VANGUARD BALANCED INDEX FUND INC
497, 2000-12-04
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<PAGE>

VANGUARD(R)
BALANCED INDEX
FUND

Admiral(TM) Shares
Participant Prospectus
November 13, 2000

This  prospectus  contains
financial data for the
Fund for the six
months ended
June 30, 2000.

[SHIP GRAPHIC]

NEITHER  THE  SECURITIES  AND  EXCHANGE  COMMISSION  NOR  ANY  STATE  SECURITIES
COMMISSION HAS APPROVED OR  DISAPPROVED  OF THESE  SECURITIES OR PASSED UPON THE
ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A
CRIMINAL OFFENSE.

A member of
THE VANGUARD GROUP

<PAGE>

VANGUARD BALANCED INDEX FUND
ADMIRAL SHARES
Participant Prospectus
November 13, 2000

A Balanced Mutual Fund
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    CONTENTS
  1 FUND PROFILE                       13 DIVIDENDS, CAPITAL GAINS, AND TAXES
  3 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION             14 SHARE PRICE
  4 AN INTRODUCTION TO INDEX FUNDS     14 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
  5 A WORD ABOUT RISK                  16 INVESTING WITH VANGUARD
  5 WHO SHOULD INVEST                  17 ACCESSING FUND INFORMATION BY COMPUTER
  6 PRIMARY INVESTMENT STRATEGIES      GLOSSARY (inside back cover)
  12 THE FUND AND VANGUARD
  12 INVESTMENT ADVISER
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHY READING THIS PROSPECTUS IS IMPORTANT
This  prospectus  explains the  objective,  risks,  and  strategies  of Vanguard
Balanced  Index Fund. To highlight  terms and concepts  important to mutual fund
investors,  we have provided "Plain Talk(R)" explanations along the way. Reading
the prospectus will help you to decide whether the Fund is the right  investment
for you. We suggest that you keep it for future reference.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SHARE CLASSES
The Fund offers  three  separate  classes of shares:  Investor  Shares,  Admiral
Shares,  and  Institutional  Shares.  This prospectus  offers the Fund's Admiral
Shares and is intended for  participants  in  employer-sponsored  retirement  or
savings plans. Another version--for  investors who would like to open a personal
investment account--can be obtained by calling Vanguard at 1-800-662-7447.
     The Fund's  separate  share classes have different  expenses;  as a result,
their  investment  performances  will vary. ALL REFERENCES IN THIS PROSPECTUS TO
FEES,  EXPENSES,  AND  INVESTMENT  PERFORMANCE  RELATE  SPECIFICALLY  TO ADMIRAL
SHARES, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

<PAGE>
                                                                               1

FUND PROFILE

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Fund seeks to provide  current  income  and  long-term  growth of income and
capital.

INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund typically  invests 60% of its assets in common stocks and 40% in bonds.
The stock  portion of the Fund seeks to match the total  return of the  Wilshire
5000 Total Market Index, a widely recognized  measure for the U.S. stock market.
The Fund's bond portion  seeks to replicate  the returns of the Lehman  Brothers
Aggregate  Bond Index,  a measure of  regularly  traded,  U.S.  investment-grade
bonds.

PRIMARY RISKS
THE FUND'S TOTAL RETURN,  LIKE STOCK AND BOND PRICES  GENERALLY,  WILL FLUCTUATE
WITHIN A WIDE  RANGE,  SO AN  INVESTOR  COULD LOSE MONEY OVER SHORT OR EVEN LONG
PERIODS. The Fund is also subject to:
--   Stock  market  risk,  which is the chance that stock prices in general will
     decline  over  short or even long  periods.  The stock  market  tends to be
     cyclical,  with periods when stock prices  generally  rise and periods when
     stock prices generally decline.
--   Interest  rate risk,  which is the chance  that bond  prices  overall  will
     decline  over  short or even long  periods  due to rising  interest  rates.
     Interest rate risk should be moderate for the Fund.
--   Income risk, which is the chance that falling interest rates will cause the
     Fund's income to decline. Income risk should be moderate for the Fund.
--   Credit  risk,  which is the  chance  that a bond  issuer  will  fail to pay
     interest and  principal  in a timely  manner,  reducing the Fund's  return.
     Credit risk should be low for the Fund.
--   Prepayment  risk,  which is the  chance  that  during  periods  of  falling
     interest rates, a mortgage-backed  bond issuer will repay a higher-yielding
     bond before its maturity date because the  underlying  mortgages  have been
     paid off ahead of  schedule.  If a bond is called,  the Fund would lose the
     opportunity  for  additional  price  appreciation,  and  would be forced to
     reinvest the  unanticipated  proceeds at lower interest rates. As a result,
     the Fund would experience a decline in income.
--   Index sampling risk,  which is the chance that the securities  selected for
     the Fund  will not  provide  investment  performance  matching  that of the
     index. Index sampling risk for the Fund should be low.

PERFORMANCE/RISK INFORMATION
The  following  bar  chart  and  table  provides  an  indication  of the risk of
investing  in the Fund.  The bar  chart  shows the  Fund's  performance  in each
calendar year since  inception.  The table shows how the Fund's  average  annual
total returns for one and five  calendar  years and since  inception  compare to
those of a broad-based securities market index. Both the bar chart and the table
present  information for the Fund's Investor  Shares,  since Admiral Shares were
not available  during the time periods shown.  Keep in mind that the Fund's past
performance does not necessarily indicate how it will perform in the future.

<PAGE>
2
[CHART]
      --------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS-INVESTOR SHARES
      --------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 1993 -- 10.00%
                                 1994 -- -1.56%
                                 1995 -- 28.64%
                                 1996 -- 13.95%
                                 1997 -- 22.24%
                                 1998 -- 17.85%
                                 1999 -- 13.61%
      --------------------------------------------------------------------------
      The Fund's  year-to-date  return as of the calendar quarter ended June 30,
      2000, was 1.17%.
      --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     During the period shown in the bar chart, the highest return for a calendar
quarter was 12.67% (quarter ended December 31, 1998),  and the lowest return for
a quarter was -5.57% (quarter ended September 30, 1998).

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
      --------------------------------------------------------------------------
           AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1999
      --------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     SINCE
                                        1 YEAR      5 YEARS        INCEPTION*
      --------------------------------------------------------------------------
      <S>                               <C>          <C>            <C>
      Vanguard Balanced Index Fund--
       Investor Shares                  13.61%       19.13%         14.89%
      Wilshire 5000 Total Market        23.77        27.11          20.92
      Index
      Lehman Brothers Aggregate Bond    -0.82         7.73           6.57
      Index
      Balanced Composite Index**        13.54        19.30          15.19
      --------------------------------------------------------------------------
       *November 9, 1992.
      **Made up of two unmanaged  benchmarks,  weighted 60% Wilshire 5000 Total
        Market Index and 40% Lehman Brothers Aggregate Bond Index.
      --------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>

FEES AND EXPENSES
The following  table  describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and
hold Admiral  Shares of the Fund. The expenses shown under Annual Fund Operating
Expenses  for  Admiral  Shares are based on  estimated  amounts  for the current
fiscal year.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

      <S>                                                      <C>
      SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
      Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases:                          None
      Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends:               None
      Redemption Fee:                                                    None
      Exchange Fee:                                                      None


      ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses deducted from the Fund's
      assets)
      Management Expenses:                                              0.12%
      12b-1 Distribution Fee:                                            None
      Other Expenses:                                                   0.03%
       TOTAL ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES:                            0.15%
</TABLE>

<PAGE>
                                                                               3

  The Fund  reserves the right to deduct a  transaction  fee of 0.08% from an
investor's cumulative purchases over $100 million.  Where it applies, the fee is
retained  by the  Fund to  offset  transaction  costs  of  investing  large  new
contributions  into the  market.  The fee is not paid to  Vanguard  and is not a
sales charge.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                PLAIN TALK ABOUT
                                  FUND EXPENSES
 All mutual funds have operating  expenses.  These expenses,  which are deducted
 from a fund's gross income or assets,  are expressed as a percentage of the net
 assets of the fund. It is estimated that Vanguard Balanced Index Fund's Admiral
 Shares will have an annualized  expense  ratio of 0.15% for the current  fiscal
 year, or $1.50 per $1,000 of average net assets.  The average  balanced  mutual
 fund had expenses in 1999 of 1.33%,  or $13.30 per $1,000 of average net assets
 (derived  from data  provided by Lipper Inc.,  which reports on the mutual fund
 industry).  Management  expenses,  which  are one part of  operating  expenses,
 include  investment  advisory  fees  as well  as  other  costs  of  managing  a
 fund--such as account  maintenance,  reporting,  accounting,  legal,  and other
 administrative expenses.

 The following  example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in
the Fund's Admiral  Shares with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.  It
illustrates the hypothetical  expenses that you would incur over various periods
if you invest $10,000 in the Fund. This example assumes that the Fund provides a
return of 5% a year, and that operating expenses match our estimates for Admiral
Shares.  The results apply whether or not you redeem your  investment at the end
of each period.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                    -------------------------------------------
                      1 YEAR    3 YEARS    5 YEARS    10 YEARS
                    -------------------------------------------
                      <S>        <C>       <C>        <C>
                       $15        $48       $85        $192
                    -------------------------------------------
</TABLE>
 THIS  EXAMPLE  SHOULD  NOT  BE  CONSIDERED  TO  REPRESENT  ACTUAL  EXPENSES  OR
PERFORMANCE  FROM THE PAST OR FOR THE  FUTURE.  ACTUAL  FUTURE  EXPENSES  MAY BE
HIGHER OR LOWER THAN THOSE SHOWN.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                                                   <C>
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
DIVIDENDS  AND  CAPITAL  GAINS                         NET ASSETS(INVESTOR SHARES) AS OF
Dividends are distributed quarterly in March, June,    JUNE 30, 2000
September, and December; capital gains, if any,        $3.5 billion
are distributed annually in December
                                                       NEWSPAPER ABBREVIATION
INVESTMENT ADVISER                                     BalAdml
The Vanguard Group, Valley Forge, Pa.,
since inception                                        VANGUARD FUND NUMBER
                                                       502
INCEPTION DATE
Investor Shares-November 9, 1992                       CUSIP NUMBER
Admiral Shares-November 13, 2000                       921931200

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>

<PAGE>
4

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                PLAIN TALK ABOUT
                             THE COSTS OF INVESTING
 Costs are an important  consideration in choosing a mutual fund. That's because
 you, as a shareholder,  pay the costs of operating a fund, plus any transaction
 costs associated with the fund's buying and selling of securities.  These costs
 can erode a substantial  portion of the gross income or capital  appreciation a
 fund may achieve.  Even seemingly small differences in expenses can, over time,
 have a dramatic effect on a fund's performance.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AN INTRODUCTION TO INDEX FUNDS

WHAT IS INDEXING?
An index is an unmanaged group of securities  whose overall  performance is used
as a standard to measure the investment  performance of a particular  market. An
index (or "passively managed") fund tries to match, as closely as possible,  the
performance of an established  target index.  The fund does this by holding all,
or a representative sample, of the securities that make up the index.
 The target index may be a group of stocks or bonds,  or a combination of stocks
and bonds. Balanced index funds hold a mix of stocks and bonds.
 Index funds do not have active  managers who buy and sell  securities  based on
research and analysis.  Rather, index funds are passively managed by the adviser
who seeks to match a market benchmark.

WHY INVEST IN INDEX FUNDS?
Index funds appeal to many investors for a number of reasons:
--   Variety of  investments.  Vanguard index funds  generally  invest in a wide
     variety of companies and industries.
--   Relative  performance  consistency.  Because  they  seek  to  track  market
     benchmarks,  index  funds by  definition  should not  perform  dramatically
     better or worse than their benchmarks.
--   Low cost.  Index funds are  inexpensive  to run as compared  with  actively
     managed funds.  They have lower  research costs and keep trading  activity,
     and thus trading costs, to a minimum.

     KEEP IN MIND THAT AN INDEX  FUND HAS  OPERATING  EXPENSES  AND  TRANSACTION
COSTS;  A MARKET INDEX DOES NOT.  THEREFORE,  AN INDEX  FUND--WHILE  EXPECTED TO
TRACK ITS TARGET INDEX AS CLOSELY AS POSSIBLE--WILL TYPICALLY BE UNABLE TO MATCH
THE PERFORMANCE OF THE INDEX EXACTLY.

<PAGE>
                                                                               5

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A WORD ABOUT RISK
This  prospectus  describes risks you would face as an investor in Vanguard
Balanced  Index Fund.  It is important to keep in mind one of the main axioms of
investing: The higher the risk of losing money, the higher the potential reward.
The  reverse,  also,  is  generally  true:  The lower  the  risk,  the lower the
potential  reward.  As you consider an investment  in the Fund,  you should also
take into account your  personal  tolerance  for the daily  fluctuations  of the
stock and bond markets.
     Look for this [GRAPHIC]  symbol  throughout the  prospectus.  It is used to
mark detailed  information  about each type of risk that you would confront as a
shareholder of the Fund.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WHO SHOULD INVEST

The Fund may be a suitable investment for you if:
--   You are seeking  moderate current income and long-term growth of income and
     capital.
--   You are seeking a diversified combination of U.S. stocks and bonds.
--   You are willing to invest for the long term--at least five years.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                PLAIN TALK ABOUT
                             COSTS AND MARKET-TIMING
 Some  investors  try  to  profit  from   market-timing--switching   money  into
 investments  when they expect  prices to rise,  and taking  money out when they
 expect  the  market to fall.  As money is  shifted  in and out,  a fund  incurs
 expenses for buying and selling  securities.  These costs are borne by all fund
 shareholders,  including the long-term investors who do not generate the costs.
 Therefore,  the Fund  discourages  short-term  trading by, among other  things,
 limiting the number of exchanges it permits.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 THE VANGUARD FUNDS DO NOT PERMIT MARKET-TIMING. DO NOT INVEST IN THIS FUND IF
YOU ARE A MARKET-TIMER.

The Fund has adopted the following policies,  among others, to discourage short-
term   trading:
--   The Fund  reserves  the right to  reject  any  purchase  request--including
     exchanges from other  Vanguard  funds--that it regards as disruptive to the
     efficient  management  of the Fund.  A purchase  request  could be rejected
     because  of the  timing  of the  investment  or  because  of a  history  of
     excessive trading by the investor.
--   Telephone  and online  exchanges  generally  are not  accepted  for non-IRA
     accounts.
--   There is a limit on the  number of times you can  exchange  into and out of
     the Fund (see "Exchanges" in the INVESTING WITH VANGUARD section).
--   The Fund reserves the right to stop offering shares at any time.
<PAGE>
6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                PLAIN TALK ABOUT
                                 BALANCED FUNDS
 Balanced  funds are  generally  "middle of the road"  investments  that seek to
 provide some  combination of growth,  income,  and  conservation  of capital by
 investing in a mix of stocks,  bonds, and/or money market instruments.  Because
 the prices of stocks and bonds  often move in  different  directions,  balanced
 funds are able to use rewards  from one type of  investment  to help offset the
 risks from another.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PRIMARY INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
This section explains the strategies that the investment adviser uses in pursuit
of the  Fund's  objective--current  income  and  long-term  growth of income and
capital.  It also  explains  how the adviser  implements  these  strategies.  In
addition,  this section discusses several  important  risks--stock  market risk,
interest rate risk,  income risk,  prepayment  risk,  and credit  risk--faced by
investors  in the  Fund.  The  Fund's  board of  trustees,  which  oversees  the
management of the Fund, may change the Fund's investment objective or strategies
in the interest of shareholders, without a shareholder vote.

MARKET EXPOSURE

STOCKS
About 60% of the Fund's assets are invested in common  stocks,  in an attempt to
replicate  with that portion of the assets the  performance of the Wilshire 5000
Total Market Index ("Wilshire 5000 Index").

[FLAG]    THE FUND IS SUBJECT TO STOCK  MARKET  RISK,  WHICH IS THE CHANCE  THAT
          STOCK PRICES  OVERALL WILL DECLINE OVER SHORT OR EVEN LONG  PERIODS.
          STOCK MARKETS TEND TO MOVE IN CYCLES,  WITH PERIODS OF RISING  PRICES
          AND PERIODS OF FALLING PRICES.

 To illustrate  the  volatility of stock prices,  the following  table shows the
best,  worst,  and average total returns for the U.S.  stock market over various
periods as measured by the Standard & Poor's 500 Index,  a widely used barometer
of market  activity.  (Total returns  consist of dividend  income plus change in
market  price.)  Note that the returns  shown do not include the costs of buying
and selling  stocks or other  expenses  that a real-world  investment  portfolio
would  incur.  Note,  also,  that the gap between best and worst tends to narrow
over the long term.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
      -------------------------------------------------------------------
                     U.S. STOCK MARKET RETURNS (1926-1999)
      -------------------------------------------------------------------
                       1 YEAR      5 YEARS     10 YEARS       20 YEARS
      -------------------------------------------------------------------
      <S>               <C>         <C>          <C>           <C>
      Best              54.2%       28.6%        19.9%         17.9%
      Worst            -43.1       -12.4         -0.9           3.1
      Average           13.2        11.0         11.1          11.1
      -------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>

 The table covers all of the 1-, 5-, 10-, and 20-year  periods from 1926 through
1999.  You can see, for example,  that while the average return on common stocks
for all of the 5-year periods was 11.0%,  returns for individual  5-year periods
ranged  from a -12.4%  average  (from  1928  through  1932) to 28.6%  (from 1995
through 1999). These average returns

<PAGE>
                                                                               7

reflect  past  performance  on common  stocks;  you should not regard them as an
indication  of future  returns  from either the stock  market as a whole or this
Fund in particular, which invests approximately 40% of its assets in bonds.
 While the Fund's holdings will typically  include the 500 largest stocks in the
Wilshire 5000 Index,  they will not include all of the  securities in the Index.
Instead, the Fund will invest in a representative sample of stocks.
 Keep in mind, too, that while the Wilshire 5000 Index is dominated by large-cap
stocks  (those  contained in the S&P 500 Index),  small- and mid-cap  issues are
also  represented.  The Fund's stock holdings are adjusted on a regular basis to
reflect the Wilshire  5000 Index.  As of December 31, 1999,  about 22.16% of the
market value of the Wilshire 5000 Index was made up of securities  that were not
in the S&P 500 Index.  Stocks of smaller  companies have  historically been more
volatile than--and at times have performed quite differently from--the stocks of
larger companies.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                PLAIN TALK ABOUT
                   LARGE-CAP, MID-CAP, AND SMALL-CAP STOCKS
 Stocks  of  publicly  traded   companies--and  mutual  funds  that  hold  these
 stocks--can be classified by the companies'  market value,  or  capitalization.
 Market capitalization  changes over time, and there is no "official" definition
 of the boundaries of large-,  mid-, and small-cap  stocks.  Vanguard  generally
 defines  large-capitalization  (large-cap)  funds as those  holding  stocks  of
 companies whose  outstanding  shares have a market value exceeding $13 billion;
 mid-cap funds as those holding  stocks of companies with a market value between
 $1.5 billion and $13 billion;  and small-cap funds as those  typically  holding
 stocks of  companies  with a market value of less than $1.5  billion.  Vanguard
 periodically reassesses these classifications.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BONDS
About 40% of the Fund's assets are invested in bonds, in an attempt to replicate
with that portion of the assets the performance of the Lehman Brothers Aggregate
Bond Index.

