A: Offering participants access to flexible, low-risk saving options can help them build financial resilience for near-term needs—like unexpected expenses or planned purchases—without compromising their long-term retirement strategies. One such option is Vanguard Cash Plus Account, a savings account alternative that offers a competitive yield (bank sweep program annual percentage yield will vary and may change at any time). The Vanguard Cash Plus Account also provides a participant the option to diversify their savings into a selection of Vanguard money market funds (each with a $3,000 minimum investment). With support from Vanguard’s integrated platform, plan sponsors can provide a holistic financial wellness experience that meets participants where they are today, while helping them prepare for tomorrow.
We wrap participants in a personalized financial support system that includes:
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Built-in wellness support
Financial wellness resources
Financial wellness resources
My Financial Wellness Hub
A centralized online hub offering tools, guides, and action plans that help participants take meaningful steps toward improving their financial well-being.
Financial Wellness Assessment
An assessment that helps participants understand their financial health and guides them to personalized education and support throughout their financial wellness journeys.
An assessment that helps participants understand their financial health and guides them to personalized education and support throughout their financial wellness journeys.
Emergency Savings Calculator
The calculator estimates how much money participants may need to cover unexpected expenses, supporting both short-term stability and long-term resilience.
The calculator estimates how much money participants may need to cover unexpected expenses, supporting both short-term stability and long-term resilience.
Contribution Maximizer
A tool that offers tailored payroll deduction recommendations to help participants reach the IRS contribution limit and maximize their retirement savings.
A tool that offers tailored payroll deduction recommendations to help participants reach the IRS contribution limit and maximize their retirement savings.
Debt Paydown Strategy Tool
A tool that supports participants in tackling high-interest debt, including credit card debt and student loans, with personalized strategies—freeing up resources to put toward long-term financial goals.
A tool that supports participants in tackling high-interest debt, including credit card debt and student loans, with personalized strategies—freeing up resources to put toward long-term financial goals.
Health Care Cost Estimator
A tool that projects annual and retirement health care expenses, helping participants plan for one of the most significant retirement costs.
A tool that projects annual and retirement health care expenses, helping participants plan for one of the most significant retirement costs.
Financial Well-Being Service
A proactive service that provides financial wellness coaching, personalized education, and solutions to help participants make informed decisions aligned with their financial goals. The service initiates when a participant indicates they could use additional support.
Personalized approach to participants
Our approach in which participants receive timely, goal-based support informed by behavioral science and data, making their 401(k) plan experiences more relevant and effective.
Financial education
Educational resources such as our Learn about money microsite, which provides simple, accessible answers to complex financial questions—helping participants build confidence and make informed decisions.
Retirement income solutions
Solutions that combine investments and guidance to simplify retirement income planning, helping participants turn savings into sustainable income.
Retirement Readiness Tool
A tool that assesses whether participants are on track to retire with sufficient income and explores strategies for closing gaps.
A tool that assesses whether participants are on track to retire with sufficient income and explores strategies for closing gaps.
Retirement Savings Maximizer
A free, easy-to-use guide that helps participants increase their retirement savings and decrease their taxes.
A free, easy-to-use guide that helps participants increase their retirement savings and decrease their taxes.
Retirement Withdrawal Coach
A solution that helps participants model how to convert their 401(k) plan savings into monthly income, supporting confident retirement planning.
A solution that helps participants model how to convert their 401(k) plan savings into monthly income, supporting confident retirement planning.
Retirement Plan Paychecks
A solution that enables participants to set up and manage recurring retirement income payments directly from their 401(k) plan accounts.
A solution that enables participants to set up and manage recurring retirement income payments directly from their 401(k) plan accounts.
Built-in wellness support
My Financial Wellness Hub
- Financial Wellness Assessment
- Emergency Savings Calculator
- Contribution Maximizer
- Debt Paydown Strategy Tool
- Health Care Cost Estimator
Financial Well-Being Service
Personalized approach to participants
Financial education
Retirement income solutions
- Retirement Readiness Tool
- Retirement Savings Maximizer
- Retirement Withdrawal Coach
- Retirement Plan Paychecks
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Enhanced solutions
Financial wellness resources
Financial wellness resources
Health saving accounts
A type of account with triple tax advantages that helps participants save and invest for medical expenses, supporting both current and future health care needs.
Student loan services
Services that help participants strategically manage student debt, plan for college expenses, and explore private loan options—helping them balance education costs with long-term financial goals.
Personalized financial advice
Proprietary or third-party advice and wealth management services that help participants tailor their investment strategies and financial plans to their goals and risk tolerance.
Equity compensation
A type of noncash pay that offers employees a personal stake in the company through stock options and awards, supporting long-term wealth building.
Nonqualified plan
A type of plan that allows participants to defer income taxes on compensation, supporting tax-efficient retirement planning for executives.
Plan-specific custom executive support
Support for executive participants that includes tailored advice and services from advisors who have expertise in executive compensation and nonqualified plans.
Traditional IRA
A type of retirement savings plan that enables participants to save additional pre-tax dollars beyond their 401(k) plan, with tax-deferred growth.
Roth IRA
A type of retirement savings plan that offers tax-deferred growth and potentially tax-free withdrawals, allowing participants to diversify their retirement savings beyond their 401(k) plan.
Brokerage services
Services that expand investment choices beyond the core plan menu, giving participants more control and flexibility.
Vanguard Cash Plus Account
Vanguard's cash management account that offers a competitive yield (bank sweep program annual percentage yield will vary and may change at any time). It also provides various options to access funds—ideal for short-term financial goals and emergency savings.
529 education savings account
A tax-advantaged savings plan for education expenses, including for K–12, college, and vocational training—helping participants invest in their families’ futures.
Enhanced solutions
Health savings account (HSA)
Student loan services
Personalized financial advice
Equity compensation
Nonqualified plan
Plan-specific custom executive support
Traditional IRA
Roth IRA
Brokerage services
Vanguard Cash Plus Account
529 education savings account
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Investments
Financial wellness resources
Financial wellness resources
Vanguard Target Retirement Funds and Trusts
Diversified portfolios that automatically shift from growth-oriented to conservative investments as the target retirement date approaches. They provide a straightforward approach to a sophisticated problem: how to manage risk and invest successfully for retirement.
Retirement income approach
Our approach includes spending services, guidance and advice, and access to annuities—in addition to investment strategies—to address each participant's unique retirement income needs.
Fixed income solutions
A full range of fixed income solutions, both actively managed and indexed, to help participants invest with confidence and clarity—informed by Vanguard’s 40 years of experience in active bond management and indexing.
Equity solutions
A variety of equity investment strategies, from traditional active to index-based, that aim for strong performance across U.S. and international markets.
Short-term reserves
Investment strategies that are designed to offer liquidity and stability for near-term financial needs. Vanguard short-term reserves include options like U.S. Treasury bills, which are guaranteed for timely principal and interest payments.
Investments
Vanguard Target Retirement Funds and Trusts
Retirement income approach
Fixed income solutions
Equity solutions
Short-term reserves
I can get my high yield here, I can open up a joint account here, I can open up an IRA here ... Vanguard is the home.
Kwanita M.*
Senior human resources representative, Vanguard Digital Advisor® client, and soon-to-be grandparent
* The experience of this Vanguard client may not be representative of the experience of other Vanguard clients and is not a guarantee of future investment performance or success.
Let us show you what we can do for you and your participants.
Contact your Vanguard representative or let us know how we can reach you.
Frequently asked questions about financial wellness
A: Multiple data points and participant actions may identify a participant who would benefit from Financial Well-Being Service outreach. Key indicators can include a participant maxing out their savings, rolling assets into a new plan, terminating from an employer, retiring, and nearing retirement. Vanguard sends the indicator-matched participant an informational email that enables them to request a conversation with a Vanguard representative.
A: Participants can benefit from Vanguard’s integrated tools that help them create actionable debt repayment plans. Services may include student loan debt solutions and employer-sponsored benefits that reduce financial burdens, helping participants stay on track with both debt reduction and retirement savings. Participants also can attend Vanguard’s free webinars and watch educational videos focused on debt.
A: From the start, participants are encouraged to complete Vanguard’s needs-based questionnaire through their participant website. Their responses help form our recommendations for a personalized asset mix. They can then select investments aligned with their goals, including diversified target-date options. Many plans also offer managed account services for deeper personalization across retirement and nonretirement objectives.
A: Participants can access digital tools and advice services that support planning for multiple goals. Whether they’re saving for higher education, a home, medical expenses, or a vacation, they can explore scenarios and strategies that align with their broader financial priorities.
A: Tools like the Retirement Savings Maximizer help participants identify opportunities to increase contributions and take advantage of tax-efficient strategies. These resources support smarter saving decisions within and beyond the 401(k) plan.
A: Participants have access to calculators and estimators that model retirement income, expenses, and health care costs. Personalized advice services both within and beyond the 401(k) plan can further assist in building a retirement income strategy that reflects an individual’s needs and lifestyle goals.
A: Yes. Participants can attend free webinars on topics such as retirement planning, college savings, debt reduction, estate planning, and more—empowering them to make informed financial decisions.
A: Offering a Vanguard plan that encourages consistent, manageable actions—like taking one small financial step at a time—can build long-term habits. Seamless experiences across digital and phone channels, along with timely outreach during key life events, help participants stay engaged and supported.
Source
1 Vanguard analysis of use of student debt services, health savings accounts, 529 education savings accounts, and competitive yield savings accounts among 3.9 million active participants and 11.2 million terminated participants from 1,411 active plans. The analysis compares participants who used two or more financial wellness solutions with participants who used zero. Data is as of July 31, 2025.
Important information
For more information about any fund, visit institutional.vanguard.com or call 866-499-8473 to obtain a prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus. Investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other important information are contained in the prospectus; read and consider it carefully before investing.
All investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest. Diversification does not ensure a profit or protect against a loss.
The Vanguard Cash Plus Account is a brokerage account offered by Vanguard Brokerage Services, a division of Vanguard Marketing Corporation, member FINRA and SIPC. Under the Sweep Program, Eligible Balances swept to Program Banks are not securities: They are not covered by SIPC but are eligible for FDIC insurance, subject to applicable limits. Money market funds held in the account are not guaranteed or insured by the FDIC but are securities eligible for SIPC coverage. See the Vanguard Bank Sweep Products Terms of Use and Program Bank list for more information.
Advisory services are provided by Vanguard Advisers, Inc. (VAI), a registered investment advisor. Eligibility restrictions may apply.
For more information about any 529 college savings plan, contact the plan provider to obtain a Program Description, which includes investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other information; read and consider it carefully before investing. If you are not a taxpayer of the state offering the plan, consider before investing whether your or the designated beneficiary’s home state offers any state tax or other benefits that are only available for investments in such state’s qualified tuition program. Vanguard Marketing Corporation serves as distributor for some 529 plans.
Investments in Vanguard Target Retirement Trusts and Funds are subject to the risks of their underlying funds. The year in the trust or fund name refers to the approximate year (the target date) when an investor in the trust or fund would retire and leave the workforce. The trust or fund will gradually shift its emphasis from more aggressive investments to more conservative ones based on its target date. The Income Trust/Fund and the Income and Growth Trust have fixed investment allocations and are designed for investors who are already retired. An investment in a Target Retirement Trust or Fund is not guaranteed at any time, including on or after the target date.
Vanguard Target Retirement Trusts are not mutual funds. They are collective trusts available only to tax-qualified plans and their eligible participants. Investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other important information should be considered carefully before investing. The collective trust mandates are managed by Vanguard Fiduciary Trust Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Vanguard Group, Inc.
There is no guarantee that any particular asset allocation or mix of funds will meet your investment objectives or provide you with a given level of income.
We recommend that you consult a tax or financial advisor about your individual situation.