By
Writing A
Check You may withdraw funds from your account by writing a check
payable in the amount of $250 or more. When a check is
presented for payment to the Fund's agent, CoreStates Bank,
the Fund will redeem sufficient shares in your account at
the next determined net asset value to cover the amount of
the check.
In order to establish the checkwriting option on your
account, all registered shareholders must sign a signature
card. After your completed signature card is received by the
Fund, an initial supply of checks will be mailed within 10
business days. There is no charge for checks or for their
clearance. Corporations, trusts and other organizations
should call our Client Services Department (1-800-662-2739)
before submitting signature cards, as additional documents
may be required to establish the checkwriting service.
Before establishing the checkwriting option, you should be
aware that:
1. Writing a check (a redemption of shares) is a taxable
event.
2. The Fund does not allow an account to be closed through
the checkwriting option.
3. Vanguard cannot guarantee a stop payment on any check.
If you wish to reverse a stop payment order, you must
do so in writing.
4. Shares held in certificate form cannot be redeemed using
the checkwriting option.
5. The Fund reserves the right to terminate or alter this
service at any time.
----------------------------------------------------------
Selling By Mail Requests should be mailed to Vanguard
Financial Center, Vanguard Ohio Tax-Free Fund, P.O. Box
1120, Valley Forge, PA 19482. (For express or registered
mail, send your request to Vanguard Financial Center,
Vanguard Ohio Tax- Free Fund, 455 Devon Park Drive, Wayne,
PA 19087.)
The redemption price of shares will be the Portfolio's net
asset value next determined after Vanguard has received all
required documents in Good Order.
----------------------------------------------------------
26
<PAGE>
Definition of
Good Order Good Order means that the request includes the following:
1. The account number and Portfolio name.
2. The amount of the transaction (specified in dollars or
shares).
3. Signatures of all owners exactly as they are registered
on the account.
4. Any required signature guarantees.
5. Other supporting legal documentation that might be
required in the case of estates, corporations, trusts,
and certain other accounts.
6. Any certificates that you hold for the account.
If you have questions about this definition as it pertains
to your request, please call our Client Services Department
at 1-800-662-2739.
----------------------------------------------------------
Selling By
Telephone To sell shares by telephone you or your pre-authorized
representative may call our Client Services Department at
1-800-662-2739. For telephone redemptions, you may have the
proceeds sent to you either by mail or by wire. In addition
to the details below, please see "Important Information
About Telephone Transactions."
By Mail: Telephone mail redemption is automatically
established on your account unless you indicate otherwise on
your Account Registration Form. You may redeem any amount by
calling Vanguard. The proceeds will be paid to the
registered shareholders and mailed to the address of record.
Please Note: As a protection against fraud, your telephone
mail redemption privilege will be suspended for 10 calendar
days following any expedited address change to your account.
An expedited address change is one that is made by
telephone, by Vanguard Online or, in writing, without the
signatures of all account owners.
By Wire: Telephone wire redemption must be specifically
elected for your account. The best time to elect telephone
wire redemption is at the time you complete your Account
Registration Form. If you do not presently have telephone
wire redemption and wish to establish it, please contact our
Client Services Department.
With the wire redemption option, you may withdraw a minimum
of $1,000 and have the amount wired directly to your bank
account. Wire redemptions less than $5,000 are subject to a
$5 charge deducted by Vanguard. There is no Vanguard charge
for wire redemptions of $5,000 or more. However, your bank
may assess a separate fee to accept incoming wires.
A request to change the bank associated with your wire
redemption option must be received in writing, signed by
each registered shareholder, and accompanied by a voided
check or preprinted deposit slip. A signature guarantee is
required if your bank registration is not identical to your
Vanguard Fund account registration.
----------------------------------------------------------
Selling By Fund
Express
If you select the Fund Express Automatic Withdrawal option,
Automatic money will be automatically moved from your Vanguard Fund
Withdrawal account to your bank account according to the schedule you
& Special have selected. The Special Redemption option lets you move
Redemption money from your Vanguard account to your bank account on an
"as needed" basis. To establish these Fund Express options,
please provide the appropriate information on the Account
Registration Form. We will send you a confirmation of your
Fund Express service; please wait three weeks before using
the service.
----------------------------------------------------------
27
<PAGE>
Selling By
Exchange You may sell shares of a Portfolio by making an exchange
into another Vanguard Fund account. Please see "Exchanging
Your Shares" for details.
----------------------------------------------------------
Important
Redemption
Information Shares purchased by check or Fund Express may be redeemed at
any time. However, your redemption proceeds will not be paid
until payment for the purchase is collected, which may take
up to ten calendar days.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Delivery of
Redemption
Proceeds Redemption requests received by telephone after the close of
the New York Stock Exchange (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern
time) are processed on the business day following receipt,
and the proceeds are normally sent on the second business
day following receipt. Redemption proceeds must be sent to
you within seven days of receipt of your request in Good
Order. The Fund reserves the right to revise or terminate
the telephone redemption privilege at any time.
If you experience difficulty in making a telephone
redemption during periods of drastic economic or market
changes, your redemption request may be made by regular or
express mail. It will be implemented at the net asset value
next determined after your request has been received by
Vanguard in Good Order, except as described above in
"Important Redemption Information."
The Fund may suspend the redemption right or postpone
payment at times when the New York Stock Exchange is closed
or under any emergency circumstances as determined by the
United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
----------------------------------------------------------
Vanguard's
Average
Cost Statement If you make a redemption from a qualifying account, Vanguard
will send you an Average Cost Statement which provides you
with the tax basis of the shares you redeemed. Please see
"Statements and Reports" for additional information.
---------------------------------------------------------
Low Balance
Fee and
Minimum Account
Balance
Requirement Due to the relatively high cost of maintaining smaller
accounts, the Fund will automatically deduct a $10 annual
fee from accounts with balances falling below $2,500 ($1,000
for Uniform Gifts/Transfers to Minors Act accounts). This
fee deduction will occur mid-year, beginning in 1996. The
fee generally will be waived for investors whose aggregate
Vanguard assets exceed $50,000.
In addition, the Fund reserves the right to liquidate any
non-retirement account that is below the minimum initial
investment amount of $3,000. If at any time your total
investment does not have a value of at least $3,000, you may
be notified that your account is below the Fund's minimum
account balance requirement. You would then be allowed 60
days to make an additional investment before the account is
liquidated. Proceeds would be promptly paid to the
registered shareholder.
Vanguard will not liquidate your account if it has fallen
below $3,000 solely as a result of declining markets (i.e. a
decline in a Fund's net asset value).
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
28
<PAGE>
EXCHANGING
YOUR SHARES Should your investment goals change, you may exchange your
shares of Vanguard Ohio Tax-Free Fund for those of other
available Vanguard Funds.
Exchanging By
Telephone When exchanging shares by telephone, please have ready the
Portfolio name, account number, Social Security Number or
Call Client Employer Identification Number listed on the account and the
Services exact name and address in which the account is registered.
(1-800-662-2739) Only the registered shareholder may complete such an
exchange. Requests for telephone exchanges received prior to
the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange
(generally to 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) are processed at the
close of business that same day. Requests received after the
close of the Exchange are processed the next business day.
Telephone exchanges are not accepted into or from Vanguard
Balanced Index, Vanguard Index Trust, Vanguard International
Equity Index Fund, and Vanguard Quantitative Portfolios. If
you experience difficulty in making a telephone exchange,
your exchange request may be made by regular or express
mail, and it will be implemented at the closing net asset
value on the date received by Vanguard provided the request
is received in Good Order.
----------------------------------------------------------
Exchanging By Mail Please be sure to include the name and account number of
your current Fund, and the name of the Fund you wish to
exchange into, the amount you wish to exchange, and the
signatures of all registered account holders. Send your
request to Vanguard Financial Center, Vanguard Ohio Tax-Free
Fund, P.O. Box 1120, Valley Forge, PA 19482. (For express or
registered mail, send your request to Vanguard Financial
Center, Vanguard Ohio Tax-Free Fund, 455 Devon Park Drive,
Wayne, PA 19087.)
----------------------------------------------------------
Important
Exchange
Information Before you make an exchange, you should consider the
following:
o Please read the Fund's prospectus before making an
exchange. For a copy and for answers to any questions
you may have, call our Investor Information Department
(1-800-662-7447).
o An exchange is treated as a redemption and a purchase.
Therefore, you could realize a taxable gain or loss on
the transaction.
o Exchanges are accepted only if the registrations and the
Taxpayer Identification numbers of the two accounts are
identical.
o The shares to be exchanged must be on deposit and not
held in certificate form.
o New accounts are not currently accepted in
Vanguard/Windsor Fund or Vanguard/PRIMECAP Fund.
o The redemption price of shares redeemed by exchange is
the net asset value next determined after Vanguard has
received all required documentation in Good Order.
29
<PAGE>
o When opening a new account by exchange, you must meet
the minimum investment requirement of the new Fund.
Every effort will be made to maintain the exchange
privilege. However, the Fund reserves the right to revise or
terminate its provisions, limit the amount of or reject any
exchange, as deemed necessary, at any time.
The exchange privilege is only available in Ohio, the only
state in which the Fund's shares are registered for sale.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EXCHANGE
PRIVILEGE
LIMITATIONS The Fund's exchange privilege is not intended to afford
shareholders a way to speculate on short-term movements in
the market. Accordingly, in order to prevent excessive use
of the exchange privilege that may potentially disrupt the
management of the Fund and increase transaction costs, the
Fund has established a policy of limiting excessive exchange
activity.
Exchange activity generally will not be deemed excessive if
limited to two substantive exchange redemptions (at least 30
days apart) from a Portfolio during any twelve-month period.
These limitations do not apply to exchanges from Vanguard's
money market portfolios. Notwithstanding these limitations,
the Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase request
(including exchange purchases from other Vanguard
portfolios) that is reasonably deemed to be disruptive to
efficient portfolio management.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IMPORTANT
INFORMATION
ABOUT TELEPHONE
TRANSACTIONS The ability to initiate redemptions (except wire
redemptions) and exchanges by telephone is automatically
established on your account unless you request in writing
that telephone transactions on your account not be
permitted. The ability to initiate wire redemptions by
telephone will be established on your account only if you
specifically elect this option in writing.
To protect your account from losses resulting from
unauthorized or fraudulent telephone instructions, Vanguard
adheres to the following security procedures:
1. Security Check. To request a transaction by telephone,
the caller must know (i) the name of the Portfolio; (ii) the
10-digit account number; (iii) the exact name and address
used in the registration; and (iv) the Social Security or
Employer Identification number listed on the account.
2. Payment Policy. The proceeds of any telephone redemption
by mail will be made payable to the registered shareowner
and mailed to the address of record, only. In the case of a
telephone redemption by wire, the wire transfer will be made
only in accordance with the shareowner's prior written
instructions.
Neither the Fund nor Vanguard will be responsible for the
authenticity of transaction instructions received by
telephone, provided that reasonable security procedures have
been followed. Vanguard believes that the security
procedures described above are reasonable, and that if such
procedures are followed, you will bear the risk of any
losses resulting from unauthorized or fraudulent telephone
transactions on your account. If Vanguard fails to follow
reasonable security procedures, it may be liable for any
losses resulting from unauthorized or fraudulent telephone
transactions on your account.
30
<PAGE>
TRANSFERRING
REGISTRATION You may transfer the registration of any of your Fund shares
to another person by completing a transfer form and sending
it to: Vanguard Financial Center, P.O. Box 1110, Valley
Forge, PA 19482, Attention: Transfer Department. The request
must be in Good Order. Before mailing your request, please
call our Client Services Department (1-800-662-2739) for
full instructions.
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STATEMENTS AND
REPORTS Vanguard will send you a confirmation statement each time
you initiate a transaction in your account except for
checkwriting redemptions from Vanguard money market
accounts. You will also receive a comprehensive account
statement at the end of each calendar quarter. The
fourth-quarter statement will be a year-end statement,
listing all transaction activity for the entire calendar
year.
Vanguard's Average Cost Statement provides you with the
average cost of shares redeemed from your account, using the
average cost single category method. This service is
available for most taxable accounts opened since January 1,
1986. In general, investors who redeemed shares from a
qualifying Vanguard account may expect to receive their
Average Cost Statement along with their Portfolio Summary
Statement. Please call our Client Services Department
(1-800-662-2739) for information.
Financial reports on the Fund will be mailed to you
semiannually, according to the Fund's fiscal year-end.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OTHER VANGUARD
SERVICES For more information about any of these services, please
call our Investor Information Department at 1-800-662-7447.
Vanguard
Direct Deposit
Service With Vanguard's Direct Deposit Service, most U.S. Government
checks (including Social Security and military pension
checks) and private payroll checks may be automatically
deposited into your Vanguard Fund account. Separate
brochures and forms are available for direct deposit of U.S.
Government and private payroll checks.
Vanguard
Automatic
Exchange Service Vanguard's Automatic Exchange Service allows you to move
money automatically among your Vanguard Fund accounts.
For instance, the service can be used to "dollar cost
average" from a money market portfolio into a stock or
bond fund or to contribute to an IRA or other retirement
plan. Please contact our Client Services Department at
1-800-662-2739 for additional information.
Vanguard Fund Vanguard's Fund Express allows you to transfer money
Express between your Fund account and your account at a bank,
savings and loan association, or a credit union that is a
member of the Automated Clearing House (ACH) system. You may
elect this service on the Account Registration Form or call
our Investor Information Department (1-800-662-7447) for a
Fund Express application.
31
<PAGE>
Special rules govern how your Fund Express purchases or
redemptions are credited to your account. In addition, some
services of Fund Express cannot be used with specific
Vanguard Funds. For more information, please refer to the
Vanguard Fund Express brochure.
Vanguard
Dividend
Express Vanguard's Dividend Express allows you to transfer your
dividends and/or capital gains distributions automatically
from your Fund account, one business day after the Fund's
payable date, to your account at a bank, savings and loan
association, or a credit union that is a member of the
Automated Clearing House (ACH) system. You may elect this
service on the Account Registration Form or call our
Investor Information Department (1-800-662-7447) for a
Vanguard Dividend Express application.
Vanguard
Tele-Account Vanguard's Tele-Account is a convenient, automated service
that provides share price, price change and yield quotations
on Vanguard Funds through any TouchToneTM telephone. This
service also lets you obtain information about your account
balance, your last transaction, and your most recent
dividend or capital gains payment. To contact Vanguard's
Tele-Account service, dial 1-800-ON- BOARD (1-800-662-6273).
A brochure offering detailed operating instructions is
available from our Investor Information Department
(1-800-662-7447).
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<PAGE>
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<PAGE>
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<PAGE>
Vanguard Vanguard
OHIO OHIO
TAX-FREE FUND TAX-FREE FUND
- --------------
The Vanguard Group
of Investment P R O S P E C T U S
Companies
Vanguard Financial Center
P.O. Box 2600
Valley Forge, PA 19482 MARCH 29, 1996
Investor Information
Department:
1-800-662-7447 (SHIP)
Client Services
Department:
1-800-662-2739 (CREW)
Tele-Account for
24-Hour Access:
1-800-662-6273 (ON-BOARD)
Telecommunication
Service for the
Hearing-Impaired:
1-800-662-2738
Transfer Agent: A member of
The Vanguard Group, Inc. THE VANGUARD GROUP
Vanguard Financial Center OF INVERSTMENT COMPANIES
Valley Forge, PA 19482
P096
<PAGE>
PART B
VANGUARD OHIO TAX-FREE FUND
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
MARCH 29, 1996
This Statement is not a prospectus but should be read in conjunction with
the Fund's current Prospectus dated March 29, 1996. To obtain this
Prospectus, please call:
VANGUARD'S INVESTOR INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
1-800-662-7447
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
--------
Investment Limitations ....................................... B-1
Risk Factors ................................................. B-6
Yield and Total Return ....................................... B-7
Calculation of Yield ......................................... B-7
Performance Measures ......................................... B-8
Investment Management ........................................ B-10
Purchase of Shares ........................................... B-11
Redemption of Shares ......................................... B-11
Valuation of Shares .......................................... B-12
Management of the Fund ....................................... B-13
Description of Shares and Voting Rights ...................... B-15
Financial Statements ......................................... B-16
Appendix A--Description of Municipal Bonds and their Ratings . B-17
Appendix B--Municipal Lease Obligations ...................... B-19
INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS
The following limitations cannot be changed without the consent of the
holders of a majority of the Fund's outstanding shares (as defined in the
Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "1940 Act"), including a majority of the
shares of each Portfolio.
1. Each Portfolio will limit the aggregate value of all holdings (except
U.S. Government and cash items, as defined under Subchapter M of the
Internal Revenue Code (the "Code"), each of which exceeds 5% of the
Portfolio's total assets, to an aggregate amount of 50% of such assets;
2. Each Portfolio will limit the aggregate value of holdings of a single
issuer (except U.S. Government and cash items, as defined in the Code)
to a maximum of 25% of the Portfolio's total assets. For the purposes
of this limitation, identification of the issuer will be based on a
determination of the source of assets and revenues committed to meeting
interest and principal payments of each security;
3. Each Portfolio will not borrow money except for temporary or emergency
purposes and then only in an amount not exceeding 10% of the value of
the total assets of that Portfolio. The Portfolio will repay all
borrowings before making additional investments. Interest paid on such
borrowings will reduce income;
4. Each Portfolio will not pledge, mortgage or hypothecate its assets to
any extent greater than 10% of the value of the total assets of the
Portfolio;
5. Each Portfolio will not issue senior securities as defined in the 1940
Act;
B-1
<PAGE>
6. Each Portfolio will not purchase or acquire security any if, as a
result, more than 15% (10% with respect to the Money Market Portfolio)
of its net assets would be invested in securities that are illiquid
(included in this limitation is the Fund's investment in The Vanguard
Group, Inc.);
7. Each Portfolio will not engage in the business of underwriting
securities issued by other persons except to the extent that the
Portfolio may technically be deemed to be an underwriter under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, in disposing of investment
securities;
8. Each Portfolio will not purchase or sell real estate, but this shall
not prevent investments in municipal bonds secured by real estate or
interests therein;
9. Each Portfolio will not make loans to other persons, except by the
purchase of bonds, debentures or similar obligations which are
publicly distributed and as provided under "Lending of Securities";
10. Each Portfolio will not purchase on margin or sell short, except as
specified below in investment limitation No. 12;
11. Each Portfolio will not purchase or retain securities of an issuer if
those Trustees of the Fund, each of whom owns more than 1/2 of 1% of
such securities, together own more than 5% of the securities of such
issuer;
12. Each Portfolio will not purchase or sell commodities or commodities
contracts, except that the Ohio Insured Long-Term Portfolio may invest
in bond futures contracts, bond options and options on bond futures
contracts to the extent that not more than 5% of the Portfolio's
assets are required as deposit on futures contracts and not more than
20% of the Portfolio's assets are invested in futures contracts and/or
options transactions at any time;
13. Each Portfolio will not invest its assets in securities of other
investment companies except as they may be acquired as part of a
merger, consolidation, reorganization or acquisition of assets or
otherwise, to the extent permitted by Section 12 of the 1940 Act;
14. Each Portfolio will not invest in securities other than municipal
bonds except that each Portfolio may make temporary investments in (a)
notes issued by or on behalf of municipal or corporate issuers,
obligations of the U. S. Government and its agencies, commercial
paper, and bank certificates of deposits; (b) investment companies
investing in such securities which have investment objectives
consistent with those of the Portfolio to the extent permitted by the
1940 Act; and (c) any such securities or municipal bonds subject to
repurchase agreements;
15. Each Portfolio will not invest in put, call, straddle or spread
options (except as described above in investment limitation No. 12) or
interests in oil, gas or other mineral exploration or development
programs; and
16. Each Portfolio will not purchase an industrial revenue bond if as a
result of such purchase (i) more than 5% of the Portfolio's total
assets, determined at market value at the time of the proposed
investment, would be invested in industrial revenue bonds where the
payment of principal and interest is the responsibility of a company
with less than three (3) years' operating history, or (ii) more than
20% of the Portfolio's total assets, determined at market value at the
time of the proposed investment, would be invested in industrial
development bonds. These restrictions do not apply to municipal
obligations where the payment of principal and interest is the
responsibility of a government or the political subdivision of a
government.
The above-mentioned investment limitations are considered at the time
investment securities are purchased. Nothwithstanding these limitations, each
Portfolio may own all or any portion of the securities of, or make loans to,
or contribute to the costs or other financial requirements of, any company
which will be (1) wholly owned by the Fund and one or more other investment
companies and (2) primarily engaged in the business of providing, at cost,
B-2
<PAGE>
management, administrative, distribution and/or related services to the Fund and
such other investment companies. Additionally, the Fund may invest without limit
in when-issued securities. Please see the prospectus for a description of such
securities.
Lending of Securities. Each Portfolio may lend its investment securities
to qualified institutions who need to borrow securities in order to complete
certain transactions, such as covering short sales, avoiding failures to
deliver securities or completing arbitrage operations. By lending its
investment securities, the Portfolio attempts to increase its income through
the receipt of interest on the loan. Any gain or loss in the market price of
the securities loaned that might occur during the term of the loan would be
for the account of the Portfolio. The Portfolio may lend its investment
securities to qualified brokers, dealers, banks or other financial
institutions, so long as the terms and the structure of such loans are not
inconsistent with the 1940 Act, or the Rules and Regulations or
interpretations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission")
thereunder, which currently require that (a) the borrower pledge and maintain
with the Portfolio collateral having a value at all times not less than 100%
of the value of the securities loaned, (b) the borrower add to such
collateral whenever the price of the securities loaned rises (i.e., the
borrower "marks to the market" on a daily basis), (c) the loan be made
subject to termination by the Portfolio at any time, and (d) the Portfolio
receive reasonable interest on the loan (which may include the Portfolio
investing any cash collateral in interest bearing short- term investments),
any distribution on the loaned securities and any increase in their market
value. A Portfolio will not lend its investment securities if, as a result,
the aggregate of such loans exceeds 10% of the value of its total assets.
Loan arrangements made by the Portfolio will comply with all other applicable
regulatory requirements, including the rules of the New York Stock Exchange,
which rules presently require the borrower, after notice, to redeliver the
securities within the normal settlement time of three business days. All
relevant facts and circumstances, including the creditworthiness of the
broker, dealer or institution, will be considered in making decisions with
respect to the lending of securities, subject to review by the Fund's Board
of Trustees. Income derived from lending of securities is not tax- exempt,
and, thus, each portfolio will limit such activity in accordance with its
investment objective.
FUTURES CONTRACTS AND OPTIONS
The Insured Long-Term Portfolio may enter into futures contracts, options,
and options on futures contracts for several reasons: to maintain cash
reserves while remaining fully invested, to facilitate trading, to reduce
transactions costs, or to seek higher investment returns when a futures
contract is priced more attractively than the underlying municipal security
or index. Futures contracts provide for the future sale by one party and
purchase by another party of a specified amount of a specific security at a
specified future time and at a specified price. Futures contracts which are
standardized as to maturity date and underlying financial instrument are
traded on national futures exchanges. Futures exchanges and trading are
regulated under the Commodity Exchange Act by the Commodity Futures Trading
Commission ("CFTC"), a U.S. Government Agency.
Although futures contracts by their terms call for actual delivery or
acceptance of the underlying securities, in most cases the contracts are
closed out before the settlement date without the making or taking of
delivery. Closing out an open futures position is done by taking an opposite
position ("buying" a contract which has previously been "sold," or "selling"
a contract previously purchased) in an identical contract to terminate the
position. Brokerage commissions are incurred when a futures contract is
bought or sold.
Futures traders are required to make a good faith margin deposit in cash
or government securities with a broker or custodian to initiate and maintain
open positions in futures contracts. A margin deposit is intended to assure
completion of the contract (delivery or acceptance of the underlying
security) if it is not terminated prior to the specified delivery date.
Minimal initial margin requirements are established by the futures exchange
and may be changed. Brokers may establish deposit requirements which are
higher than the exchange minimums. Futures contracts are customarily
purchased and sold at prices which may range upward from less than 5% of the
value of the contract being traded.
B-3
<PAGE>
After a futures contract position is opened, the value of the contract is
marked to market daily. If the futures contract price changes, to the extent
that the margin on deposit does not satisfy margin requirements, payment of
additional "variation" margin will be required. Conversely, changes in the
contract value may reduce the required margin, resulting in a repayment of
excess margin to the contract holder. Variation margin payments are made to
and from the futures broker for as long as the contract remains open. The
Fund expects to earn interest income on its margin deposits.
Traders in futures contracts may be broadly classified as either "hedgers"
or "speculators." Hedgers use the futures markets primarily to offset
unfavorable changes in the value of securities otherwise held for investment
purposes or expected to be acquired by them. Speculators are less inclined to
own the securities underlying the futures contracts which they trade, and use
futures contracts with the expectation of realizing profits from fluctuations
in the interest rates of underlying securities. The Fund intends to use
futures contracts only for bona fide hedging purposes.
Regulations of the CFTC applicable to the Fund require that all of its
futures transactions constitute bona fide hedging transactions. The Portfolio
will only sell futures contracts to protect securities it owns against price
declines or purchase contracts to protect against an increase in the price of
securities it intends to purchase. As evidence of this hedging interest, the
Portfolio expects that approximately 75% of its futures contract purchases
will be "completed," that is, equivalent amounts of related securities will
have been purchased or are being purchased by the Portfolio upon sale of open
futures contracts.
Although techniques other than the sale and purchase of futures contracts
could be used to control the Portfolio's exposure to market fluctuations, the
use of futures contracts may be a more effective means of hedging this
exposure. While the Portfolio will incur commission expenses in both opening
and closing out futures positions, these costs are lower than transaction
costs incurred in the purchase and sale of the underlying securities.
RESTRICTIONS ON THE USE OF FUTURES CONTRACTS
The Portfolio will not enter into futures contract transactions to the extent
that, immediately thereafter, the sum of its initial margin deposits on open
contracts exceeds 5% of the market value of the Fund's total assets. In
addition, the Portfolio will not enter into futures contracts to the extent
that its outstanding obligations to purchase securities under these contracts
would exceed 20% of the Portfolio's total assets.
RISK FACTORS IN FUTURES TRANSACTIONS
Positions in futures contracts may be closed out only on an Exchange which
provides a secondary market for such futures. However, there can be no
assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for any particular
futures contract at any specific time. Thus, it may not be possible to close
a futures position. In the event of adverse price movements, the Portfolio
would continue to be required to make daily cash payments to maintain its
required margin. In such situations, if the Portfolio has insufficient cash,
it may have to sell portfolio securities to meet daily margin requirements at
a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. In addition, the Portfolio
may be required to make delivery of the instruments underlying futures
contracts it holds. The inability to close options and futures positions also
could have an adverse impact on the ability to effectively hedge it.
The Portfolio will minimize the risk that it will be unable to close out a
futures contract by only entering into futures which are traded on national
futures exchanges and for which there appears to be a liquid secondary
market. The principal interest rate futures exchanges in the United States
are the Board of Trade of the City of Chicago and the Chicago Mercantile
Exchange.
The risk of loss in trading futures contracts in some strategies can be
substantial, due both to the low margin deposits required, and the extremely
high degree of leverage involved in futures pricing. As a result, a
relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in immediate
and substantial loss (as well as gain) to the investor. For example, if at
the time of purchase, 10% of the value of the futures contract is deposited
as margin, a subsequent 10% decrease in the value of the futures contract
B-4
<PAGE>
would result in a total loss of the margin deposit, before any deduction for the
transaction costs, if the account were then closed out. A 15% decrease would
result in a loss equal to 150% of the original margin deposit if the contract
were closed out. Thus, a purchase or sale of a futures contract may result in
losses in excess of the amount invested in the contract. However, because the
futures strategies of the Portfolio are engaged in only for hedging purposes,
the Adviser does not believe that the Portfolio is subject to the risks of loss
frequently associated with futures transactions. The Portfolio would presumably
have sustained comparable losses if, instead of the futures contract, it had
invested in the underlying financial instrument and sold it after the decline.
Utilization of futures transactions by the Portfolio does involve the risk
of imperfect or no correlation where the securities underlying futures
contracts have different maturities or other characteristics than the
portfolio securities being hedged. It is also possible that the Portfolio
could both lose money on futures contracts and also experience a decline in
value of its portfolio securities. There is also the risk of loss by the
Portfolio of margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of a broker with whom
the Portfolio has an open position in a futures contract or related option.
Most futures exchanges limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in
futures contract prices during a single trading day. The daily limit
establishes the maximum amount that the price of a futures contract may vary
either up or down from the previous day's settlement price at the end of a
trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a particular type
of contract, no trades may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit.
The daily limit governs only price movement during a particular trading day
and therefore does not limit potential losses, because the limit may prevent
the liquidation of unfavorable positions. Futures contract prices have
occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days
with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of future
positions and subjecting some futures traders to substantial losses.
The Portfolios are required for federal income tax purposes to recognize
as income for each taxable year their net unrealized gains and losses on
certain futures contracts held as of the end of the year as well as those
actually realized during the year. In most cases, any gain or loss recognized
with respect to a futures contract is considered to be 60% long-term capital
gain or loss and 40% short-term capital gain or loss, without regard to the
holding period of the contract. Furthermore, sales of futures contracts which
are intended to hedge against a change in the value of securities held by the
Portfolio may affect the holding period of such securities and, consequently,
the nature of the gain or loss on such securities upon disposition. A
Portfolio may be required to defer the recognition of losses on futures
contracts to the extent of any unrecognized gains on related positions held
by the Portfolio.
In order for the Portfolio to continue to qualify for Federal income tax
treatment as a regulated investment company, at least 90% of its gross income
for a taxable year must be derived from qualifying income, i.e., dividends,
interest, income derived from loans of securities, gains from the sale of
securities or of foreign currencies or other income derived with respect to
the Portfolio's business of investing in securities. In addition, gains
realized on the sale or other disposition of securities held for less than
three months must be limited to less than 30% of the Portfolio's annual gross
income. It is anticipated that any net gain realized from the closing out of
futures contracts will be considered gain from the sale of securities and
therefore be qualifying income for purposes of the 90% requirement. In order
to avoid realizing excessive gains on securities held less than three months,
the Portfolio may be required to defer the closing out of futures contracts
beyond the time when it would otherwise be advantageous to do so. It is
anticipated that unrealized gains on futures contracts, which have been open
for less than three months as of the end of the Portfolio's fiscal year and
which are recognized for tax purposes, will not be considered gains on sales
of securities held less than three months for the purpose of the 30% test.
The Portfolio will distribute to shareholders annually any net capital
gains which have been recognized for federal income tax purposes (including
unrealized gains at the end of the Portfolio's fiscal year) on futures
transactions. Such distribution will be combined with distributions of
capital gains realized on the Portfolio's other investments and shareholders
will be advised on the nature of the transactions.
B-5
<PAGE>
RISK FACTORS
As described above, the Portfolios will invest most of their respective
net assets in securities issued by or on behalf of (or in certificates of
participation in lease-purchase obligations of) the State of Ohio, political
subdivisions of the State, or agencies or instrumentalities of the State or
its political subdivisions (Ohio Obligations). The Portfolios are therefore
susceptible to general or particular political, economic or regulatory
factors that may affect issuers of Ohio Obligations. The following
information constitutes only a brief summary of some of the many complex
factors that may affect the Portfolios. The information does not apply to
"conduit" obligations on which the public issuer itself has no financial
responsibility. This information is derived from official statements of
certain Ohio issuers published in connection with their issuance of
securities and from other publicly available documents, and is believed to be
accurate. No independent verification has been made of any of the following
information.
The timely payment of principal of and interest on Ohio Obligations has
been guaranteed by bond insurance purchased by the issuers, the Portfolio or
other parties. The timely payment of debt service on Ohio Obligations that
are so insured may not be subject to the factors referred to in this section
of the Prospectus.
Ohio is the seventh most populous state. Its 1990 Census count of
10,847,000 indicates a 0.5% population increase from 1980.
While diversifying more into the service and other non-manufacturing
areas, the Ohio economy continues to rely in part on durable goods
manufacturing largely concentrated in motor vehicles and equipment, steel,
rubber products and household appliances. As a result, general economic
activity, as in many other industrially-developed states, tends to be more
cyclical than in some other states and in the nation as a whole. Agriculture
is an important segment of the economy, with over half the State's area
devoted to farming and approximately 15% of total employment in agribusiness.
The state's economy has also benefitted by improved manufacturing
productivity and a strong export position which helped shield the state's
economy from domestic recession in the early 1990's.
There can be no assurance that future national, regional or state-wide
economic difficulties, and the resulting impact on State or local government
finances generally, will not adversely affect the market value of Ohio
Obligations held in the Portfolio or the ability of particular obligors to
make timely payments of debt service on (or lease payments relating to) those
Obligations.
Ohio's debt burden is moderate, and the state and most local governments
observe prudent debt management practices. The state government has
maintained positive year-end balances in its general revenue account during
the 1980s, achieved through timely revisions in tax and spending plans.
During the economic recovery of the mid-1980's, the State accumulated sizable
fund balances in its general revenue fund and maintained a healthy budget
stabilization (or "rainy day") fund. This strong financial position provided
the state with far more flexibility than most states to weather the revenue
shortfalls and increased human services expenditures generated by the most
recent recession. The state's finances remain sound and poised to generate
enhanced balances as the national economy effects a sustained recovery from
the recession of the early 1990's.
The State operates on the basis of a fiscal biennium for its
appropriations and expenditures, and is precluded by law from ending its July
1 to June 30 fiscal year ("FY") or fiscal biennium in a deficit position.
Most State operations are financed through the General Revenue Fund ("GRF"),
for which personal income and sales-use taxes are the major sources. Growth
and depletion of GRF ending fund balances show a consistent pattern related
to national economic conditions, with the ending FY balance reduced during
less favorable and increased during more favorable economic periods. The
State has well- established procedures for, and has timely taken, necessary
actions to ensure resource/expenditure balances during less favorable
economic periods. These procedures include general and selected reductions in
appropriations spending.
By 13 constitutional amendments, the last adopted in 1993, Ohio voters
have authorized the incurrence of State debt to the payment of which taxes or
excises were pledged. As of September 1994, $671 million (excluding certain
highway bonds payable primarily from highway use charges) of this debt was
outstanding or awaiting delivery.
B-6
<PAGE>
The Constitution also authorizes the issuance of State obligations for
certain purposes, the owners of which do not have the right to have excises
or taxes levied to pay debt service. Such state obligations are generally
secured by annual appropriation lease agreements with the state.
In general, payment obligations under lease-purchase agreements of Ohio
public agencies (in which certificates of participation may be issued) are
limited in duration to the agency's fiscal period, and are renewable only
upon appropriations being made available for the subsequent fiscal period.
Additionally, state and local agencies issue revenue obligations that are
payable from revenues from or relating to certain facilities (but not from
taxes). By judicial interpretation, these obligations are not "debt" within
constitutional provisions.
Local school districts in Ohio receive a major portion (on a state-wide
basis, recently approximately 46%) of their operating moneys from State
subsidies, but are dependent on local property taxes, and in 98 districts
from voter-authorized income taxes, for significant portions of their
budgets. Litigation, similar to that in other states, is pending questioning
the constitutionality of Ohio's system of school funding. A small number of
the State's 612 local school districts have in any year required special
assistance to avoid year-end deficits. A current program provides for school
district cash need borrowing directly from commercial lenders, with diversion
of State subsidy distributions to repayment if needed.
Ohio's 943 incorporated cities and villages rely primarily on property and
municipal income taxes for their operations, and, with other local
governments, receive local government support and property tax relief moneys
distributed by the State. For those few municipalities that on occasion have
faced significant financial problems, there are statutory procedures for a
joint State/local commission to monitor the municipality's fiscal affairs and
for development of a financial plan to eliminate deficits and cure any
defaults. Since inception in 1979, these procedures have been applied to 23
cities and villages; for 18 of them the fiscal situation was resolved and the
procedures terminated.
At present the State itself does not levy ad valorem taxes on real or
tangible personal property. Those taxes are levied by political subdivisions
and other local taxing districts. The Constitution has since 1934 limited the
amount of the aggregate levy (including a levy for unvoted general
obligations) of property taxes by all overlapping subdivisions, without a
vote of the electors or a municipal charter provision, to 1% of true value in
money, and statutes limit the amount of that aggregate levy to 10 mills per
$1 of assessed valuation (commonly referred to as the "ten-mill limitation").
Voted general obligations of subdivisions are payable from property taxes
that are unlimited as to amount or rate.
YIELD AND TOTAL RETURN
The yield of the Ohio Insured Long-Term Portfolio for the 30-day period
ended November 30, 1995 was 5.01%.
The average annual total return of the Ohio Insured Long-Term Portfolio
for the one- and five-year periods ended November 30, 1995, and since the
inception of the Fund on June 18, 1990 was +19.45% and +8.74% and +9.15%,
respectively. The average annual total return of the Ohio Money Market
Portfolio for the one- and five-year periods ended November 30, 1995, and
since the inception of the Fund on June 18, 1990 was +3.78%, +3.28% and
+3.49%, respectively.
CALCULATION OF YIELD
The current yield of the Ohio Money Market Portfolio is calculated daily
on a base period return of a hypothetical account having a beginning balance
of one share for a particular period of time (generally 7 days). The return
is determined by dividing the net change (exclusive of any capital changes)
in such account by its average net asset value for the period, and then
multiplying it by 365/7 to get the annualized current yield. The calculation
of net change reflects the value of additional shares purchased with the
dividends by the Portfolio, including dividends on both the original share
and on such additional shares. An effective yield, which reflects the effects
B-7
<PAGE>
of compounding and represents an annualization of the current yield with all
dividends reinvested, may also be calculated for the Portfolio by adding 1 to
the net change for seven days, raising the sum to the 365/7 power, and
subtracting 1 from the result.
Set forth below is an example, for purposes of illustration only, of the
current and effective yield calculations for the Ohio Money Market Portfolio
for the 7-day base period ended November 30, 1995.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Money Market Portfolio
----------------------
11/30/95
-----------
<S> <C>
Value of account at beginning of period ............................... $ 1.00000
Value of same account at end of period* ............................... 1.00071
-----------
Net Change in account value ........................................... $ .00071
Annualized Current Net Yield (Net Change 365/7)/average net asset value 3.71%
Effective Yield [(Net Change) + 1] 365/7 - 1 .......................... 3.77%
Average Weighted Maturity of Investments .............................. 57 Days
</TABLE>
- ------
*Exclusive of any capital changes.
The net asset value of the Ohio Money Market Portfolio is $1.00 and it is
not expected to fluctuate. The Money Market Portfolio seeks to maintain, but
does not guarantee a constant net asset value of $1.00 per share. Although
the Money Market Portfolio invests in high-quality instruments, the shares of
the Portfolio are not insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government. The yield
of the Portfolio will fluctuate. The annualization of a week's dividend is
not a representation by the Portfolio as to what an investment in the
Portfolio will actually yield in the future. Actual yields will depend on
such variables as investment quality, average maturity, the type of
instruments the Portfolio invests in, changes in interest rates on
instruments, changes in the expenses of the Fund and other factors. Yields
are one basis investors may use to analyze the Portfolios of the Fund and
other investment vehicles however, yields of other investment vehicles may
not be comparable because of the factors set forth in the preceding sentence,
differences in the time periods compared, and differences in the methods used
in valuing portfolio instruments, computing net asset value and calculating
yield.
PERFORMANCE MEASURES
Vanguard may use reprinted material discussing The Vanguard Group, Inc. or
any of the member funds of the Vanguard Group of Investment Companies.
Each of the investment company members of The Vanguard Group, including
Vanguard Ohio Tax Free Fund, may from time to time, use one or more of the
following unmanaged indexes for comparative performance purposes.
Standard and Poor's 500 Composite Stock Price Index -- is a well diversified
list of 500 companies representing the U.S. Stock Market.
Wilshire 5000 Equity Index -- consists of more than 6,000 common equity
securities, covering all stocks in the U.S. for which daily pricing is
available.
Wilshire 4500 Equity Index -- consists of all stocks in the Wilshire 5000
except for the 500 stocks in the Standard and Poor's 500 Index.
Russell 3000 Stock Index -- a diversified portfolio of approximately 3,000
common stocks accounting for over 90% of the market value of publicly traded
stocks in the U.S.
Russell 2000 Stock Index -- a subset of approximately 2,000 of the smallest
stocks contained in the Russell 3000; a widely-used benchmark for small
capitalization common stocks.
Morgan Stanley Capital International EAFE Index -- is an arithmetic, market
value-weighted average of the performance of over 900 securities listed on
the stock exchanges of countries in Europe, Australia and the Far East.
B-8
<PAGE>
Goldman Sachs 100 Convertible Bond Index -- currently includes 71 bonds and
29 preferreds. The original list of names was generated by screening for
convertible issues of $100 million or greater in market capitalization. The
index is priced monthly.
Salomon Brothers GNMA Index -- includes pools of mortgages originated by
private lenders and guaranteed by the mortgage pools of the Government
National Mortgage Association.
Salomon Brothers High-Grade Corporate Bond Index -- consists of publicly
issued, non- convertible corporate bonds rated Aa or Aaa. It is a
value-weighted, total return index, including approximately 800 issues with
maturities of 12 years or greater.
Lehman Long-Term Treasury Bond -- is composed of all bonds covered by the
Shearson Lehman Hutton Treasury Bond Index with maturities of 10 years or
greater.
Merrill Lynch Corporate & Government Bond -- consists of over 4,500 U.S.
Treasury, Agency and investment grade corporate bonds.
Lehman Corporate (Baa) Bond Index -- all publicly offered fixed-rate,
nonconvertible domestic corporate bonds rated Baa by Moody's, with a maturity
longer than 1 year and with more than $25 million outstanding. This index
includes over 1,000 issues.
Lehman Brothers Long-Term Corporate Bond Index -- is a subset of the Lehman
Corporate Bond Index covering all corporate, publicly issued, fixed-rate,
nonconvertible U.S. debt issues rated at least Baa, with at least $50 million
principal outstanding and maturity greater than 10 years.
Bond Buyer Municipal Index (20 Year) Bond -- is a yield index on current
coupon high-grade general obligation municipal bonds.
Standard & Poor's Preferred Index -- is a yield index based upon the average
yield of four highgrade, non-callable preferred stock issues.
NASDAQ Industrial Index -- is composed of more than 3,000 industrial issues.
It is a value-weighted index calculated on price change only and does not
include income.
Composite Index -- 70% Standard & Poor's 500 Index and 30% NASDAQ Industrial
Index.
Composite Index -- 35% Standard & Poor's 500 Index and 65% Lehman Brothers
Long-Term Corporate Bond Index.
Composite Index -- 65% Standard & Poor's 500 Index and 35% Salomon Brothers
High-Grade Bond Index.
Lehman Brothers Aggregate Bond Index -- is a market-weighted index that
contains individually priced U.S. Treasury, agency, corporate, and mortgage
pass-through securities corporate rated BBB -- or better. The Index has a
market value of over $4 trillion.
Lehman Brothers Mutual Fund Short (1-5) Government/Corporate Index -- is a
market- weighted index that contains individually priced U.S. Treasury,
agency, and corporate investment grade bonds rated BBB -- or better with
maturities between 1 and 5 years. The index has a market value of over $1.3
trillion.
Lehman Brothers Mutual Fund Intermediate (5-10) Government/Corporate Index --
is a market-weighted index that contains individually priced U.S. Treasury,
agency, and corporate securities rated BBB -- or better with maturities
between 5 and 10 years. The index has a market value of over $600 billion.
Lehman Brothers Mutual Fund Long (10+) Government/Corporate Index -- is a
market- weighted index that contains individually priced U.S. Treasury,
agency, and corporate securities rated BBB -- or better with maturities
greater than 10 years. The index has a market value of over $900 billion.
B-9
<PAGE>
Lipper Small Company Growth Fund Average -- the average performance of small
company growth funds as defined by Lipper Analytical Services, Inc. Lipper
defines a small company growth fund as a fund that by prospectus or portfolio
practice, limits its investments to companies on the basis of the size of the
company. From time to time, Vanguard may advertise using the average
performance and/or the average expense ratio of the small company growth
funds. (This fund category was first established in 1982. For years prior to
1982, the results of the Lipper Small Company Growth category were estimated
using the returns of the Funds that constituted the Group at its inception.)
Lipper General Equity Fund Average -- an industry benchmark of average
general equity funds with similar investment objectives and policies, as
measured by Lipper Analytical Services, Inc.
Lipper Fixed Income Fund Average -- an industry benchmark of average fixed
income funds with similar investment objectives and policies, as measured by
Lipper Analytical Services, Inc.
Lipper Balanced Fund Average -- an industry benchmark of average balanced
funds with similar investment objectives and policies, as measured by Lipper
Analytical Services, Inc.
Lipper Non-Government Money Market Fund Average -- an industry benchmark of
average non- government money market funds with similar investment objectives
and policies, as measured by Lipper Analytical Services, Inc.
Lipper Government Money Market Fund Average -- an industry benchmark of
average government money market funds with similar investment objectives and
policies, as measured by Lipper Analytical Services, Inc.
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
Each Portfolio of the Fund receives all investment advisory services on an
at-cost basis from the Vanguard Fixed Income Group, an investment management
staff employed directly by The Vanguard Group, Inc. ("Vanguard"), a
subsidiary jointly owned by the Fund and the other Funds in The Vanguard
Group of Investment Companies. The Fixed Income Group is supervised by the
senior Officers of the Fund.
The Fixed Income Group is responsible for: maintaining the specified
standards set forth for each Portfolio; making changes in specific issues in
light of changes in the fundamental basis for purchasing such securities; and
adjusting each Portfolio to meet cash inflow (or outflow), which reflects net
purchases and exchanges of shares by investors (or net redemptions of shares)
and reinvestment of a Portfolio's income.
A change in securities held by a Portfolio is known as "portfolio
turnover" and may involve the payment by the Portfolio of dealer mark-ups,
underwriting commissions and other transaction costs on the sales of
securities as well as on the reinvestment of the proceeds in other
securities. The portfolio turnover rate is not a limiting factor when
management deems it desirable to sell or purchase securities. It is
impossible to predict whether or not the portfolio turnover rate in future
years will vary significantly from the rates in recent years.
B-10
<PAGE>
PURCHASE OF SHARES
Each Portfolio of the Fund reserves the right in its sole discretion (i)
to suspend the offering of its shares, (ii) to reject purchase orders when in
the judgment of management such rejection is in the best interest of a
Portfolio, and (iii) to reduce or waive the minimum investment for or any
other restrictions on initial and subsequent investments under circumstances
where certain economies can be achieved in sales of a Portfolio's shares.
Stock Certificates. Your purchase will be made in full and fractional
shares of a Portfolio calculated to three decimal places. Shares are normally
held on deposit for shareholders by the Fund, which will send to shareholders
a statement of shares owned at the time of each transaction. This saves the
shareholders the trouble of safekeeping the certificates and saves the Fund
the cost of issuing certificates. For the Insured Long-Term Portfolio, share
certificates are available at any time upon written request at no additional
cost to shareholders. No certificates will be issued for the Money Market
Portfolio, nor will certificates be issued for fractional shares in the
Insured Long-Term Portfolio.
REDEMPTION OF SHARES
Each Portfolio of the Fund may suspend redemption privileges or postpone
the date of payment (i) during any period that the New York Stock Exchange is
closed, or trading on the Exchange is restricted as determined by the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission"), (ii) during any period
when an emergency exists as defined by the rules of the Commission as a
result of which it is not reasonably practicable for a Portfolio to dispose
of securities owned by it, or fairly to determine the value of its assets,
and (iii) for such other periods as the Commission may permit.
If the Board of Trustees determines that it would be detrimental to the
best interests of the remaining shareholders of a Portfolio to make payment
wholly or partly in cash, a Portfolio may pay the redemption price in whole
or in part by a distribution in kind of securities held by the Portfolio in
lieu of cash in conformity with applicable rules of the Commission. Investors
may incur brokerage charges on the sale of such securities so received in
payment of redemptions.
No charge is made by a Portfolio for redemptions except for wire
redemptions of under $5,000 which may be charged a maximum fee of $5.00. Any
redemption may be more or less than the shareholder's cost depending on the
Portfolio's net asset value.
Signature Guarantees. To protect your account, the Fund and Vanguard from
fraud, signature guarantees are required for certain redemptions. Signature
guarantees enable the Fund to verify the authenticity of the person who has
authorized a redemption from your account. Signature guarantees are required
in connection with: (1) all redemptions, regardless of the amount involved,
when the proceeds are to be paid to someone other than the registered owners;
and (2) share transfer requests. A signature guarantee may be obtained from a
bank, broker, or any other guarantor that Vanguard deems to be acceptable.
Notaries public are not acceptable guarantors.
A signature guarantee must appear either: (1) on the written request for
redemption, (2) on a separate instrument for assignment ("stock power") which
should specify the total number of shares to be redeemed, or (3) on all stock
certificates tendered for redemption and, if shares held by the Fund are also
being redeemed, on the letter or stock power.
B-11
<PAGE>
VALUATION OF SHARES
The valuation of shares of the Ohio Insured Long-Term Portfolio is
described in detail in the Prospectus.
Ohio Money Market Portfolio. The net asset value per share of the Ohio
Money Market Portfolio is determined on each day that the New York Stock
Exchange is open.
It is the policy of the Ohio Money Market Portfolio to attempt to maintain
a net asset value of $1.00 per share for purposes of sales and redemptions.
The Money Market Portfolio seeks to maintain, but does not guarantee, a
constant net asset value of $1.00 per share. Although the Money Market
Portfolio invests in high-quality instruments, the shares of the Portfolio
are not insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government. The instruments held by
the Ohio Money Market Portfolio are valued on the basis of amortized cost
which does not take into account unrealized capital gains or losses. This
involves valuing an instrument at-cost and thereafter assuming a constant
amortization to maturity of any discount or premium, regardless of the impact
of fluctuating interest rates on the market value of the instrument. While
this method provides certainty in valuation, it may result in periods during
which value, as determined by amortized cost, is higher or lower than the
price the Portfolio would receive if it sold the instrument. During periods
of declining interest rates, the daily yield on shares of the Portfolio
computed as described above may tend to be higher than a like computation
made by a fund with identical investments utilizing a method of valuation
based upon market prices and estimates of market prices for all of its
portfolio instruments. Thus, if the use of amortized cost by the Portfolio
resulted in a lower aggregate portfolio value on a particular day, a
prospective investor in the Portfolio would be able to obtain a somewhat
higher yield than would result from investment in a fund utilizing solely
market values, and existing investors in the Portfolio would receive less
investment income. The converse would apply in a period of rising interest
rates.
The valuation of the Ohio Money Market Portfolio's instruments based upon
their amortized cost and the commitment to maintain the Portfolio's per share
net asset value of $1.00 is permitted by Rule 2a-7 under the Investment
Company Act of 1940, pursuant to which the Fund must adhere to certain
conditions. Accordingly, the Fund has agreed to maintain a dollar-weighted
average portfolio maturity for the Ohio Money Market Portfolio of 90 days or
less, to purchase instruments having remaining maturities of thirteen months
or less only, and to invest only in securities determined by the Board of
Trustees to be of good quality with minimal credit risks.
It is a fundamental objective of management to maintain the Portfolio's
price per share as computed for the purpose of sales and redemptions at
$1.00. The Trustees have established procedures designed to achieve this
objective. Such procedures will include a review of the Portfolio's holdings
by the Trustees, at such intervals as they may deem appropriate, to determine
whether the Portfolio's net asset value calculated by using available market
quotations deviates from $1.00 per share based on amortized cost. The extent
of any deviation will be examined by the Trustees. If such deviation exceeds
1/2 of 1%, the Trustees will promptly consider what action, if any, will be
initiated. In the event the Trustees determine that a deviation exists which
may result in material dilution or other unfair results to investors or
existing shareholders, they have agreed to take such corrective action as
they regard as necessary and appropriate, including selling portfolio
instruments prior to maturity to realize capital gains or losses or to
shorten average portfolio maturity; withholding dividends; making a special
capital distribution; redeeming shares in kind; or establishing a net asset
value per share by using available market quotations.
B-12
<PAGE>
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND
OFFICERS AND TRUSTEES
The Fund's Officers, under the supervision of the Board of Trustees,
manage the day-to-day operations of the Fund. The Trustees set broad policies
for the Fund and choose its Officers. A list of the Trustees and Officers of
the Fund and a brief statement of their present positions and principal
occupations during the past five years is set forth below. The mailing
address of the Fund's Trustees and Officers is Post Office Box 876, Valley
Forge, PA 19482.
JOHN C. BOGLE, Chairman and Trustee*
Chairman and Director of The Vanguard Group, Inc., and of each of the
investment companies in The Vanguard Group; Director of The Mead Corporation
and General Accident Insurance.
JOHN J. BRENNAN, President, Chief Executive Officer & Trustee*
President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of The Vanguard Group, Inc.,
and of each of the investment companies in The Vanguard Group.
ROBERT E. CAWTHORN, Trustee
Chairman of Rhone-Poulenc Rorer, Inc.; Director of Sun Company, Inc.
BARBARA BARNES HAUPTFUHRER, Trustee
Director of The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, ALCO Standard Corp.,
Raytheon Company, Knight-Ridder, Inc., and Massachusetts Mutual Life
Insurance Co. and Trustee Emerita of Wellesley College.
BURTON G. MALKIEL, Trustee
Chemical Bank Chairman's Professor of Economics, Princeton University;
Director of Prudential Insurance Co. of America, Amdahl Corporation, Baker
Fentress & Co., The Jeffrey Co., and Southern New England Communications
Company.
JAMES O. WELCH, Jr., Trustee
Retired Chairman of Nabisco Brands, Inc., retired Vice Chairman and Director
of RJR Nabisco; Director of TECO Energy, Inc. and Director of Kmart
Corporation.
JOHN C. SAWHILL, Trustee
President and Chief Executive Officer, The Nature Conservancy; formerly,
Director and Senior Partner, McKinsey & Co. and President, New York
University; Director of Pacific Gas and Electric Company and NACCO
Industries.
ALFRED M. RANKIN, JR.,Trustee
Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of NACCO Industries, Inc.;
Director of the BFGoodrich Company and The Standard Products Company.
J. LAWRENCE WILSON, Trustee
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Rohm & Haas Company; Director of
Cummins Engine Company and Trustee of Vanderbilt University.
RAYMOND J. KLAPINSKY, Secretary*
Senior Vice President and Secretary of The Vanguard Group, Inc., Secretary
of each of the investment companies in The Vanguard Group.
RICHARD F. HYLAND, Treasurer*
Treasurer of The Vanguard Group, Inc. and of each of the investment
companies in The Vanguard Group.
KAREN E. WEST, Controller*
Principal of The Vanguard Group, Inc.; Controller of each of the investment
companies in The Vanguard Group.
- ------
* Officers of the Fund are "interested persons" as defined in the Investment
Company Act of 1940.
THE VANGUARD GROUP
Vanguard Ohio Tax-Free Fund is a member of The Vanguard Group of
Investment Companies. Through their jointly-owned subsidiary, The Vanguard
Group, Inc. ("Vanguard"), the Fund and other Funds in the Group obtain at
cost virtually all of their corporate management, administrative and
distribution services. Vanguard also provides investment advisory services on
an at-cost basis to several other Vanguard Funds, including the Vanguard Ohio
Tax-Free Fund.
Vanguard employs a supporting staff of management and administrative
personnel needed to provide the requisite services to the Funds and also
furnishes the Funds with necessary office space, furnishings and equipment.
B-13
<PAGE>
Each Fund pays its share of Vanguard's net expenses which are allocated among
the Funds under methods approved by the Board of Trustees (Directors) of each
Fund. In addition, each Fund bears its own direct expenses such as legal,
auditing and custodian fees.
The Fund's Officers are also Officers and employees of Vanguard. No
Officer or employee owns, or is permitted to own, any securities of any
external adviser for the Funds.
The Vanguard Group adheres to a Code of Ethics established pursuant to
Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The Code is designed to
prevent unlawful practices in connection with the purchase or sale of
securities by persons associated with Vanguard. Under Vanguard's Code of
Ethics certain officers and employees of Vanguard who are considered access
persons are permitted to engage in personal securities transactions. However,
such transactions are subject to procedures and guidelines substantially
similar to those recommended by the mutual fund industry and approved by the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
The Vanguard Group, Inc. ("Vanguard") was established and operates under a
Funds' Service Agreement which was approved by the shareholders of each of
the Funds. The amounts which each of the Funds has invested are adjusted from
time to time in order to maintain the proportionate relationship between each
Fund's relative net assets and its contribution to Vanguard's capital. At
November 30, 1995, Vanguard Ohio Tax-Free Fund had contributed capital of
$44,000 to Vanguard representing .2% of Vanguard's capitalization. The Funds'
Service Agreement provides as follows: (1) each Vanguard Fund may invest a
maximum of 0.40% of its assets in Vanguard and (2) there is no restriction on
the maximum cash investment that the Vanguard Funds may make in Vanguard.
Management. Corporate management and administrative services include: (1)
executive staff; (2) accounting and financial; (3) legal and regulatory; (4)
shareholder account maintenance; (5) monitoring and control of custodian
relationships; (6) shareholder reporting; and (7) review and evaluation of
advisory and other services provided to the Funds by third parties. During
the fiscal year ended November 30, 1995, the Fund's share at Vanguard's
actual net costs of operations relating to management and administrative
services including transfer agency totaled approximately $522,000.
Distribution. Vanguard provides all distribution and marketing activities
for the Funds in the Group. Vanguard Marketing Corporation, a wholly-owned
subsidiary of The Vanguard Group, Inc., acts as Sales Agent for shares of the
Funds in connection with any sales made directly to investors in the states
of Florida, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Texas and such other states as it may
be required.
The principal distribution expenses are for advertising, promotional
materials and marketing personnel. Distribution services may also include
organizing and offering to the public, from time to time, one or more new
investment companies which will become members of the Group. The Trustees
(Directors) and Officers of Vanguard determine the amount to be spent
annually on distribution activities, the manner and amount to be spent on
each Fund, and whether to organize new investment companies.
One half of the distribution expenses of a marketing and promotional
nature is allocated among the Funds based upon their relative net assets. The
remaining one half of these expenses is allocated among the Funds based upon
each Fund's sales for the preceding 24 months relative to the total sales of
the Funds as a Group; provided, however, that no Fund's aggregate quarterly
rate of contribution for distribution expenses of a marketing and promotional
nature shall exceed 125% of the average distribution expense rate for the
Group, and that no Fund shall incur annual distribution expenses in excess of
20/100 of 1% of its average month-end net assets. During the year ended
November 30, 1995, the Fund paid approximately $84,000 of the Group's
distribution and marketing expenses.
Investment Advisory Services. Vanguard also provides investment advisory
services to the Fund, Vanguard Municipal Bond Fund, Vanguard Bond Index Fund,
Vanguard Money Market Reserves, Vanguard Florida Insured Tax-Free Fund,
Vanguard New Jersey Tax-Free Fund, Vanguard New York Insured Tax-Free Fund,
Vanguard Pennsylvania Tax-Free Fund, Vanguard California Tax-Free Fund,
Vanguard Tax-Managed Fund, the Aggressive Growth Portfolio of Vanguard
Horizon Fund, Vanguard Index Trust, Vanguard Admiral Funds, Vanguard
International Equity Index Fund, Vanguard Balanced Index Fund, Vanguard
B-14
<PAGE>
Institutional Index Fund, several portfolios of Vanguard Variable Insurance
Fund, several Portfolios of Vanguard Fixed Income Securities Fund, a portion of
Vanguard/Windsor II, a portion of Vanguard/Morgan Growth Fund as well as several
indexed separate accounts. These services are provided on an at-cost basis from
a money management staff employed directly by Vanguard. The compensation and
other expenses of this staff are paid by the Funds utilizing these services.
During the year ended November 30, 1993, 1994 and 1995, the Fund paid
approximately $22,000, $34,000, and $43,000 respectively, of Vanguard's
investment advisory expenses.
Remuneration of Trustees and Officers. The Fund pays each Trustee, who is
not also an Officer, an annual fee plus travel and other expenses incurred in
attending Board meetings. The Fund's Officers and employees are paid by
Vanguard which, in turn, is reimbursed by the Fund, and each other Fund in
the Group, for its proportionate share of Officers' and employees' salaries
and retirement benefits. During the year ended November 30, 1995, the Fund's
proportionate share of renumeration paid to all Officers of the Fund, as a
group, was approximately $o .
Trustees who are not Officers receive an annual fee upon retirement equal
to $1,000 for each year of service on the board up to a maximum of $15,000.
Under its retirement plan, Vanguard contributes annually an amount equal to
10% of each Officer's annual compensation plus 5.7% of that part of the
Officer's compensation during the year, if any, that exceed the Social
Security Taxable Wage Base then in effect. Under Vanguard's thrift plan, all
employees are permitted to make pre-tax contributions in a maximum amount
equal to 4% of total compensation. Vanguard matches the basic contribution on
a 100% basis. During the year ended November 30, 1995 the Fund's
proportionate share of retirement benefits paid to all Officers of the Fund,
as a group, was approximately $o .
VANGUARD OHIO TAX-FREE FUND
COMPENSATION TABLE
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Pension or Total Compensation
Aggregate Retirement Benefits Estimated From All
Compensation Accrued As Part Annual Benefits Vanguard Funds Paid
Names of Trustees From Fund of Fund Expenses Upon Retirement to Trustees(3)
----------------- -------------- ------------------- --------------- -------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C>
John C. Bogle(1), (2) .... -- -- -- --
John J. Brennan(2) ....... -- -- -- --
Barbara Barnes Hauptfuhrer $145 $25 $15,000 $60,000
Robert E. Cawthorn ....... $145 $21 $13,000 $60,000
Burton G. Malkiel ........ $145 $17 $15,000 $60,000
Alfred M. Rankin, Jr. .... $145 $13 $15,000 $60,000
John C. Sawhill .......... $145 $16 $15,000 $60,000
James O. Welch, Jr. ...... $145 $19 $15,000 $60,000
J. Lawrence Wilson ....... $145 $14 $15,000 $60,000
</TABLE>
- ------
(1) For the period reported in this table, Mr. Bogle was the Fund's Chief
Executive Officer, and therefore an "Interested Trustee."
(2) As "Interested Trustees," Messrs. Bogle and Brennan receive no
compensation for their service as Trustees.
(3) The amounts reported in this column reflect the total compensation paid
to each Trustee for their service as Director or Trustee of 34 Vanguard
Funds.
DESCRIPTION OF SHARES AND VOTING RIGHTS
The Fund was organized as a Pennsylvania business trust on March 16, 1990.
The Declaration of Trust permits the Trustees to issue an unlimited number
of shares of beneficial interest, without par value, from an unlimited number
of separate classes ("Portfolios") of shares. Currently, the Fund is offering
shares of two Portfolios.
The shares of the Fund are fully paid and nonassessable, except as set
forth under "Shareholder and Trustee Liability," and have no preference as to
conversion, exchange, dividends, retirement or other features. The shares of
B-15
<PAGE>
the Fund have no pre-emptive rights. The shares of the Fund have non-cumulative
voting rights, which means that the holders of more than 50% of the shares
voting for the election of Trustees can elect 100% of the Trustees if they
choose to do so. A shareholder is entitled to one vote for each full share held
(and a fractional vote for each fractional share held), then standing in his
name on the books of the Fund. On any matter submitted to a vote of
shareholders, all shares of the Fund then issued and outstanding and entitled to
vote, irrespective of the class, shall be voted in the aggregate and not by
class: except (i) when required by the Investment Company Act of 1940, shares
shall be voted by individual class; and (ii) when the matter does not affect any
interest of a particular class, then only shareholders of the affected class or
classes shall be entitled to vote thereon.
The Fund will continue without limitation of time, provided, however that:
1) Subject to the majority vote of the holders of shares of the Fund
outstanding, the Trustees may sell or convert the assets of the Fund to
another investment company in exchange for shares of such investment
company, and distribute such shares, ratably among the shareholders of the
Fund; and
2) Subject to the majority vote of shares of the Fund outstanding, the
Trustees may sell and convert into money the assets of the Fund and
distribute such assets ratably among the shareholders of the Fund.
Upon completion of the distribution of the remaining proceeds or the
remaining assets of any Portfolio as provided in paragraphs 1) and 2) above,
the Fund shall terminate and the Trustees shall be discharged of any and all
further liabilities and duties hereunder and the right, title and interest of
all parties shall be cancelled and discharged.
Shareholder and Trustee Liability. Under Pennsylvania law shareholders of
such a Trust may, under certain circumstances, be held personally liable as
partners for the obligations of the Fund. Therefore, the Declaration of Trust
contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for acts or
obligations of the Fund and requires that notice of such disclaimer be given
in each agreement, obligation, or instrument entered into or executed by the
Fund or the Trustees. The Declaration of Trust provides for indemnification
out of the Fund property of any shareholder held personally liable for the
obligations of the Fund. The Declaration of Trust also provides that the Fund
shall, upon request, assume the defense of any claim made against any
shareholder for any act or obligation of the Fund and satisfy any judgment
thereon. Thus, the risk of a shareholder incurring financial loss on account
of shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which the Fund itself
would be unable to meet its obligations.
The Declaration of Trust further provides that the Trustees will not be
liable for errors of judgment or mistakes of fact or law but nothing in the
Declaration of Trust protects a Trustee against any liability to which he
would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross
negligence, or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of
his office.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The Fund's Financial Statements for the year ended November 30, 1995 and
the financial highlights for each of the periods presented, appearing in the
Fund's 1995 Annual Report to Shareholders, and the report thereon of Price
Waterhouse LLP, independent accountants, also appearing therein, are
incorporated by reference in this Statement of Additional Information. The
Fund's 1995 Annual Report to Shareholders is enclosed with this Statement of
Additional Information.
B-16
<PAGE>
APPENDIX A-DESCRIPTION OF MUNICIPAL BONDS AND THEIR RATINGS
Municipal Bonds-General. Municipal bonds generally include debt
obligations issued by states and their political subdivisions, and duly
constituted authorities and corporations, to obtain funds to construct,
repair or improve various public facilities such as airports, bridges,
highways, hospitals, housing, schools, streets and water and sewer works.
Municipal bonds may also be issued to refinance outstanding obligations as
well as to obtain funds for general operating expenses and for loan to other
public institutions and facilities.
The two principal classifications of municipal bonds are "general
obligation" and "revenue" or "special tax" bonds. General obligation bonds
are secured by the issuer's pledge of its full faith, credit and taxing power
for the payment of principal and interest. Revenue or special tax bonds are
payable only from the revenues derived from a particular facility or class of
facilities or, in some cases, from the proceeds of a special excise or other
tax, but not from general tax revenues. The Fund may also invest in
tax-exempt industrial development bonds, short-term municipal obligations
(rated SP-1+ or SP-1 by Standard & Poor's Corp. or MIG-1 by Moody's Investors
Service), project notes, demand notes and tax- exempt commercial papers
(rated A-1 by Standard & Poor's Corp. or P-1 by Moody's Investors Service).
Industrial revenue bonds in most cases are revenue bonds and generally do
not have the pledge of the credit of the issuer. The payment of the principal
and interest on such industrial revenue bonds is dependent solely on the
ability of the user of the facilities financed by the bonds to meet its
financial obligations and the pledge, if any, of real and personal property
so financed as security for such payment. Short-term municipal obligations
issued by states, cities, municipalities or municipal agencies include tax
anticipation notes, revenue anticipation notes, bond anticipation notes,
construction loan notes and short-term discount notes. Project notes are
instruments insured by the Department of Housing and Urban Development but
issued by a state or local housing agency. While the issuing agency has the
primary obligation on such project notes, they are also secured by the full
faith and credit of the United States.
Note obligations with demand or put options may have a stated maturity in
excess of one year, but permit any holder to demand payment of principal plus
accrued interest upon a specified number of days' notice. Frequently, such
obligations are secured by letters of credit or other credit support
arrangements provided by banks. The issuer of such notes normally has a
corresponding right, after a given period, to repay in its discretion the
outstanding principal of the note plus accrued interest upon a specific
number of days' notice to the bondholders. The interest rate on a demand note
may be based upon a known lending rate, such as a bank's prime rate, and be
adjusted when such rate changes, or the interest rate on a demand note may be
a market rate that is adjusted at specified intervals. The demand notes in
which the Fund will invest are payable on not more than one year's notice.
Each note purchased by the Fund will meet the quality criteria set out above
for the Fund.
The yields of municipal bonds depend on, among other things, general money
market conditions, conditions in the municipal bond market, the size of a
particular offering, the maturity of the obligation, and the rating of the
issue. The ratings of Moody's Investors Service, Inc. and Standard & Poor's
Corporation represent their opinions of the quality of the municipal bonds
rated by them. It should be emphasized that such ratings are general and are
not absolute standards of quality. Consequently, municipal bonds with the
same maturity, coupon and rating may have different yields, while municipal
bonds of the same maturity and coupon, but with different ratings may have
the same yield. It will be the responsibility of Vanguard's Fixed Income
Group to appraise independently the fundamental quality of the bonds held by
the Fund.
Municipal bonds are sometimes purchased on a "when-issued" basis meaning
the Fund has committed to purchasing certain specified securities at an
agreed upon price when they are issued. The period between commitment date
and issuance date can be a month or more. It is possible that the securities
will never be issued and the commitment canceled.
From time to time proposals have been introduced before Congress to
restrict or eliminate the federal income tax exemption for interest on
municipal bonds. Similar proposals may be introduced in the future.
B-17
<PAGE>
If any such proposal were enacted, it might restrict or eliminate the ability of
the Fund to achieve its investment objective. In that event, the Fund's Trustees
and Officers would reevaluate its investment objective and policies and consider
recommending to its shareholders changes in such objective and policies.
Similarly, from time to time proposals have been introduced before state
and local legislatures to restrict or eliminate the state and local income
tax exemption for interest on municipal bonds. Similar proposals may be
introduced in the future. If any such proposal were enacted, it might
restrict or eliminate the ability of each Portfolio to achieve its respective
investment objective. In that event, the Fund's Trustees and Officers would
reevaluate its investment objective and policies and consider recommending to
its shareholders changes in such objective and policies.
Ratings. Excerpts from Moody's Investors Service, Inc.'s municipal bond
ratings: Aaa--judged to be of the "best quality" and are referred to as "gilt
edge"; interest payments are protected by a large or by an exceptionally
stable margin and principal is secure, Aa--judged to be of "high quality by
all standards" but as to which margins of protection or other elements make
long-term risks appear somewhat larger than Aaa-rated municipal bonds;
together with Aaa group they comprise what are generally known as "high grade
bonds"; A--possess many favorable investment attributes and are considered
"upper medium grade obligations." Factors giving security to principal and
interest of A-rated municipal bonds are considered adequate, but elements may
be present which suggest a susceptibility to impairment sometime in the
future; Baa--considered as medium grade obligations; i.e., they are neither
highly protected nor poorly secured; interest payments and principal security
appear adequate for the present but certain protective elements may be
lacking or may be characteristically unreliable over any great length of
time; Ba--protection of principal and interest payments may be very moderate;
judged to have speculative elements; their future cannot be considered as
well-assured; B--lack characteristics of a desirable investment; assurance of
interest and principal payments over any long period of time may be small;
Caa--poor standing; may be in default or there may be present elements of
danger with respect to principal and interest; Ca--speculative in a high
degree; often in default; C--lowest rated class of bonds; issues so rated can
be regarded as having extremely poor prospects for ever attaining any real
investment standing.
Description of Moodys' ratings of state and municipal notes: Moody's
ratings for state and municipal notes and other short-term obligations are
designated Moody's Investment Grade ("MIG"). Symbols used will be as follows:
MIG-1--Best quality, enjoying strong protection from established cash flows
of funds for their servicing or from established and broad-based access to
the market for refinancing, or both; MIG-2--High quality with margins of
protection ample although not so large as in the preceding group.
Description of Moody's highest commercial paper rating: Prime-1
("P-1")--Judged to be of the best quality. Their short-term debt obligations
carry the smallest degree of investment risk.
Excerpts from Standard & Poor's Corporation's municipal bond ratings:
AAA--has the highest rating assigned by S&P; extremely strong capacity to pay
principal and interest; AA--has a very strong capacity to pay interest and
repay principal and differs from the higher rated issues only in a small
degree; A--has a strong capacity to pay principal and interest, although
somewhat more susceptible to the adverse changes in circumstances and
economic conditions; BBB--regarded as having an adequate capacity to pay
principal and interest; normally exhibit adequate protection parameters but
adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead
to a weakened capacity to pay principal and interest than for bonds in A
category; BB--B--CCC--CC--predominantly speculative with respect to capacity
to pay interest and repay principal in accordance with terms of obligations;
BB is being paid; D--in default, and payment of principal and/or interest is
in arrears.
The ratings from "AA" to "B" may be modified by the addition of a plus or
minus sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.
Excerpt from Standard & Poor's Corporation's rating of municipal notes
issues: SP-1 + -- very strong capacity to pay principal and interest;
SP-1--strong capacity to pay principal and interest.
B-18
<PAGE>
Description of S&P's highest commercial papers ratings: A-1 + -- This
designation indicates the degree of safety regarding timely payment is
overwhelming. A-1--This designation indicates the degree of safety regarding
timely payment is very strong.
APPENDIX B--MUNICIPAL LEASE OBLIGATIONS
Each Portfolio may invest in municipal lease obligations. Such securities
will be treated as liquid under the following guidelines that have been
established by the Board of Trustees:
1. The obligation has been rated "investment grade" by at least one
NRSRO and is considered to be investment grade by the investment adviser.
2. The obligation is secured by payments from a governmental lessee
which is generally recognized and has debt obligations which are actively
traded by a minimum of five broker/dealers.
3. At least $25 million of the lessee debt is outstanding either in a
single transaction or on parity, and owned by a minimum of five
institutional investors.
4. The investment adviser has determined that the obligation, or a
comparable lessee security, trades in the institutional marketplace at
least periodically, with a bid/offer spread of 20 basis points or less.
5. The governmental lessee has a full faith and credit general
obligation rating of at least "A--" as published by at least one NRSRO or
as determined by the investment adviser. If the lessee is a state
government, the general obligation rating must be at least BAA1, BBB+, or
equivalent, as determined above.
6. The projects to be financed by the obligation are determined to be
critical to the lessee's ability to deliver essential services.
7. Specific legal features such as covenants to maintain the tax-exempt
status of the obligation, covenants to make lease payments without the
right of offset or counterclaim, covenants to return leased property to
the lessor in the event of non-appropriation, insurance policies, debt
service reserve fund, are present.
8. The lease must be "triple net" (i.e.--lease payments are net of
property maintenance, taxes and insurance).
9. If the lessor is a private entity, there must be a sale and absolute
assignment of rental payments to the trustee, accompanied by a legal
opinion from recognized bond counsel that lease payments would not be
considered property of the lessor's estate in the event of lessor's
bankruptcy.
B-19
<PAGE>
PART C
VANGUARD OHIO TAX-FREE FUND
OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 24. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS
(a) Financial Statements
The Registrant's audited Financial Statements for the year ended
November 30, 1995, including Price Waterhouse LLP's, report thereon, are
incorporated by reference, in the Statement of Additional Information, from the
Registrant's 1995 Annual Report to Shareholders which has been filed with the
Commission. The financial statements of each Portfolio included in the Annual
Report are:
1. Statement of Net Assets as of November 30, 1995
2. Statement of Operations for the year ended November 30, 1995
3. Statement of Changes in Net Assets for each of the years ended
November 30, 1994 and 1995
*4. Financial Highlights for each of the four years in the period ended
November 30, 1995, and for the period June 18, 1990 to November 30,
1990
5. Notes to Financial Statements
6. Report of Independent Accountants
- ------
*In addition, the financial highlights for each of the respective periods
presented is included in Part A of this registration.
(b) Exhibits
1. Declaration of Trust**
2. By-Laws of Registrant**
3. Not Applicable
4. Not Applicable
5. Not Applicable
6. Not Applicable
7. Reference is made to the section entitled "Management of the Fund" in
the Registrant's Statement of Additional Information
8. Form of Custody Agreement**
9. Form of Vanguard Service Agreement**
10. Opinion of Counsel**
11. Consent of Independent Accountants*
12. Financial Statements--reference is made to (a) above
13. Not Applicable
14. Not Applicable
15. Not Applicable
16. Schedule for Computation of Performance Quotations*
27. Financial Data Schedule*
- ------
*Filed herewith
**Previously filed
ITEM 25. PERSONS CONTROLLED BY OR UNDER COMMON CONTROL WITH REGISTRANT
Registrant is not controlled by or under common control with any person.
The Officers of the Registrant, the investment companies in The Vanguard
Group of Investment Companies and The Vanguard Group, Inc. are identical.
Reference is made to the caption "Management of the Fund" in the Prospectus
constituting Part A and in the Statement of Additional Information
constituting Part B of this Registration Statement.
C-1
<PAGE>
ITEM 26. NUMBER OF HOLDERS OF SECURITIES
As of November 30, 1995 the number of shareholders of each Portfolio of
the Fund was as follows:
Insured Long-Term Portfolio....................... 4,308
Money Market Portfolio .......................... 2,958
ITEM 27. INDEMNIFICATION
Reference is made to Article XI of Registrant's Articles of Incorporation.
Insofar as indemnification for liability arising under the Securities Act
of 1933 may be permitted to Trustees, Officers and controlling persons of the
registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant
has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange
Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the
Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for
indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the
registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a Trustee, Officer or controlling
person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or
proceeding) is asserted by such Trustee, Officer or controlling person in
connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless
in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling
precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether
such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act
and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
ITEM 28. BUSINESS AND OTHER CONNECTIONS OF INVESTMENT ADVISER
Investment advisory services are provided to the Registrant on an at-cost
basis by The Vanguard Group, Inc., a jointly-owned subsidiary of the
Registrant and the other Funds in the Group. See the information concerning
The Vanguard Group set forth in Parts A and B.
ITEM 29. PRINCIPAL UNDERWRITERS
(a) None
(b) Not Applicable
ITEM 30. LOCATION OF ACCOUNTS AND RECORDS
The books, accounts and other documents required by Section 31(a) under
the Investment Company Act and the rules promulgated thereunder will be
maintained in the physical possession of Registrant; Registrant's Transfer
Agent, The Vanguard Group, Inc. c/o The Vanguard Financial Center, Valley
Forge, Pennsylvania 19482; and the Registrant's Custodian, CoreStates Bank,
N.A., Philadelphia, PA.
ITEM 31. MANAGEMENT SERVICES
Other than the Amended and Restated Funds' Service Agreement with The
Vanguard Group, Inc. which was previously filed as Exhibit 9(c) and described
in Part B hereof under "Management of the Fund;" the Registrant is not a
party of any management-related service contract.
ITEM 32. UNDERTAKINGS
Registrant hereby undertakes to comply with the provisions of section
16(c) of the 1940 Act in regard to shareholders' rights to call a meeting of
shareholders for the purpose of voting on the removal of directors and to
assist in shareholder communications in such matters, to the extent required
by law.
Registrant hereby undertakes to provide an Annual Report to Shareholders
or prospective investors, free of charge, upon request.
C-2
<PAGE>
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the
Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant certifies that it meets all
the requirements for effectiveness of this Registration Statement pursuant to
Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act of 1933 and has duly caused this
Post-Effective Amendment to this Registration Statement to be signed on its
behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the Town of Valley
Forge and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, on the 22nd day of March, 1996.
VANGUARD OHIO TAX-FREE FUND
By
---------------------------------
(Raymond J. Klapinsky)
John C. Bogle*,
Chairman
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
Post-Effective Amendment to the Registration Statement has been signed below
by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Signatures Title Date
------------ --------- ------
<S> <C> <C>
BY: John C. Bogle*, Chairman March 22, 1996
------------------------- of the Board and Trustee
(Raymond J. Klapinsky)
BY: John J. Brennan*, March 22, 1996
------------------------- President, Chief Executive
(Raymond J. Klapinsky) Officer and Trustee
BY: Barbara B. Hauptfuhrer*, March 22, 1996
------------------------- Trustee
(Raymond J. Klapinsky)
BY: Burton G. Malkiel*, Trustee March 22, 1996
-------------------------
(Raymond J. Klapinsky)
BY: John C. Sawhill*, Trustee March 22, 1996
-------------------------
(Raymond J. Klapinsky)
BY: Robert E. Cawthorn*, Trustee March 22, 1996
-------------------------
(Raymond J. Klapinsky)
BY: Alfred M. Rankin, Jr.*, Trustee March 22, 1996
-------------------------
(Raymond J. Klapinsky)
BY: James O. Welch, Jr.*, Trustee March 22, 1996
-------------------------
(Raymond J. Klapinsky)
BY: J. Lawrence Wilson*, Trustee March 22, 1996
-------------------------
(Raymond J. Klapinsky)
BY: Richard F. Hyland*, Treasurer and March 22, 1996
------------------------- Principal Financial Officer and
(Raymond J. Klapinsky) Accounting Officer
BY: /s/ RAYMOND J. KLAPINSKY Raymond J. Klapinsky* March 22, 1996
------------------------- Secretary
(Raymond J. Klapinsky)
</TABLE>
- ------
* By Power of Attorney--See File Number 2-14336, January 23, 1990.
Incorporated by Reference.
<PAGE>
VANGUARD OHIO TAX-FREE FUND
INDEX TO EXHIBITS
Consent of Independent Accountants.................................. EX-99.B11
Schedule for Computation of Performance Quotations.................. EX-99.B16
Financial Data Schedule ............................................ EX-27
<PAGE>
EX-99.B11
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS
We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in the Prospectus and
Statement of Additional Information, constituting parts of this amended
Registration Statement on Form N-1A, of our report dated December 29, 1995,
relating to the financial statements and financial highlights appearing in
the November 30, 1995 Annual Report to Shareholders of Vanguard Ohio Tax-Free
Fund. We also consent to the references to us under the headings "Financial
Highlights" and "General Information" in the Prospectus and "Financial
Statements" in the Statement of Additional Information.
PRICE WATERHOUSE LLP
Thirty South Seventeenth Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103
March 21, 1996
<PAGE>
EX-99.B16
SCHEDULE FOR COMPUTATION OF PERFORMANCE QUOTATIONS
VANGUARD OHIO TAX-FREE FUND
INSURED LONG-TERM PORTFOLIO
1. Average Annual Total Return (As of November 30, 1995)
P (1 + T)(n) = ERV
Where: P = a hypothetical initial payment of $1,000
T = average annual total return
N = number of years
ERV = ending redeemable value at the end of the period
EXAMPLE:
-----------
One Year
-----------
P = $1,000
T = +19.45%
N = 1
ERV = $1,194.51
Five Year
-----------
P = $1,000
T = +8.74%
N = 5
ERV = $1,520.10
Ten Year
----------
P = $1,000
T = +9.15%*
N = *
ERV = $1,611.97*
------
* Since Inception, June 18, 1990
2. YIELD (30 Days Ended December 31, 1995)
(a-b 6
Yield = 2 [----- + 1) - 1]
c X d
Where: a = dividends and interest paid during the period
b = expense dollars during the period (net of reimbursements)
c = the average daily number of shares outstanding during the
period
d = the maximum offering price per share on the last day of the
period
Example a = $828,457.65
b = $27,028.00
c = 16,764,667.657
d = $11.57
Yield = 5.01%
<PAGE>
EX-99.B16
SCHEDULE FOR COMPUTATION OF PERFORMANCE QUOTATIONS
VANGUARD OHIO TAX-FREE FUND
MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIO
1. Average Annual Total Return (As of November 30, 1995)
P (1 + T)(n) = ERV
Where: P = a hypothetical initial payment of $1,000
T = average annual total return
N = number of years
ERV = ending redeemable value at the end of the period
EXAMPLE:
--------
One Year
--------
P = $1,000
T = +3.78%
N = 1
ERV = $1,037.83
Five Year
---------
P = $1,000
T = +3.28%
N = 5
ERV = $1,175.14
Ten Year
--------
P = $1,000
T = +3.49%*
N = *
ERV = $1,205.58*
------
* Since Inception, June 18, 1990
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<PAGE>
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<INVESTMENTS-AT-VALUE> 193,296
<RECEIVABLES> 4,015
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<INTEREST-INCOME> 9,762
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<EXPENSES-NET> 355
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<GROSS-EXPENSE> 362
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<NAME> OHIO MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIO
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<PERIOD-TYPE> YEAR
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<PERIOD-START> DEC-01-1994
<PERIOD-END> NOV-30-1995
<EXCHANGE-RATE> 1
<INVESTMENTS-AT-COST> 176,213
<INVESTMENTS-AT-VALUE> 176,213
<RECEIVABLES> 2,918
<ASSETS-OTHER> 64
<OTHER-ITEMS-ASSETS> 0
<TOTAL-ASSETS> 179,195
<PAYABLE-FOR-SECURITIES> 1,006
<SENIOR-LONG-TERM-DEBT> 0
<OTHER-ITEMS-LIABILITIES> 605
<TOTAL-LIABILITIES> 1,611
<SENIOR-EQUITY> 0
<PAID-IN-CAPITAL-COMMON> 177,592
<SHARES-COMMON-STOCK> 177,589
<SHARES-COMMON-PRIOR> 147,263
<ACCUMULATED-NII-CURRENT> 0
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-NII> 0
<ACCUMULATED-NET-GAINS> (8)
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-GAINS> 0
<ACCUM-APPREC-OR-DEPREC> 0
<NET-ASSETS> 177,584
<DIVIDEND-INCOME> 0
<INTEREST-INCOME> 6,425
<OTHER-INCOME> 0
<EXPENSES-NET> 338
<NET-INVESTMENT-INCOME> 6,087
<REALIZED-GAINS-CURRENT> 0
<APPREC-INCREASE-CURRENT> 0
<NET-CHANGE-FROM-OPS> 6,087
<EQUALIZATION> 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-INCOME> 6,087
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-GAINS> 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OTHER> 0
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-SOLD> 184,523
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-REDEEMED> 159,838
<SHARES-REINVESTED> 5,640
<NET-CHANGE-IN-ASSETS> 30,325
<ACCUMULATED-NII-PRIOR> 0
<ACCUMULATED-GAINS-PRIOR> (8)
<OVERDISTRIB-NII-PRIOR> 0
<OVERDIST-NET-GAINS-PRIOR> 0
<GROSS-ADVISORY-FEES> 21
<INTEREST-EXPENSE> 0
<GROSS-EXPENSE> 346
<AVERAGE-NET-ASSETS> 164,085
<PER-SHARE-NAV-BEGIN> 1.00
<PER-SHARE-NII> 0.037
<PER-SHARE-GAIN-APPREC> 0
<PER-SHARE-DIVIDEND> 0.037
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<RETURNS-OF-CAPITAL> 0
<PER-SHARE-NAV-END> 1.00
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