[FLAG]    THE FUND IS SUBJECT TO  INTEREST  RATE RISK,  WHICH IS THE CHANCE THAT
          BOND PRICES  OVERALL  WILL  DECLINE  OVER SHORT OR EVEN LONG PERIODS
          DUE TO RISING  INTEREST   RATES.   INTEREST  RATE  RISK  SHOULD  BE
          MODERATE  FOR SHORTER-TERM  BOND FUNDS AND HIGH FOR LONGER-TERM  BOND
          FUNDS.  BECAUSE THE FUND INVESTS IN A PORTFOLIO OF BONDS WITH AN
          INTERMEDIATE  AVERAGE MATURITY(5-10 YEARS) INTEREST RATE RISK IS
          MODERATE.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                PLAIN TALK ABOUT
                            BONDS AND INTEREST RATES
 As a rule,  when interest  rates rise,  bond prices fall.  The opposite is also
 true:  Bond  prices go up when  interest  rates  fall.  Why do bond  prices and
 interest rates move in opposite  directions?  Let's assume that you hold a bond
 offering a 5% yield. A year later, interest rates are on the rise and bonds are
 offered with a 6% yield. With higher-yielding  bonds available,  you would have
 trouble selling your 5% bond for the price you  paid--causing you to lower your
 asking price.  On the other hand,  if interest  rates were falling and 4% bonds
 were being  offered,  you should be able to sell your 5% bond for more than you
 paid.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

<PAGE>
8

 Although bonds are often thought to be less risky than stocks,  there have been
periods when bond prices have fallen significantly due to rising interest rates.
For instance, prices of long-term bonds fell by almost 48% between December 1976
and September 1981.
 To  illustrate  the  volatility of bond prices,  the following  table shows the
effect of both a 1% and a 2%  change  (both up and  down) in  interest  rates on
three bonds of different maturities, each with a face value of $1,000.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      HOW INTEREST RATE CHANGES AFFECT THE
                           VALUE OF A $1,000 BOND*
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            AFTER A 1%   AFTER A 1%   AFTER A 2%    AFTER A 2%
TYPE OF BOND (MATURITY)      INCREASE     DECREASE     INCREASE      DECREASE
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                         <C>          <C>          <C>          <C>
Short-Term (2.5 years)           $978       $1,023         $956       $1,046
Intermediate-Term (10 years)      932        1,074          870        1,156
Long-Term (20 years)              901        1,116          816        1,251
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Assumes a 7% yield.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>

 These  figures  are for  illustration  only,  and should not be  regarded as an
indication  of  future  returns  from the bond  market as a whole or the Fund in
particular.
 Changes in interest rates will affect bond income as well as bond prices.

[FLAG]   THE FUND IS SUBJECT TO INCOME RISK, WHICH IS THE CHANCE THAT THE FUND'S
         DIVIDENDS (INCOME) WILL DECLINE DUE TO FALLING INTEREST RATES.  INCOME
         RISK IS  GENERALLY  THE GREATEST FOR  SHORT-TERM  BOND FUNDS,  AND THE
         LEAST FOR LONG-TERM BOND FUNDS.

[FLAG]   BECAUSE  IT INVESTS IN  MORTGAGE-BACKED  BONDS,  THE FUND IS SUBJECT TO
         PREPAYMENT  RISK,  WHICH IS THE CHANCE THAT  MORTGAGE-BACKED  BONDS
         WILL BE PAID OFF EARLY DUE TO HOMEOWNERS REFINANCING THEIR MORTGAGES
         DURING PERIODS OF FALLING INTEREST RATES. FORCED TO REINVEST THE
         UNANTICIPATED PROCEEDS AT LOWER  INTEREST  RATES,  THE FUND WOULD
         EXPERIENCE A DECLINE IN INCOME AND LOSE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR ADDITIONAL
         PRICE  APPRECIATION  ASSOCIATED WITH FALLING RATES.

 Since the Fund invests only a portion of its assets in  mortgage-backed  bonds,
the risk to the Fund is limited.

[FLAG]   THE  FUND IS SUBJECT TO CREDIT  RISK,  WHICH IS THE CHANCE  THAT A BOND
         ISSUER WILL FAIL TO PAY INTEREST AND PRINCIPAL IN A TIMELY MANNER.

 The credit  quality of the Fund is  expected  to be very high,  and thus credit
risk should be low. The weighted  average credit quality of the Fund's holdings,
as rated by Moody's Investors Service, as of June 30, 2000, was Aa1.
 To a limited  extent,  the Fund is also  exposed  to event  risk,  which is the
chance  that  corporate  fixed-income  securities  held by the Fund may suffer a
substantial  decline  in credit  quality  and  market  value due to a  corporate
restructuring or other corporate event.
 Finally, because stock and bond prices often move in different directions,  the
Fund's bond holdings help to dampen--but not eliminate--some of the stock market
volatility experienced by the Fund. Likewise,  changes in interest rates may not
have as  dramatic an effect on the Fund as they would on a fund made up entirely
of bonds.

<PAGE>
                                                                               9
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                PLAIN TALK ABOUT
                                 BOND MATURITIES
 A bond is issued with a specific maturity  date--the date when the bond issuer,
 or seller,  must pay back the bond's initial value (known as its "face value").
 Bond  maturities  generally  range from less than one year  (short-term)  to 30
 years (long-term).  The longer a bond's maturity,  the more risk you, as a bond
 investor,  face as interest  rates  rise--but  also the more interest you could
 receive.  Long-term  bonds are more  suitable  for  investors  willing  to take
 greater risks in hopes of higher yields;  short-term  bond investors  should be
 willing to accept lower yields in return for less  fluctuation  in the value of
 their investment.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SECURITY SELECTION

INDEXING METHODS
In  seeking  to track a  particular  index,  a fund may use one of two  indexing
methods to select the stocks or bonds in which it invests.
 Some index funds hold each stock or bond found in their target indexes in about
the same proportions as represented in the indexes themselves.  This is called a
"replication"  method.  For example,  if 5% of the S&P 500 Index were made up of
the stock of a specific  company,  a fund tracking that index would invest about
5% of its assets in that company.
 Other index funds may use a different  selection  process.  Because it would be
impractical to buy and sell all of the  securities  represented by an index (the
Wilshire 5000 Index, for example, included more than 7,000 stocks as of December
31, 1999), many funds tracking these larger indexes use a "sampling"  technique.
Using a sophisticated  computer program, these funds select securities that will
recreate   their  target   indexes  in  terms  of  industry,   size,  and  other
characteristics. For instance, if 10% of the Wilshire 5000 Index were made up of
utility  stocks,  the Balanced  Index Fund would allocate about 10% of its stock
investment to the utility stocks of the index with similar characteristics.

[FLAG]   THE FUND IS SUBJECT TO INDEX  SAMPLING  RISK,  WHICH IS THE CHANCE THAT
         THE SECURITIES  SELECTED WILL NOT PROVIDE INVESTMENT  PERFORMANCE
         MATCHING THAT OF THE TARGET INDEXES. INDEX SAMPLING RISK SHOULD BE LOW.

STOCKS
The Fund's common stock portfolio is designed to have investment characteristics
that  parallel  those  of the  Wilshire  5000  Index.  The Fund is  expected  to
replicate  approximately  1,000 of the largest  securities  in the Wilshire 5000
Index as measured by market capitalization,  plus a representative sample of the
remainder,  which are selected primarily on the basis of market  capitalization,
industry weightings, and other fundamental characteristics.  Typically, the Fund
holds a total of between 3,000 and 3,500 stocks.

BONDS
The Fund's bond portfolio is designed to have  investment  characteristics  that
parallel   those  of  the  Lehman   Brothers   Aggregate  Bond  Index,  a  broad
market-weighted  index that encompasses  five major classes of  investment-grade
fixed-income   securities  in  the  United  States:  U.S.  Treasury  and  agency
securities,   corporate   bonds,   mortgage-backed   securities,   international
dollar-denominated  bonds, and asset-backed  securities with maturities  greater
than one year. The Fund will invest in a  representative  sample of fixed-income
securities in

<PAGE>
10

the Index, which, taken together, are expected to perform similarly to the
Index. These securities are described further as follows:
--   U.S.  government  securities  include U.S. Treasury and agency bonds, which
     represent  loans by an investor to the U.S.  Treasury  Department or a wide
     variety of governmental agencies and  instrumentalities.  Timely payment of
     principal  and interest on these bonds is  guaranteed by the full faith and
     credit of the U.S. government; some agency bonds have the same guarantee.
--   Corporate bonds are IOUs issued by businesses that want to borrow money for
     some  purpose--often to develop a new product or service,  to expand into a
     new market,  or to buy another  company.  As with other types of bonds, the
     issuer  promises  to repay the  principal  on a  specific  date and to make
     interest  payments in the meantime.  The amount of interest offered depends
     both on market  conditions and on the financial  health of the  corporation
     issuing the bonds; a company whose credit rating is not strong will have to
     offer a relatively high interest rate to obtain buyers for its bonds.
--   Mortgage-backed  securities  represent  interests  in  underlying  pools of
     mortgages.  Unlike  ordinary  bonds,  which  generally  pay a fixed rate of
     interest  at regular  intervals  and then repay  principal  upon  maturity,
     mortgage-backed  bonds pay both  interest  and  principal  as part of their
     regular payments. Because the mortgages underlying the bonds can be prepaid
     at any time by homeowners or corporate borrowers, mortgage-backed bonds are
     subject to prepayment risk, as discussed earlier in this prospectus.  These
     types of bonds are issued by a number of government agencies, including the
     Government  National  Mortgage  Association  (GNMA),  often  referred to as
     "Ginnie  Mae," the Federal  Home Loan  Mortgage  Corporation  (FHLMC),  the
     Federal National Mortgage  Association (FNMA), often referred to as "Fannie
     Mae," and the Federal Housing Authority (FHA). GNMA bonds are guaranteed by
     the full faith and credit of the U.S.  government as to the timely  payment
     of principal and interest;  bonds issued by other  government  agencies are
     not.  (Note:  The Fund  may also  invest  in  conventional  mortgage-backed
     securities,  which  are  packaged  by  private  corporations  and  are  not
     guaranteed by the U.S. government.)
--   International  dollar-denominated  bonds  are  bonds  denominated  in  U.S.
     dollars issued by foreign  governments  and  companies.  Because the bond's
     value is designated in dollars  rather than in the currency of the issuer's
     country,  the investor is not exposed to currency risk;  rather, the issuer
     assumes the risk, usually to attract U.S. investors.
--   Asset-backed  securities  are bonds backed by an underlying  pool of assets
     such as automobile loans,  credit card loans, and home equity loans.  These
     securities are structured  with varying  amounts of credit risk,  depending
     primarily  on the  quality of the  underlying  assets.  They are  generally
     issued  by  private  corporations  and  are  not  guaranteed  by  the  U.S.
     government.  Asset-backed bonds are subject to prepayment risk as discussed
     earlier in this prospectus.

  In "sampling" its target index, the Fund has the flexibility to overweight
particular types of bonds relative to their  representation  in the index.  This
normally involves substituting  corporate bonds for government bonds of the same
maturity.  The corporate  substitution strategy increases the Fund's income, but
also marginally increases exposure to credit risk, which is explained on page 8.
The Fund limits corporate  substitutions to bonds with less than approximately 4
years' remaining maturity, and to approximately 15% of its net assets.
 The Fund is generally managed without regard to tax ramifications.

TURNOVER RATE
Although  the Fund  normally  seeks to  invest  for the long  term,  it may sell
securities  regardless  of how long the  securities  have been held.  Generally,
index-oriented funds sell securities only

<PAGE>
                                                                              11

in response to  redemption  requests or changes in the  composition  of a target
index.  The FINANCIAL  HIGHLIGHTS  section of this prospectus  shows  historical
turnover  rates for the Fund. A turnover rate of 100%,  for example,  would mean
that the Fund had sold and replaced  securities valued at 100% of its net assets
within a one-year period.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                PLAIN TALK ABOUT
                                  TURNOVER RATE
 Before  investing in a mutual fund, you should review its turnover  rate.  This
 gives an  indication  of how  transaction  costs could affect the fund's future
 returns. In general,  the greater the volume of buying and selling by the fund,
 the greater the impact that brokerage  commissions and other  transaction costs
 will have on its  return.  Also,  funds  with high  turnover  rates may be more
 likely to generate  capital gains that must be distributed to  shareholders  as
 income subject to taxes. As of June 30, 2000, the average turnover rate for all
 domestic   hybrid  funds  (a  category  that  includes   balanced   funds)  was
 approximately 93%, according to Morningstar, Inc.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OTHER INVESTMENT POLICIES AND RISKS
Besides  investing in U.S.  common  stocks and bonds,  the Fund may make certain
other  kinds of  investments  to achieve its  objective.  The Fund may invest in
fixed-income  securities not in the target index  (non-public,  investment-grade
securities--generally  referred to as 144A securities--as well as smaller public
issues or  medium-term  notes not included in the index due to their size).  The
vast majority of these securities will have characteristics and risks similar to
those in the target index.  The Fund may also purchase money market  instruments
and certain  derivatives  in order to manage cash flow into and out of the Fund,
reduce  transaction  costs,  or add value when these  instruments  are favorably
priced.
 The Fund may invest, to a limited extent, in foreign  securities.
 The Fund may also invest,  to a limited  extent,  in stock and bond futures
and options  contracts,  which are traditional types of derivatives.  Losses (or
gains)  involving  futures  can  sometimes  be  substantial--in  part  because a
relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in an immediate
and  substantial  loss (or gain) for a fund.  This Fund will not use futures for
speculative  purposes  or as  leveraged  investments  that  magnify the gains or
losses of an  investment.  The Fund's  obligation to purchase  securities  under
futures contracts will not exceed 20% of its total assets.
 The reasons  for which the Fund will  invest in futures  and options  are:
--   To keep cash on hand to meet  shareholder  redemptions or other needs while
     simulating full investment in stocks and bonds.
--   To reduce the Fund's  transaction costs or add value when these instruments
     are favorably priced.

<PAGE>
12

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                PLAIN TALK ABOUT
                                   DERIVATIVES
 A  derivative  is a financial  contract  whose value is based on (or  "derived"
 from) a traditional  security (such as a stock or a bond),  an asset (such as a
 commodity  like gold),  or a market index (such as the S&P 500 Index).  Futures
 and options are derivatives  that have been trading on regulated  exchanges for
 more  than  two  decades.  These  "traditional"  derivatives  are  standardized
 contracts  that can  easily be bought  and sold,  and whose  market  values are
 determined and published daily. It is these  characteristics that differentiate
 futures and options from the relatively new types of  derivatives.  If used for
 speculation or as leveraged  investments,  derivatives  can carry  considerable
 risks.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE FUND AND VANGUARD
The Fund is a member of The Vanguard  Group, a family of more than 35 investment
companies  with more than 100 funds holding assets worth more than $570 billion.
All of the  Vanguard  funds  share  in the  expenses  associated  with  business
operations, such as personnel, office space, equipment, and advertising.

 Vanguard also provides marketing services to the funds.  Although  shareholders
do not pay sales  commissions  or 12b-1  distribution  fees,  each fund pays its
allocated share of The Vanguard Group's marketing costs.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                PLAIN TALK ABOUT
                      VANGUARD'S UNIQUE CORPORATE STRUCTURE
 The Vanguard  Group is truly a MUTUAL mutual fund company.  It is owned jointly
 by the funds it  oversees  and thus  indirectly  by the  shareholders  in those
 funds. Most other mutual funds are operated by for-profit  management companies
 that may be owned by one person, by a group of individuals, or by investors who
 own the management company's stock. By contrast, Vanguard provides its services
 on an "at-cost"  basis, and the funds' expense ratios reflect only these costs.
 No separate  management  company reaps profits or absorbs losses from operating
 the funds.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

INVESTMENT ADVISER
The Vanguard Group (Vanguard), P.O. Box 2600, Valley Forge, PA 19482, founded in
1975,  serves as the Fund's adviser  through its  Quantitative  Equity and Fixed
Income  Groups.  As of the fiscal year ended June 30, 2000,  Vanguard  served as
adviser  for about  $388.1  billion in assets.  Vanguard  manages the Fund on an
at-cost basis,  subject to the control of the trustees and officers of the Fund.
For the six months ended June 30, 2000, the Fund's investment  advisory expenses
represented an effective annual rate of approximately 0.01%.
 The adviser is authorized to choose  brokers-dealers to handle the purchase and
sale of the Fund's securities, and to seek out the best available price and most
favorable execution for all transactions.  Also, the Fund may direct the adviser
to use a particular  broker for certain  transactions in exchange for commission
rebates or research services provided to the Fund.

<PAGE>
                                                                              13

 In the interest of obtaining better execution of a transaction, the adviser may
at times choose brokers who charge higher  commissions.  If more than one broker
can obtain  the best  available  price and most  favorable  execution,  then the
adviser is  authorized  to choose a broker who, in  addition  to  executing  the
transaction, will provide research services to the adviser or the Fund.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                PLAIN TALK ABOUT
                               THE FUND'S ADVISER
 The individuals  primarily  responsible  for overseeing the Fund's  investments
 are:
 GEORGE U. SAUTER, Managing Director of Vanguard and head of Vanguard's
 Quantitative Equity Group; has worked in investment management since 1985;
 primary responsibility for Vanguard's stock indexing investment policy and
 strategy since joining the company in 1987; has served as the portfolio
 manager for the stock portion of the Fund since inception; A.B., Dartmouth
 College; M.B.A., University of Chicago.

 IAN A. MACKINNON, Managing Director of Vanguard and head of Vanguard's Fixed
 Income Group; has worked in investment management since 1974; primary
 responsibility for Vanguard's internal fixed-income policy and strategy since
 joining the company in 1981; has been responsible for overseeing the
 portfolio management of the bond portion of the Fund since inception; B.A.,
 Lafayette College; M.B.A., Pennsylvania State University.

 FELIX B. LIM, Fund Manager; has worked in investment management since
 completing his education in 1996; joined Vanguard in January 1999; worked as
 a credit analyst until January 2000; B.A. and M.S., University of
 Pennsylvania (Wharton School).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DIVIDENDS, CAPITAL GAINS, AND TAXES
The Fund  distributes to shareholders  virtually all of its net income (interest
and dividends,  less  expenses),  as well as any capital gains realized from the
sale of its holdings. Income dividends generally are distributed in March, June,
September,  and  December;   capital  gains  distributions  generally  occur  in
December.   In  addition,   the  Fund  may  occasionally  be  required  to  make
supplemental  dividend or capital gains  distributions at some other time during
the year.
 Your dividend and capital gains  distributions will be reinvested in additional
Fund shares and accumulate on a tax-deferred  basis if you are investing through
an  employer-sponsored  retirement  or savings  plan.  You will not owe taxes on
these  distributions  until you begin  withdrawals  from the  plan.  You  should
consult your plan administrator,  your plan's Summary Plan Description,  or your
tax adviser about the tax consequences of plan withdrawals.

<PAGE>
14

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                PLAIN TALK ABOUT
                                  DISTRIBUTIONS
 As a  shareholder,  you are  entitled  to your share of the fund's  income from
 interest and  dividends,  and gains from the sale of  investments.  You receive
 such  earnings as either an income  dividend or a capital  gains  distribution.
 Income  dividends  come from both the  dividends  that the fund  earns from its
 holdings  and  the  interest  it  receives  from  its  money  market  and  bond
 investments.  Capital gains are realized whenever the fund sells securities for
 higher prices than it paid for them. These capital gains are either  short-term
 or long-term, depending on whether the fund held the securities for one year or
 less, or more than one year.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SHARE PRICE
The Fund's share price,  called its net asset value,  or NAV, is calculated each
business day after the close of regular  trading on the New York Stock  Exchange
(the NAV is not  calculated  on  holidays  or other  days when the  Exchange  is
closed).  Net asset  value per share is  computed  by  dividing  the net  assets
attributed  to each  share  class by the number of shares  outstanding  for that
class.
 Knowing the daily net asset value is useful to you as a shareholder  because it
indicates the current value of your  investment.  The Fund's NAV,  multiplied by
the  number of  shares  you own,  gives you the  dollar  amount  you would  have
received had you sold all of your shares back to the Fund that day.
 A NOTE ON PRICING:  The Fund's investments will be priced at their market value
when market  quotations  are readily  available.  When these  quotations are not
readily  available,  investments will be priced at their fair value,  calculated
according to procedures adopted by the Fund's board of trustees.
 The Fund's  share price can be found daily in the mutual fund  listings of most
major newspapers under the heading "Vanguard Index Funds."

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The following financial highlights table pertains to the Fund's Investor Shares;
the Fund's Admiral Shares were not available during the periods shown. The table
is intended to help you understand the Fund's financial performance for the past
five years, and certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund
share.  The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would
have  earned  or  lost  each  year  on  an  investment  in  the  Fund  (assuming
reinvestment of all dividend and capital gains distributions).  This information
has been derived from the financial statements audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP,  independent  accountants,  whose  report--along  with the Fund's financial
statements--is included in the Fund's most recent annual report to shareholders.
You may  have  the  annual  report  sent to you  without  charge  by  contacting
Vanguard.

<PAGE>
                                                                              15

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                  VANGUARD BALANCED INDEX FUND--INVESTOR SHARES
                                     SIX MONTHS                              YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,
                                          ENDED -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  JUNE 30, 2000           1999             1998         1997           1996             1995
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                               <C>          <C>       <C>   <C>        <C>   <C>    <C>   <C>    <C>   <C>        <C>   <C>
NET ASSET VALUE, BEGINNING OF            $20.22           $18.48           $16.29       $13.92        $12.77           $10.34
 PERIOD
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INVESTMENT OPERATIONS
 Net Investment Income                      .33              .58              .54          .520          .50              .45
 Net Realized and Unrealized               (.09)            1.88             2.33         2.525         1.26             2.48
  Gain (Loss) on Investments
                                  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Total from Investment                     .24             2.46             2.87         3.045         1.76             2.93
    Operations
                                  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISTRIBUTIONS
 Dividends from Net Investment
  Income                                   (.30)            (.58)            (.54)        (.530)        (.49)            (.45)
 Distributions from Realized               (.01)            (.14)            (.14)        (.145)        (.12)            (.05)
  Capital Gains
                                  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Total Distributions                      (.31)            (.72)            (.68)        (.675)        (.61)            (.50)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NET ASSET VALUE, END OF PERIOD           $20.15           $20.22           $18.48       $16.29        $13.92           $12.77
===================================================================================================================================

TOTAL RETURN                              1.17%           13.61%           17.85%       22.24%        13.95%           28.64%
===================================================================================================================================

RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA
 Net Assets, End of Period

  (Millions)                             $3,543           $3,128           $2,004       $1,260         $826             $590
 Ratio of Total Expenses to
  Average Net Assets                     0.22%*            0.20%            0.21%        0.20%         0.20%            0.20%
 Ratio of Net Investment Income
  to

  Average Net Assets                     3.29%*            3.18%            3.29%        3.56%         3.69%            3.85%
 Turnover Rate                             20%*              29%              25%          18%         37%**              16%
===================================================================================================================================
</TABLE>
  *Annualized.
 **Turnover rate excluding in-kind redemptions was 30%.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                PLAIN TALK ABOUT
                  HOW TO READ THE FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS TABLE
 The Fund  began the six  months  ended June 30,  2000,  with a net asset  value
 (price) of $20.22 per share. During the period, the Fund earned $0.33 per share
 from investment  income (interest and dividends).  There was a decline of $0.09
 per share from  investments that had depreciated in value or that were sold for
 lower prices than the Fund paid for them.

 Shareholders received $0.31 per share in the form of dividend and capital gains
 distributions.  A portion of each year's  distributions may come from the prior
 period's income or capital gains.

 The  earnings  ($0.24  per  share)  minus the  distributions  ($0.31 per share)
 resulted  in a share  price  of  $20.15  at the end of the  period.  This was a
 decrease  of $0.07 per share  (from  $20.22 at the  beginning  of the period to
 $20.15  at  the  end of the  period).  For a  shareholder  who  reinvested  the
 distributions  in the purchase of more  shares,  the total return from the Fund
 was 1.17% for the period.

 As of June 30, 2000, the Fund had $3.5 billion in net assets. For the six-month
 period,  its expense ratio was 0.22% ($2.20 per $1,000 of net assets);  and its
 net investment  income amounted to 3.29% of its average net assets. It sold and
 replaced securities valued at 20% of its net assets.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

<PAGE>
16

INVESTING WITH VANGUARD
The Fund is an investment  option in your  retirement or savings plan. Your plan
administrator  or your  employee  benefits  office can provide you with detailed
information  on how to  participate in your plan and how to elect the Fund as an
investment option.
--   If you have any questions about the Fund or Vanguard, including those about
     the Fund's investment objective,  strategies,  or risks, contact Vanguard's
     Participant Access Center, toll-free, at 1-800-523-1188.
--   If you have questions about your account,  contact your plan  administrator
     or the organization that provides recordkeeping services for your plan.

INVESTMENT OPTIONS AND ALLOCATIONS
Your  plan's  specific  provisions  may  allow  you to  change  your  investment
selections,  the amount of your  contributions,  or how your  contributions  are
allocated  among the  investment  choices  available  to you.  Contact your plan
administrator or employee benefits office for more details.

TRANSACTIONS
Contributions,  exchanges,  or redemptions of the Fund's shares are processed as
soon as they have been received by Vanguard in good order. Good order means that
your request includes complete  information on your contribution,  exchange,  or
redemption, and that Vanguard has received the appropriate assets.
 In all cases, your transaction will be based on the Fund's  next-determined net
asset  value  after  Vanguard  receives  your  request  (or,  in the case of new
contributions,  the  next-determined net asset value after Vanguard receives the
order from your plan administrator).  As long as this request is received before
the close of trading on the New York Stock  Exchange,  generally 4 p.m.  Eastern
time, you will receive that day's net asset value.

EXCHANGES
The exchange  privilege (your ability to redeem shares from one fund to purchase
shares of another  fund) may be available to you through your plan.  Although we
make every  effort to maintain  the exchange  privilege,  Vanguard  reserves the
right to revise or terminate this privilege, limit the amount of an exchange, or
reject any exchange,  at any time, without notice.  Because excessive  exchanges
can potentially  disrupt the management of the Fund and increase its transaction
costs,  Vanguard  limits  participant  exchange  activity  to no more  than FOUR
SUBSTANTIVE  "ROUND TRIPS"  THROUGH THE FUND (at least 90 days apart) during any
12-month  period.  A "round  trip" is a redemption  from the Fund  followed by a
purchase back into the Fund.  "Substantive"  means a dollar amount that Vanguard
determines, in its sole discretion, could adversely affect the management of the
Fund.
 Before  making an  exchange to or from  another  fund  available  in your plan,
consider the following:
--   Certain investment options,  particularly funds made up of company stock or
     investment contracts, may be subject to unique restrictions.
--   Make sure to read that fund's prospectus.  Contact  Vanguard's  Participant
     Access Center, toll-free, at 1-800-523-1188 for a copy.
--   Vanguard can accept exchanges only as permitted by your plan.  Contact your
     plan  administrator for details on the exchange policies that apply to your
     plan.

<PAGE>
                                                                              17

ACCESSING FUND INFORMATION BY COMPUTER
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VANGUARD ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB www.vanguard.com
Use your personal computer to visit Vanguard's education-oriented website, which
provides  timely news and  information  about  Vanguard  funds and services;  an
online  "university"  that  offers  a  variety  of  mutual  fund  classes;   and
easy-to-use,  interactive  tools to help you  create  your  own  investment  and
retirement strategies.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


<PAGE>

GLOSSARY OF INVESTMENT TERMS

ACTIVE MANAGEMENT
An investment approach that seeks to exceed the average returns of the financial
markets.  Active  managers  rely on research,  market  forecasts,  and their own
judgment and experience in selecting securities to buy and sell.

BALANCED FUND
A mutual fund that seeks to provide some combination of income,  capital growth,
and conservation of capital by investing in stocks,  bonds,  and/or money market
instruments.

BOND
A debt security (IOU) issued by a corporation,  government, or government agency
in exchange for the money you lend it. In most  instances,  the issuer agrees to
pay back the loan by a specific date and to make regular interest payments until
that date.

CAPITAL GAINS DISTRIBUTION
Payment to mutual fund  shareholders of gains realized on securities that a fund
has sold at a profit, minus any realized losses.

CREDIT QUALITY
A measure of a bond  issuer's  ability to pay interest and principal in a timely
manner.

DIVIDEND INCOME
Payment to  shareholders  of income from  interest or  dividends  generated by a
fund's investments.

EXPENSE RATIO
The  percentage  of a fund's  average net assets used to pay its  expenses.  The
expense ratio  includes  management  fees,  administrative  fees,  and any 12b-1
distribution fees.

FACE VALUE
The  amount to be paid at  maturity  of a bond;  also  known as the par value or
principal.

INDEX
An unmanaged group of securities whose overall performance is used as a standard
to measure investment performance.

INVESTMENT GRADE
Description  of a  bond  whose  credit  quality  is  considered  by  independent
bond-rating  agencies to be sufficient to ensure timely payment of principal and
interest under current  economic  circumstances.  Bonds rated in one of the four
highest categories are considered "investment grade."

MATURITY
The date when a bond issuer agrees to repay the bond's principal, or face value,
to the bond's buyer.

NET ASSET VALUE (NAV)
The market value of a mutual fund's total assets, minus liabilities,  divided by
the  number of shares  outstanding.  The value of a single  share is called  its
share value or share price.

PASSIVE MANAGEMENT
A low-cost  investment strategy in which a mutual fund attempts to match--rather
than  outperform--  a  particular  stock or bond  market  index.  Also  known as
indexing.

PRICE/EARNINGS (P/E) RATIO
The current share price of a stock,  divided by its per-share earnings (profits)
from the past year. A stock selling for $20, with earnings of $2 per share,  has
a price/earnings ratio of 10.

TOTAL RETURN
A percentage change,  over a specified time period, in a mutual fund's net asset
value,  with the ending net asset value adjusted to account for the reinvestment
of all distributions of dividends and capital gains.

VOLATILITY
The  fluctuations  in value of a mutual  fund or other  security.  The greater a
fund's volatility, the wider the fluctuations between its high and low prices.

YIELD
Income  (interest  or  dividends)  earned  by  an  investment,  expressed  as  a
percentage of the investment's price.

<PAGE>

[VANGUARD SHIP LOGO]
Institutional Division
Post Office Box 2900
Valley Forge,  PA 19482-2900

FOR MORE INFORMATION
If you'd like more information about
Vanguard Balanced Index Fund, the
following documents are available
free upon request:

ANNUAL/SEMIANNUAL REPORTS
TO SHAREHOLDERS
Additional  information about the
Fund's  investments is available in
the Fund's annual and semiannual
reports to shareholders.

STATEMENT  OF  ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION  (SAI)
The SAI  provides  more  detailed
information about the Fund.

The  current  annual and  semiannual
reports  and the SAI are
incorporated  by reference into
(and are thus legally a part of)
this prospectus.

All market indexes referenced in
this prospectus are the exclusive
property of their  respective  owners.

To  receive  a free  copy of the  latest
annual or semiannual  report or the
SAI, or to request  additional
information  about the Fund or other
Vanguard funds, please contact us
as follows:

THE VANGUARD GROUP
PARTICIPANT ACCESS CENTER
P.O. BOX 2900
VALLEY FORGE, PA 19482-2900

TELEPHONE:
1-800-523-1188

TEXT TELEPHONE:
1-800-523-8004

WORLD WIDE WEB:
WWW.VANGUARD.COM

INFORMATION  PROVIDED BY THE
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE  COMMISSION (SEC)
You can review  and copy information
about the Fund  (including  the SAI) at
the SEC's Public Reference Room in
Washington, DC. To find out more
about this  public service, call the
SEC at 1-202-942-8090. Reports and
other information about the Fund are
also available on the SEC's website
(www.sec.gov), or you can receive
copies of this  information,  for a fee,
by electronic request at the
following e-mail address:
[email protected], or by writing the
Public Reference Section, Securities
and Exchange Commission,
Washington, DC 20549-0102.

Fund's Investment Company Act
file number: 811-7023


(C) 2000 The Vanguard Group, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Vanguard Marketing Corporation,
Distributor.

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