Trust accounts

Looking for a way to leave assets to your loved ones? Consider opening a trust account.

Consider a Trust account designed for enduring wealth preservation and financial well-being.

Open an account

What is a trust account? 

An investment account created in the name of a trust to manage trust assets. Although the beneficiaries hold the right to benefit from the trust, they have no authority to act on behalf of the trust assets.

Things you should know before you get started

Minimum investment amounts

Most Vanguard mutual funds require a $3,000 minimum investment, though some vary higher or lower.1 Vanguard ETFs can be purchased for as low as $1. As with all ETFs, share prices fluctuate throughout the trading day. Other companies' funds may carry different minimums — consult their prospectuses. Minimums for individual stocks, CDs, and bonds are based on current market prices.

Taxes

Your investment earnings—the money your money makes—will likely be taxed at the federal, state, and sometimes local levels. The tax rate depends largely on your income and how long you hold the investment.

You could shrink that tax bill by choosing tax-efficient investments.

Expectations for investment returns

Trying to find the fastest road to riches could put your hard-earned savings at risk just as quickly.

Particularly when making a shorter-term investment—less than 7–10 years, for example—you'll want to choose the combination of bonds and stocks that strikes the right balance between risk and reward.

Other investment costs

Some investments carry visible costs like trading commissions and service fees, but expense ratios deserve equal attention — they don't appear as a statement debit, yet can significantly erode savings over time. Vanguard charges no commission to trade ETFs, stocks, and Vanguard mutual funds online, offers avoidable account service fees2, and maintains expense ratios 84%3 below the industry average — keeping more money where it belongs: in the account.

Open a trust account in just 5 steps

It's easy to open a trust account online, and it takes just a few minutes.

Leagally establish your trust

For trust accounts, you’ll need to consult with an attorney to draft the details of your trust. Ensure this step is completed before starting your application; otherwise, we won’t be able to open your trust account. Once you have yur official trust documents, create a digital copy of them to include with the application.

Complete your application online

Log in to your Vanguard account and follow the instructions to open a trust account.

Note: If you’re a new client, call us at 877-672-6037.

Have these 3 required items on hand:

  • A legally established trust with your attorney.
  • A completed trust account application, including personal information of the trustees, the type of trust, the date of the trust, and the trust’s tax identification number.
  • Supporting legal trust documents (as detailed below).

Complete your application online, continued

Attach copies of relevant supporting legal trust documents. As part of federal regulatory requirements to prove your trust is established and in good standing, we need copies of pages from the legal documents used to establish the trust. Don’t include the entire trust document, only the relevant pages (usually the first and last) containing the following information.

1. For a trust under agreement:

  • The trust’s name and date.
  • The current trustees’ names.
  • All signature pages of the trust document.


2. For a trust under will:

  • The creation of the trust.
  • The trustees’ names.
  • The testator’s (decedent’s) signature.
  • Evidence that the will was filed with the probate court (e.g., a court stamp, a copy of the letters testamentary, or the court document appointing the trustees).


3. Special circumstances that require additional documents:

  • Successor trustees: If the trust ownership is being/has passed to you from someone else, provide additional documentation as to why the original/current trustee is no longer acting (i.e., death certificate, letter of incapacitation).
  • Sub-trust (e.g., marital trust, bypass trust, or generation-skipping trust): If this type of trust is being created underneath or because of an existing trust, include relevant pages from the trust documents that include the provision outlining the creation of the sub-trust and trustees’ names.

Note: Once we receive your completed application, it will take 5 business days to review, process, and open your account. Your request will be delayed if you don’t include all the requested documents and information.


Fund your account

If it's coming from your bank, provide your bank account and routing numbers for an electronic transfer or your bank name and wire date for a wire transfer.

If it's coming from another investment company …

Find out how to begin an account transfer

Select your investments

Choose from more than 150 Vanguard mutual funds and 70 Vanguard ETFs®.

Browse a list of all Vanguard mutual funds & ETFs

You can also complement your portfolio with funds and ETFs from hundreds of other companies, as well as individual stocks, CDs, and bonds.

Check out all the investment products we offer

New to Vanguard or looking to open a Trust account?

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Already a Vanguard client?  Log in and add a plan to your account.

Minimum initial investment requirements for most mutual funds range from $1,000 to $100,000 depending on the fund and the share class, but some may be higher. Details are provided in each fund profile .

Vanguard Brokerage may charge a $25 annual account service fee. Vanguard Brokerage doesn't charge the fee to clients who elect e-delivery of statements and the annual privacy policy notice; confirmations; reports, prospectuses, and proxy materials; and notices, amendments, and other important account updates. In addition, Vanguard Brokerage doesn't charge the fee to clients with at least $1 million in Qualifying Assets. See the Vanguard Brokerage Services commission and fee schedules for more information on Qualifying Assets, fees, and additional exclusions.

Vanguard average ETF and mutual fund expense ratio: 0.07%. Industry average ETF and mutual fund expense ratio: 0.44%. All averages are asset-weighted. Industry average excludes Vanguard. Sources: Vanguard and Morningstar, Inc., as of December 31, 2025.

For more information about Vanguard funds, visit vanguard.com 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.

You must buy and sell Vanguard ETF Shares through Vanguard Brokerage Services (we offer them commission-free online) or through another broker (who may charge commissions). See the Vanguard Brokerage Services commission and fee schedules for limits. 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.

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

Tax rates will vary based on the individual and on changing tax rates. You may wish to consult a tax advisor about your situation.

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.