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“I'm with a group of people who understand what it is to be part of something that is different than everything else in the financial services industry.”†
— Vanguard client
Vanguard clients share how they think about investing
Laura: I remember, as a very young, little girl, seeing envelopes in the mail with the little ship in the return address label. And I remember saying to Dad, you know, "Why is there a ship in the return address label?" He said, "Oh, that's Vanguard."†
Anthony (voiceover): I have a relationship with Vanguard that spans 30 plus years. And that's important to me. Whether you had $500, $5,000, or $500,000, I think their philosophy is to do right by their customers.†
Joe (voiceover): I grew up and said I wanted to be wealthy but didn't understand what that meant. And then I realized I just wanted to be happy.
Kathleen: I was a Spanish teacher for 40 years.
Akilah: I am an IT project manager.
Chase: I'm an entrepreneur.
Joe: We're both civil engineers.
Allie: We just bought our current house two and half years ago.
Anthony: I like helping my neighbors out. Like if their mower is busted, I like going over there and helping them with their mowers. So I'm a fixer.
Ritu: Live a simple life. Keep moving. Do what you like and what you love.
Rich: I'm the kind of guy who plans long-term and really thinks about what do I want to do and how do I want to get there.
Kenneth: Vanguard is a company that I believe in, that I've seen work sustainably in a very positive manner. I don't see that a lot in life.†
Rich: It's completely different in that it's owned by its shareholders.†
Kathleen: I and the other investors, the other customers, own the company, so they have to keep us happy.
Kashif: It's very much a community base. We're all investing together.
Florence: We have people of all walks of life involved in this company.
Joe: Twenty million strong is a pretty big number.
Ritu: We're all connected. The more the merrier.
Rich: I'm a shareholder, I'm an owner. Which is pretty cool.
Anthony: Vanguard suits my personality, right? It's not intimidating, you know. It's not a big fancy place where they've got a lot of mahogany. So I feel comfortable there.†
Florence: We're not being managed by the big shots.
Akilah: We're not just a number. They do a great job of just making sure that their customers feel like they're a part of it.†
Donna: They really make me feel as though they want me to succeed.†
Rich: If I'm talking to someone and they say, "Oh, I already deal with Vanguard," then I know we have something in common. Not only from a financial services standpoint, but also from, you know, a thought process as to, you know, how to go about life and how to plan for things.†
Laura: There's a feeling of partnership, of we're all in this together.†
Kenneth: They really have a concerted effort to be able to say to people, "Here's a variety of information that could be useful to you. It's your choice."†
Rich: I think that Vanguard gives you the best of both worlds in that you can either team with an advisor [or] you can do it yourself.†
Chase: Because of my nerdy interest in personal finance, I've done the research for myself. And for me, the low fees, the ease of use, the automation all point to Vanguard.†
Joe: Yes, we think about the future, but we also live in the present.
Kashif: There are more important things than being a super-duper wealthy person. If that were to happen, I'd certainly take it.
Gerry: It's nice to have the money to do the things you want to do when you're retired, and it'd be nice to pass something on to our children.
Akilah: I'm the first in my family to build my home. Now I can have my family come over. I can do Thanksgiving dinners. Those things are very important to me.
Ritu: I'm happy. That's all I can say.
Rich (voiceover): I'm with a group of people who understand what it is to be part of something that is different than everything else in the financial services industry.†
Anthony: When you're 25, who thinks they're ever going to retire? And so here we are. I made it.
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Because of Vanguard's structure, your goals align with our goals. Whether you're saving for retirement, your family's education, or a sense of financial security, you can be confident we're on your side.
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Low costs can add up to big savings
Say you invested $50,000. If it earned 6% per year, and you subtracted the costs, here's what you'd have over time.††
††As of December 31, 2021, Vanguard's average mutual fund and ETF expense ratio is 0.09%. Industry average mutual fund and ETF expense ratio: 0.49%. All averages are asset-weighted. Industry averages exclude Vanguard. Sources: Vanguard and Morningstar, Inc., as of December 31, 2021. This hypothetical example assumes a 6% return on a $50,000 investment. If the rate of return were altered, results would vary from those shown. The shaded amounts represent both the amount paid in expenses as well as the "opportunity costs"—the amount you lose because the costs you paid are no longer invested. The final balance shown is after costs. This example doesn't represent any particular investment and doesn't account for inflation. There may be other material differences between investment products that must be considered prior to investing.
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*Vanguard is investor-owned, meaning the fund shareholders own the funds, which in turn own Vanguard.
**Vanguard average mutual fund and ETF expense ratio: 0.09%. Industry average mutual fund and ETF expense ratio: 0.49%. All averages are asset-weighted. Industry averages exclude Vanguard. Sources: Vanguard and Morningstar, Inc., as of December 31, 2021.
***For the 10-year period ended March 31, 2022, 6 of 6 Vanguard money market funds, 69 of 86 Vanguard bond funds, 20 of 25 Vanguard balanced funds, and 155 of 183 Vanguard stock funds—for a total of 250 of 300 Vanguard funds—outperformed their Lipper peer-group averages. Results will vary for other time periods. Only mutual funds and ETFs with a minimum 10-year history were included in the comparison. Source: Lipper, a Thomson Reuters Company. The competitive performance data shown represent past performance, which is not a guarantee of future results. View fund performance
†The experiences of these Vanguard clients are limited to Vanguard's fund offerings and are not provided as a recommendation or endorsement of Vanguard's advisory services, may not be representative of the experience of other Vanguard clients, and are not a guarantee of future investment performance or success.
All investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest.
Vanguard's advice services are provided by Vanguard Advisers, Inc. ("VAI"), a registered investment advisor, or by Vanguard National Trust Company ("VNTC"), a federally chartered, limited-purpose trust company.
The services provided to clients will vary based upon the service selected, including management, fees, eligibility, and access to an advisor. Find VAI's Form CRS and each program's advisory brochure here for an overview.
VAI and VNTC are subsidiaries of The Vanguard Group, Inc., and affiliates of Vanguard Marketing Corporation. Neither VAI, VNTC, nor its affiliates guarantee profits or protection from losses.
You must buy and sell Vanguard ETF Shares through Vanguard Brokerage Services (we offer them commission-free) or through another broker (which may charge commissions). See the Vanguard Brokerage Services commission and fee schedules for full details. Vanguard ETF Shares are not redeemable directly with the issuing fund other than in very large aggregations worth millions of dollars. ETFs are subject to market volatility. When buying or selling an ETF, you will pay or receive the current market price, which may be more or less than net asset value.
For more information about The Vanguard 529 College Savings Plan, obtain a Program Description, which includes investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other information; read and consider it carefully before investing. Vanguard Marketing Corporation, Distributor.
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 and underwriter for some 529 plans.