Advice and managed account services

With 401(k) advice in your retirement plan, you can help empower your employees to achieve financial well-being while creating a more engaged, productive workforce.

The benefits of financial advice

For many employees today, financial planning can feel overwhelming. And a growing number believe their financial situation calls for professional advice.1

Our advice goes beyond portfolio management for your participants. Advice is a key part of our comprehensive approach to supporting their financial wellness. We’ll help your participants set realistic short- and long-term goals, track progress, and enjoy greater financial confidence.

Improved outcomes for your employees

Portfolios built just for them

Each participant is unique, so each can receive a mix of investments tailored to their needs, goals, and comfort with risk.

Complete financial planning

With advice, you can offer personalized guidance that addresses participants’ full financial picture to help them navigate all of life’s moments.

A path to financial well-being

Advice can reduce the stress of financial decision-making to help enhance your participants’ peace of mind and overall well-being.

Meaningful benefits for your organization

A less stressed, more productive workforce

Employees spend almost four working hours each week distracted by financial stress.2 With advice, you can help ease that burden and boost their focus.

A more competitive financial wellness offer

Advice can strengthen your retirement benefits package with holistic financial guidance that helps set your plan apart.

Increased retirement readiness

With advice, you can help your participants get on course toward a secure retirement and stay disciplined through market ups and downs.

3 out of 4 people who use Vanguard advice are on track to reach their financial goals.3

86% of Vanguard advice users report greater peace of mind compared with managing their own money.4
Almost 60% of Vanguard advice users say they feel less distracted at work by financial stress.4

Explore our research on the value of financial planning advice

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A strong fiduciary partnership

We appreciate the time and effort involved in selecting and monitoring 401(k) advice and managed accounts in your retirement plan to meet your fiduciary obligations. And we’re here with you every step of the way. As your partner, we provide the data, thought leadership, and guidance from our ERISA experts so you can fulfill your responsibilities. We’re constantly evolving our reporting capabilities to help you evaluate how advice is benefiting your plan and its participants.
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Frequently asked questions

Including both solutions in your plan can help you meet the diverse needs of your entire workforce. TDFs are a great option for many participants, especially for addressing a single goal—retirement. But life’s financial journey involves more than one milestone. Personalized advice can help participants save not only for retirement but also for all the moments that matter to them along the way. With 401(k) advice, you can offer a custom portfolio that reflects their goals, comfort with risk, and unique financial situation. 

We want participants to know what support is available to them, especially when they’re facing life’s big financial decisions. That’s why we partner with you to thoughtfully educate your participants about the financial wellness and advice solutions in your plan. Some participants may prefer self-directed financial planning tools and educational resources, while others value more hands-on support, ongoing investment management, and the ability to speak with professional financial advisors. We’re here to help you guide your employees toward the path to financial well-being that feels right for them.

Absolutely. Our advice solutions are designed to support employees throughout their financial journeys. Early-career employees can receive personalized guidance to help them start saving and investing. Mid-career employees often face more complex financial decisions, like managing multiple goals, and can benefit from advice that adapts to their evolving financial picture. And for pre-retirees, advice can help them prepare for retirement by evaluating income needs, timing, and spending strategies. At every stage, 401(k) financial advice can help your employees make confident decisions and stay on track toward their goals.

As participants approach retirement, their financial focus shifts from building savings to turning those savings into reliable income. You can offer our advice and managed account services to help them navigate this transition smoothly. Pre-retirees and retirees can receive expert advice on retirement income and spending strategies, Social Security withdrawals, and retirement health care cost planning. This personalized support is designed to help them live well in retirement and enjoy what matters most.

Our research shows that more and more plan sponsors are offering managed account advice services to help participants make smart financial decisions. According to How America Saves 2025, our annual comprehensive look at Vanguard defined contribution retirement plans, 82% of plans with at least 5,000 participants and 45% of all plans provide a managed account service—an all-time high.5

Our financial advice experts will guide you through selecting Advice from Vanguard or Advice powered by Edelman Financial Engines by considering factors such as your plan’s specific characteristics, along with your goals and priorities as a plan sponsor. We’re committed to helping you select the 401(k) advice and managed account services that are the best fit for your plan and participants. 

Want to learn more about Vanguard advice and why it could be right for your participants? 

Contact your representative, or tell us what you’d like to learn about.

Sources

1 2024 401(k) Participant Study. Schwab. 
2 Data from survey of 7,746 Vanguard-advised investors. Vanguard, July 2024.
3 Vanguard. Data as of January 2024. Financial goals include both retirement and nonretirement goals.
4 Data from survey of 7,746 Vanguard-advised investors. Vanguard, July 2024. 
5 How America Saves 2025, Vanguard.

Important information

Vanguard Digital Advisor's and Vanguard Personal Advisor’s services are provided solely by Vanguard Advisers, Inc. (VAI), a registered investment advisor. Please review the Vanguard Digital Advisor and Personal Advisor brochure for important details about these services. Vanguard Digital Advisor’s and Personal Advisor's financial planning tools provide projections and goal forecasts, which are hypothetical in nature, do not reflect actual investment results, and are not guarantees of future results.

Vanguard Situational Advisor is provided by Vanguard Advisers, Inc. (VAI), a registered investment advisor. Eligibility restrictions may apply.

VAI is a subsidiary of The Vanguard Group, Inc. (VGI), and an affiliate of Vanguard Marketing Corporation (VMC). Neither VAI nor its affiliates guarantee profits or protection from losses.

The Vanguard Group has partnered with Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. (FEA) to provide subadvisory services to the Vanguard Managed Account Program and Personal Online Advisor. FEA is an independent, federally registered investment advisor that does not sell investments or receive commission for the investments it recommends with respect to the services which it is engaged in as subadvisor for Vanguard Advisers, Inc. (VAI). Advice is provided by Vanguard Advisers, Inc. (VAI), a federally registered investment advisor and an affiliate of The Vanguard Group, Inc. (Vanguard). Vanguard is owned by the Vanguard funds, which are distributed by Vanguard Marketing Corporation, a registered broker-dealer affiliated with VAI and Vanguard. Neither Vanguard, FEA, nor their respective affiliates guarantee future results. Vanguard will use your information in accordance with Vanguard's Privacy Policy. Edelman Financial Engines® is a registered trademark of Edelman Financial Engines, LLC. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Investments in target-date funds are subject to the risks of their underlying funds. The year in the fund name refers to the approximate year (the target date) when an investor in the fund would retire and leave the workforce. The fund will gradually shift its emphasis from more aggressive investments to more conservative ones based on its target date. An investment in target-date funds is not guaranteed at any time, including on or after the target date. 

All investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest.