Advice can help build better portfolios for participants by focusing on:
Advice can drive personalized participant value—and positive outcomes
- Portfolio value
- Financial value
- Emotional value
- Time value
- Risk versus return.
- Tax efficiency.
- Fees.
- Investment/trading activity.
- Rebalancing.
Advice can help people achieve their financial goals by highlighting:
- Saving and spending behaviors.
- Saving for multiple goals.
- Debt management.
- Steady income during retirement.
Advice can help give participants peace of mind by:
- Giving them an advice provider who will put their needs first.
- Offering behavioral coaching.
- Instilling confidence in their investing ability.
- Fostering a sense of accomplishment.
Advice can help participants save time by giving them access to an advice provider who will perform tasks on their behalf:
- As a convenience.
- As a support, if participants do not have the time, willingness, and/or ability to perform the tasks on their own.
Comprehensive advice for every situation
Everyone needs a little help now and then. That’s why our highly personalized advice services can help your participants plan for—and achieve—any financial goal. Here’s what you’ll get with Vanguard advice.
Vanguard Digital Advisor®
This is our online platform for investors who want traditional investment management and financial wellness guidance on an all-digital platform.
All for about 0.15% of a participant’s managed balance.*
We’ll do the math
APPROXIMATE QUARTERLY FEE
$37.50
on a $100,000 balance
Vanguard Digital Advisor®
- Continuous online account management by Vanguard.
- Personalized for each participant.
- Advice for any financial goal—not just retirement ones.
- Retirement drawdown strategies.
- $5 minimum retirement account balance.
- Commitment-free recommendations.
Vanguard Personal Advisor®
This high-tech, high-touch service is for participants who want advice both digitally and from a Vanguard advisor who’s focused on their needs.
All for about 0.30% of the managed balance.†
We’ll do the math
APPROXIMATE QUARTERLY FEE
$187.50
on a $250,000 balance
Vanguard Personal Advisor®
- Highly personalized digital and advisor-led advice.
- Advisor-led guidance to help meet even the trickiest goals.
- Support for multiple goals—not just retirement ones.
- Rebalancing, tax efficiency, and drawdown strategies.
- Minimum $250,000 in eligible Vanguard assets.
- No-obligation recommendations before signing up.
Vanguard Situational Advisor™
This is our service for a consultation with a Vanguard advisor to discuss life’s important financial moments, like buying a home, changing a job, receiving a windfall, and virtually anything else.
All for $250 per session.‡
We’ll do the math
ONLY
$250
per engagement with an advisor
Vanguard Situational Advisor™
- Spend time with a financial advisor.
- Recommendations based on participant goals.
- Discuss multiple goals in a single session.
- One-on-one coaching for better saving and spending habits.
- All participants are eligible.
- $500 minimum balance (unless paid for by the employer).
- No-obligation consultation before signing up.
Voted NerdWallet's best robo-advisor for low-cost investing. Three times.
Awarded January 2023 based on data as of October 1, 2022.**
First overall robo-advisor in Morningstar’s 2022 Robo-Advisor Landscape report
Awarded March 2022 based on data as of December 2021.***
Vanguard compensated Morningstar to be able to promote the award.
Vanguard compensated Morningstar to be able to promote the award.
**Vanguard Digital Advisor received the top rating for "Best Robo-Advisor for Low-Cost Investing" for 2023 among 16 other robo-advisors selected by NerdWallet. NerdWallet evaluated each provider across the following weighted criteria as of October 1, 2022, to determine the winner for low costs: management fees (50%), expense ratios on investments (40%), and account fees (10%). NerdWallet also selected Vanguard Digital Advisor for the 2021 award based on November 16, 2020, data and the 2022 award based on October 1, 2021, data. Additional details about NerdWallet's methodology are available on their website. Current fees may vary for Digital Advisor and the other robo-advisors considered. Although Vanguard compensates NerdWallet for marketing services, NerdWallet's opinions and evaluations are independent and unrelated to the selection of Digital Advisor for this award. ©2017-2023 and TM, NerdWallet, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
***Vanguard received the first overall ranking in Morningstar’s 2022 Robo-Advisor Landscape report for 2022 among 15 other robo-advisors selected by Morningstar. Morningstar evaluated each provider across the following weighted criteria as of December, 2021, to determine their rankings: total price (30%); the process used to select investments, construct portfolios, and match portfolios with investors (30%); the parent organization behind the digital platform (20%); and breadth of services (20%). Additional details about Morningstar’s methodology are available on its press release. Current fees may vary for Digital Advisor and the other robo-advisors considered. Although Vanguard compensates Morningstar for marketing services, Morningstar’s opinions and evaluations are independent and unrelated to the selection of Vanguard for this ranking. Following the independent announcement of this ranking, Vanguard purchased a license from Morningstar for the right to include this rating in Vanguard marketing.
Source: “2022 Robo-Advisor Landscape” by Amy C. Arnott, et al. © 2022 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.
Vanguard also offers advice services powered by Edelman Financial Engines.
Digital Advice powered by Edelman Financial Engines' independent methodology supports accumulators and retirees.
- Digital experience with a managed account specialist.
- Ongoing account management.
- Management of 401(k) plan assets.
- Edelman Financial Engines' independent methodology.
Why Vanguard advice?
Our employee advice is individualized, inclusive, and integrated—and can be elevated to your plan at no extra cost. Here’s how we do it.
- Individualized
- Inclusive
- Integrated
Individualized
Our employee advice stretches beyond simply retirement. We cast a wide net to provide guidance for any goal your participants may have. And as their needs and goals change throughout their financial lives, our advice remains personalized and will evolve right along with them.
Inclusive
Our advice is for everyone. Regardless of where a participant is in their financial life—their wealth, account balance or the complexity of their needs—we have advice to help. And our fees are affordable, so all participants can have access to advice when they need it.
Integrated
Something as important as financial advice shouldn’t be elusive. That’s why we’ve integrated our advice into a seamless participant experience—making it easily accessible for anyone, from anywhere.
What your participants can expect
The short video below shows how Advice from Vanguard can support participants’ financial well-being by making retirement planning approachable and accessible, with interactive tools that help them visualize their goals.
Video Length: 6 minutes
Fully aligned
Doing what's right for your participants—and you
Our unique investor-owned structure1 allows us to be laser focused on your participants' financial wellness and your fiduciary well-being. This structure allows us to pass along economies of scale to your participants, which allows us to keep our costs low.
It’s a philosophy we’ve fostered since the very beginning.
Financial well-being
Part of a focused approach to total financial well-being
Our total financial wellness program can help keep your participants financially prepared for life’s big moments, small moments, and all the moments in between.
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.
Important information
*Actual costs vary. Digital Advisor will reduce your gross advisory fee by the amount of revenue (such as expense ratio rebates) that Vanguard (or a Vanguard affiliate) collects on your portfolio in order to calculate the net advisory fee. Digital Advisor’s annual net advisory fee is approximately 0.15% across your enrolled accounts for a typical investment portfolio, although your actual net fee will vary depending on the specific holdings in each enrolled account. Your net advisory fee can also vary by enrolled account type. Plan participants’ actual advisory fees will vary depending on your plan’s lineup and the revenue that Vanguard receives from those investments. Participants will be notified of the gross advisory fees applicable to their accounts via plan fee disclosure notices.
†Actual costs vary. Personal Advisor will reduce your gross advisory fee by the amount of revenue (such as expense ratio rebates) that Vanguard (or a Vanguard affiliate) collects on your portfolio in order to calculate the net advisory fee. Personal Advisor’s annual net advisory fee is approximately 0.30% across your enrolled accounts for a typical investment portfolio, although your actual net fee will vary depending on the specific holdings in each enrolled account. Your net advisory fee can also vary by enrolled account type. Plan participants’ actual advisory fees will vary depending on your plan’s lineup and the revenue that Vanguard receives from those investments. Participants will be notified of the gross advisory fees applicable to their accounts via plan fee disclosure notices.
‡Plans may pay for part or all of the fee for their plan. If the plan does not pay the fee, a minimum balance of $500 is required.
1Vanguard is investor owned. This means investors own the funds that own Vanguard.
Vanguard Digital Advisor’s services are provided by Vanguard Advisers, Inc. (VAI), a federally registered investment advisor. Go to https://personal.vanguard.com/pdf/vanguard-digital-advice-brochure.pdf for important details about this service. Vanguard Digital Advisor’s financial planning tools provide projections and goal achievement forecasts that are hypothetical in nature. They are provided for educational purposes only and are not guarantees of future results.
Vanguard Personal Advisor is provided by Vanguard Advisers, Inc., a registered investment advisor, or by Vanguard National Trust Company, a federally chartered, limited purpose trust company. Go to https://personal.vanguard.com/pdf/vanguard-digital-advice-brochure.pdf for important details about this service. The services provided to clients who elect to receive ongoing advice will vary based upon the amount of assets in a portfolio.
Vanguard Situational Advisor is provided by Vanguard Advisers, Inc. (VAI), a registered investment advisor. Eligibility restrictions may apply.
Neither VAI, VNTC, Vanguard Personal Advisor, Vanguard Digital Advisor, nor Vanguard Situational Advisor can guarantee a profit or prevent a loss.
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.
All investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest.