The benefits of digital financial advice
Our robo-advisor offers:
, or active/index mix.
Introducing Vanguard Digital Advisor
Life's not slowing down, and neither are you. [Visual: Couple laughing with children.] Between planning for retirement, [Visual: Woman using iPad.] enjoying time with your loved ones, [Visual: Couple playing with dog.] and just staying in the moment, [Visual: Children splashing in puddle.] you deserve an investing solution that has your back.
Let us introduce you [Visual: Couple looking at laptop] to Vanguard Digital Advisor®—simple, convenient, and built to help you save [Visual: Two people playing with child.]for retirement or other goals that are important to you. [Visual: Woman holding child.]
Powered by data-driven technology and backed by Vanguard's 45 years of investment experience, you can feel confident that Digital Advisor works in your best interest.
Digital Advisor can recommend a personalized asset mix [Visual: Graphic shows 80% stocks, 20% bonds and cash.] based on your goals and appetite for risk.
Hungry for more? [Visual: Family having dinner.] Digital Advisor [Visual: Laptop displays sample Digital Advisor dashboard, including Total goals balance.] will automatically rebalance your portfolio to help keep your investments on track. You can always check in to see your progress.
And if you've got debt weighing on your mind, [Visual: Example shows payment strategies with sample payment and interest amounts, and debt free timeframes.] our debt calculator can help you pay it off faster and with less interest by looking at your different sources of debt and recommending the best order to pay it off.
Saving up for your dream house? [Visual: Example representing move-in date and savings goal amount.] Or kitchen? [Visual: Example representing renovation start date and savings goal amount.] Or wedding? [Visual: Example representing wedding date and savings goal amount.] We've got you covered. Experiment with different options [Visual: Woman typing into laptop a Business start and savings goal.] and save for your retirement and that new car—and maybe that new kitchen, too!
With no advisory fees for the first 90 days of your enrollment, there's no better time to get started. Head to our website today, so we can start helping you reach your goals—and you can get back to what matters most. [Visual: Families smiling together.]
Vanguard®
vanguard.com/digital-advisor
All investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest.
Vanguard Digital Advisor's services are provided by Vanguard Advisers, Inc. ("VAI"), a federally registered investment advisor. VAI is a subsidiary of VGI and an affiliate of VMC. Neither VAI nor its affiliates guarantee profits or protection from losses.
Vanguard Digital Advisor is an all-digital service. Digital Advisor's annual net advisory fee is approximately 0.15% across your enrolled accounts for a typical ETF investment portfolio, although your actual net fee will vary depending on the specific holdings in each enrolled account. Vanguard Digital Advisor charges a 0.20% annual gross advisory fee to manage Vanguard Brokerage Accounts. However, we'll credit you for the revenues that The Vanguard Group, Inc. ("VGI"), or its affiliates receive from the securities in your Digital Advisor managed portfolio (i.e., at least that portion of the expense ratios of the Vanguard funds held in your portfolio that VGI or its affiliates receive). Your net advisory fee can also vary by enrolled account type. The combined annual cost of Vanguard Digital Advisor's annual net advisory fee plus the expense ratios charged by the Vanguard funds in your managed portfolio will be 0.20% for Vanguard Brokerage Accounts. For more information, please review Form CRS and the Vanguard Digital Advisor brochure.
The debt calculator helps you project the impact of different fixed-rate debt payments over time. To analyze your debt payments, you'll use a third-party aggregation service. There are limitations to the aggregated information, including inability to carve out any escrow payments. There also could be missing or inaccurate information, such as taxes and insurance, that you'll need to closely review in using the calculator.
Once you enroll a taxable brokerage account in Vanguard Digital Advisor, you'll have the option to add nonretirement goals to your Digital Advisor profile. This can help you balance retirement with your other major financial goals. At this time, Digital Advisor only supports nonretirement goals you'd like to achieve before you reach age 59½.
Enrolling in Vanguard Digital Advisor®
Welcome to Vanguard Digital Advisor! You’re just a few steps away from stress-free automated investing that’s tailored to your goals. We’ll walk you through what to expect when you enroll so you can have all the right documents and information ready. Once you start the Digital Advisor enrollment process, it’s okay if you need to pause it at any point. You’ll be able to save your progress and come back to it anytime.
[Visual: Laptop screen shows enrollment screen asking for personal information like name, date of birth, and email address.]
First, if you don’t already have an account with Vanguard, you’ll be asked to create a basic profile with a username and password.
[Visual: Laptop screen shows enrollment screen asking client to create credentials]
Then you’ll fill out your financial profile, which helps us get to know you. You’ll need to provide some details on your current tax filing info, your income (including any bonuses), any retirement accounts you’re contributing to, and your estimated household spending. So, it’s good to have that information handy!
[Visuals: Portions of enrollment screens are overlaid on video asking client to fill out their financial profile information.]
Next, you’ll take our risk attitude quiz. This helps us understand how much risk you’re comfortable taking on.
[Visuals: Various risk options appear as chart formats overlaid on the screen highlighting different amounts of money a client could hypothetically gain or lose by investing. Some levels of money shown include ‘I’m willing to risk a $880 loss to my savings for a potential $3,070 gain.’ and ‘I’m willing to risk a $3,400 loss to my savings for a potential $6,300 gain.’]
You’ll answer questions about what you’d do in hypothetical situations that involve taking risks for the possibility of higher investment returns. At the end, you’ll get a risk tolerance recommendation. This will guide how Digital Advisor invests your funds.
[Visuals: A graphic highlighting that as a result of the risk attitude quiz, the client’s risk attitude is “Very aggressive” on a scale from Very Conservative to Very Aggressive is shown.]
Then it’s time to create your retirement goal. We’ll ask you to set a target retirement age, so you’ll have an idea of how much cash you’ll need to be able to comfortably stop working by then.
[Visuals: Portions of enrollment screens are overlaid on video asking client to enter a range of ages they think they’ll retire during. Screens showing other questions about how long they plan to spend in retirement and possible income in retirement appear on client’s laptop.]
A well-funded retirement is your ultimate destination on the road to financial freedom, and that’s the goal we’re aiming for.
[Visuals: Portions of enrollment screens that show a range of 10,000 scenarios that predict a client’s possible account balances at retirement are overlaid on video. The hypothetical client is also shown that their retirement goal appears to be “well-funded.”]
If you don’t have exact answers to the questions in this section, it’s okay! Just enter your best guess and you can update it later.
Now you’ll be able to see the retirement plan Digital Advisor built based on all the information you entered.
[Visuals: Portions of enrollment screens are overlaid on video showing an “optimal” retirement option for the hypothetical client with age and possible monthly income displayed so that the client can choose that option.]
You can make changes to anything on this screen to see how different numbers would change your overall outlook.
[Visuals: Portions of enrollment screens are overlaid on video showing the client making changes to their planned retirement age and planned number of years they think they’ll spend in retirement to see if their retirement goal remains well-funded.]
After you’re enrolled in Digital Advisor, you’ll also be able to set additional goals to track all the other cool things you’re saving for.
[Visuals: Portions of enrollment screens are overlaid on video showing the option to save for other goals like the client’s business. They enter they want to save $80,000 by 2/2/2025 to invest in their new business.]
If you don’t already have an account with Vanguard, the next step in the process is to open one and deposit some cash into it so that Digital Advisor can start doing what it does best: investing for you.
[Visuals: Portions of enrollment screens are overlaid on video asking client to fill in the type of account they want to open and to enter additional personal information, like their Social Security number, address, and phone number.]
You’ll need at least $3,000 to begin, so be sure to have your bank account and routing numbers ready.
[Visuals: Portions of enrollment screens are overlaid on video showing how the client can enter their bank account information.]
Now you’re in the home stretch. You’ll be asked to select which account or accounts to enroll in Digital Advisor. If you already have eligible accounts with us, they’ll show up here for you to choose from—otherwise, you can select the one you just opened.
[Visuals: Client looking at their laptop and reviewing their final enrollment application.]
You’ll also see what your account’s asset allocation will be based on your risk attitude.
[Visuals: Portions of enrollment screens are overlaid on video showing a pie chart with the hypothetical client’s recommended asset allocation of 80% stocks and 20% bonds and cash.]
Hit confirm, and that’s it—you’re in!
[Visuals: The word “Congratulations!” appears on the screen with confetti around it.]
Now the real work begins, but not for you—for the smart technology you’ve chosen to manage your investments. Nice.
[Visuals: The Vanguard wordmark, short URL (vanguard.com/digital-advisor), and Legal disclosures appear on-screen.]
Important information
All investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest.
Vanguard Digital Advisor's services are provided by Vanguard Advisers, Inc., a registered investment advisor (VAI).
For more information, please review Form CRS and the Vanguard Digital Advisor brochure.
Vanguard Digital Advisor's financial planning tools provide projections and goal achievement forecasts that are hypothetical in nature. They’re provided for educational purposes only and aren’t guarantees of future results.
For more information see the Privacy Policy and Service Agreement.
© 2022 The Vanguard Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
Caring for your portfolio
Rebalancing your portfolio regularly is an important part of investing, and we'll show you how Digital Advisor takes the time and guesswork out of it. [Visual: woman relaxing with eyes closed.]
But first, what is rebalancing? [Visual: Group participating in yoga class.] It means making sure that the breakdown of stocks, bonds, and other assets in your portfolio stays on target. Your asset mix is important because it determines the amount of risk you take on when you invest. [Visual: Example of asset mix breakdown of 30% US stocks, 40% US Bonds, 10% International stocks, and 20% International Bonds.] Too much risk—or too little—can put your investment goals in jeopardy. Everyone's ideal mix is different, [Visual: Examples of how different investors need different asset mixes.] and Digital Advisor can help you find and stick to yours.
Digital Advisor typically checks on your portfolio every day that the market is open, [Visual: Example of Digital Advisor dashboard: “Your total goals balance is $162, 600. Retirement age: 65. Total Vanguard Assets: $132, 400. $10,200 planned yearly contribution, $53, 500 yearly spending in retirement, and 401K) total balance: $94,000.] and it will automatically rebalance for you whenever your stock and bond holdings have shifted more than 5% from the asset mix you've chosen. [Visual: Bar chart showing “Your holdings” rising and falling.]
Shifts like this can happen because of normal market ups and downs, or, for example, if you add cash to your portfolio.
Digital Advisor is always looking out for you by making sure your portfolio stays aligned [Visual: Retirement outlook example broken down by “well funded,” “Moderately funded,” and “underfunded,” to demonstrate potential age of retirement.] with your risk attitude.
Stress-free rebalancing is a beautiful thing. If only everything in life were this easy.
Vanguard® Digital Advisor
Important information
All investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest.
For more information about Vanguard funds, or Vanguard ETFs, 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.
Vanguard ETF Shares are not redeemable directly with the issuing fund other than in very large aggregations worth millions of dollars. Instead investors must buy and sell Vanguard ETF shares in the secondary market and hold those shares in a brokerage account. In doing so, the investor may incur brokerage commissions and may pay more than net asset value when buying and receive less than net asset value when selling.
Vanguard Digital Advisor's services are provided by Vanguard Advisers, Inc. ("VAI"), a federally registered investment advisor. VAI is a subsidiary of VGI and an affiliate of VMC. Neither VAI, Digital Advisor, VGI, nor VMC guarantees profits or protection from losses.
Images shown may differ from your Vanguard Digital Advisor experience. 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.
Investment product types will vary by account type. Collective Investment Trusts are not mutual funds. These investments are 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.
Keeping your costs low
When you enroll in Vanguard Digital Advisor, the primary ingredients that can help your portfolio grow over time are [Visual: Ingredients in a smoothie represent elements of a portfolio: mutual funds, ETFs, Stocks, Bonds, and low-cost solutions.] mutual funds, collective investment trusts, and exchange-traded funds.
These are all clusters of many different stocks or bonds that you invest in as a single package. Think of them like smoothies that blend together all kinds of different ingredients.
When you own one share of a fund or unit of a trust, you own a piece of everything in it. [Visual: Illustration showing how a single blueberry in a smoothie is like one share of a fund.]
The low maintenance costs [Visual: Low maintenance costs are one element of Digital Advisor, like one ingredient in a smoothie.] of Vanguard's funds and trusts free up more of your money for you to invest. And this means you can benefit even more from a handy principle known as compounding.
The more money you can invest in the beginning, the more you can earn over time as you continue to reinvest your returns. It can really add up! [Visual: Smoothie filling a cup is like earnings growing over the years.]
And that's why mutual funds, [Visual: Example of Digital Advisor dashboard: Total goals balance of $162, 600. Retirement age of 65, $132, 400 in total Vanguard assets, $10,200 for planned yearly contribution, $53,500 is yearly spending in retirement, and $94,000 is total 401(k) balance.] collective investment trusts, and exchange-traded funds are an important part of Digital Advisor's investing strategy.
Vanguard® Digital Advisor
Important Information
All investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest.
For more information about Vanguard funds or Vanguard ETFs, 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.
Vanguard ETF Shares are not redeemable with the issuing Fund other than in very large aggregations worth millions of dollars. Instead, investors must buy and sell Vanguard ETF Shares in the secondary market and hold those shares in a brokerage account. In doing so, the investor may incur brokerage commissions and may pay more than net asset value when buying and receive less than net asset value when selling.
Vanguard Digital Advisor's services are provided by Vanguard Advisers, Inc. ("VAI"), a federally registered investment advisor. VAI is a subsidiary of VGI and an affiliate of VMC. All investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest. Neither VAI nor Digital Advisor guarantees profits or protection from losses.
Images shown may differ from your Vanguard Digital Advisor experience. 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.
Investment product types will vary by account type. Collective Investment Trusts are not mutual funds. These investments are 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.
Why your mix matters
When you enroll in Vanguard Digital Advisor, our technology works hard to make sure your investments are diversified from day 1. Let's talk about what that means and why it matters. [Visual: Variety of flowers being put together in a bouquet.]
It's important to spread your money out [Visual: Bar chart showing asset mix example of US stocks, US Bonds, International stocks, and International bonds.] over many different kinds of investments. This helps give your portfolio the best chance to thrive.
It also gives you a buffer that helps reduce risk. It's okay if one investment doesn't grow the way you hoped it would, because there are many others that can make up for it.
Digital Advisor spreads your money out automatically by investing in ETFs, low-cost mutual funds, or collective investment trusts. [Visual: Circle chart showing example of 45% mutual funds, 69% ETFs, 62% collective investment trusts.] You can be invested in thousands of different securities across 4 major categories: US stocks, US bonds, international stocks, and international bonds.
This lowers the risk of investing. Not every seed [Visual: Woman walking through large field of flowers.] you plant will grow, but some will. And as time passes, you might find yourself standing in a well-tended garden.
Digital Advisor does all the work of making sure your portfolio is diversified so you won't have to. That's something to smile about.
Vanguard® Digital Advisor
Important information
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. Diversification does not ensure a profit or protect against a loss.
All investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest.
Vanguard Digital Advisor's services are provided by Vanguard Advisers, Inc. ("VAI"), a federally registered investment advisor. VAI is a subsidiary of VGI and an affiliate of VMC. Neither VAI, VGI, nor VMC guarantees profits or protection from losses.
Bond funds are subject to the risk that an issuer will fail to make payments on time, and that bond prices will decline because of rising interest rates or negative perceptions of an issuer's ability to make payments.
Investments in stocks or bonds issued by non-U.S. companies are subject to risks including country/regional risk and currency risk.
What is a robo-advisor?
You may have heard the term "robo-advisor" before. As more and more people are turning to their phones and tablets [Visual: man using phone and woman using tablet and laptop.] to handle their finances, it's a word that's getting a lot of use. But what are robo-advisors, and what do they do? Here's an overview that can help you decide whether a robo-advisor might be a good fit for your life and finances.
A robo-advisor is an online platform that manages your investments automatically. It's financial advice that comes from an algorithm instead of a person, and it can take a lot of the time, guesswork, and stress out of owning a portfolio.
When you sign up for a robo-advisor, it'll ask for [Visual: Basic information listed is: Name, date of birthday, retirement status of working/not retired or retired.] basic information about your goals, risk tolerance, and the length of time you want to stay invested.
Then technology takes over to suggest a portfolio for you—but it doesn't stop there. A robo-advisor also does the actual investing for you, and it'll manage those investments over time, rebalancing periodically to make sure your asset mix stays on the right track. [Visual: Asset mix example shows 75% stocks, 20% bonds, 5% cash.] All behind the scenes, all automatically. It's pretty cool when you think about it.
A robo-advisor can be a good option for people who don't want the stress [Visual: woman using calculator, paper and laptop.] of keeping up with the markets or managing their own portfolios. You can set it and forget it, or set it and check in [Visual: Example: Your total goals balance is $132,400, broken down by Total Vanguard Assets of $132,400, your yearly contributions of $13,800, and risk attitude of Moderate.] as often as you want. You get the peace of mind that comes from knowing your money is working hard for you, without all the time and effort it takes to do everything yourself.
Robo-advisors come with another perk. They often charge less in fees than traditional financial advice services, and you can usually start investing with a lower initial deposit.
There are hundreds of robo-advisors out there, and not all of them are alike. That's why it's important to research and compare options to decide what works best for you. Robo-advisors do share one important thing in common, though—they're built to give you the time and freedom to focus on the things in your life that matter the most. After all, this is your journey. [Visual: Be your best financial self™]
Vanguard®
vanguard.com/robo-advisor
All investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest.
Vanguard Digital Advisor's services are provided by Vanguard Advisers, Inc. ("VAI"), a federally registered investment advisor. VAI is a subsidiary of VGI and an affiliate of VMC. Neither VAI nor its affiliates guarantee profits or protection from losses.
For more information, please review Form CRS and the Vanguard Digital Advisor brochure.
Simplify your life with Vanguard Digital Advisor
- What is a robo-advisor?
- Introducing Vanguard Digital Advisor
- How to enroll in Vanguard Digital Advisor
- What is a robo-advisor?
- Introducing Vanguard Digital Advisor
- How to enroll in Vanguard Digital Advisor
Enjoy no advisory fees for 90 days3
If you like Digital Advisor, stick around. When your 90 days are up, you'll automatically remain in the service. For all-index investment options, you'll pay no more than $2 a year for every $1,000 Digital Advisor manages.2 If you're not satisfied, you can unenroll at any time without any penalties.
How will Digital Advisor benefit you?
- Guidance on your whole financial picture
- A clear retirement outlook
- Support for more than retirement
- Ongoing advice—automatically
Our digital algorithms choose investments based on your timeline, current savings, and risk assessment.
We'll test your portfolio against thousands of market scenarios so you can feel confident in your plan.
Our algorithms will adjust your investments as needed, saving you time. Specialized tools can help you tackle debt or save for emergencies.6
Our digital algorithms choose investments based on your timeline, current savings, and risk assessment.
We'll test your portfolio against thousands of market scenarios so you can feel confident in your plan.
Our algorithms will adjust your investments as needed, saving you time. Specialized tools can help you tackle debt or save for emergencies.6
- Guidance on your whole financial picture
- A clear retirement outlook
- Support for more than retirement
- Ongoing advice—automatically
Guidance on your whole financial picture
Your dashboard reflects your progress in saving for retirement, and you can see exactly where your money is invested.
A clear retirement outlook
Here you can view how making changes to your retirement age, spending amount, or contributions impacts your progress toward a successful retirement.
Support for more than retirement
Once you've set your retirement goals, you can add other financial goals, like buying a home. We'll create a strategy for each new goal while keeping your retirement plan on track.
Ongoing advice—automatically
As Digital Advisor monitors your portfolio, you can explore financial tools, learn about our methodology, or just sit back and let us do the hard stuff.
Frequently asked questions
Enrollments in Vanguard Digital Advisor require at least $3,000 in each Vanguard Brokerage Account.1 For each taxable, traditional, Roth, or rollover IRA you wish to enroll, the entire balance must be in certain investment types (based on eligibility screening by Digital Advisor at the time of enrollment, see next question for more details) and/or the brokerage account's settlement fund.
For eligible 401(k) retirement accounts, the minimum enrollment balance is $5.7
Your eligibility screening will determine whether you have the types of investments that Digital Advisor can manage. In some cases, you'll need to sell all or a portion of certain investments as part of the enrollment process so we can manage them for you.
For each brokerage account you wish to enroll, the entire balance must be in certain investment types (based on eligibility screening by Digital Advisor at the time of enrollment) and/or the brokerage account's settlement fund. If your brokerage accounts include Vanguard index funds or Vanguard ETFs®, you may be able to keep those investments in your Digital Advisor account. However, we may recommend you sell down those or other investments before enrolling. Since there may be costs and tax consequences associated with selling your existing investments, we use a breakeven cost analysis to weigh the costs of transitioning the investments you hold before enrolling in Digital Advisor (see our Digital Advisor brochure for more details). We estimate the capital gains tax impacts compared to the expense ratio benefits from selling investments that aren't our lead recommendation (the investment we would typically recommend for you), but that still align with your recommended asset allocation. So depending on the outcome of the breakeven analysis, we may recommend that you continue to hold certain investments subject to our portfolio construction guidelines—or we may determine it's in your interest to sell down a particular investment during enrollment.
The following types of investments cannot be in your brokerage account before enrolling in Digital Advisor: non-Vanguard mutual funds, individual bonds, securities traded on international exchanges, preferred stocks, penny stocks, illiquid stocks, and options.
In this case, you'd need to sell the ineligible investments and invest the proceeds in your brokerage account settlement fund before enrolling. If you're in this situation, you might also consider opening a new Vanguard Brokerage Account to enroll in Digital Advisor.
Important: Digital Advisor doesn't assess the suitability of the sale of existing holdings given a particular client's financial circumstances, recommend selling a client's existing holdings to enroll, or provide tax advice. The sale of existing holdings could cause you to incur capital gains—costs associated with incurring capital gains vary based on the time you hold a position and your individual tax situation. The cost of incurring capital gains can be substantial. We recommend you consult a qualified tax advisor to discuss your individual situation and any potential tax consequences.
For eligible 401(k) retirement accounts, Digital Advisor doesn't require a money market or stable value fund minimum balance.7
To enroll, you'll need to meet the following requirements:
- You have a retail Vanguard Brokerage Account with a balance of at least $3,000. (If you're new to Vanguard, opening an account is simple.)
- You're a United States resident, or you have an APO/FPO/DPO mailing address.
- You’re at least 18 years of age. (At least age 19 in Alabama or Nebraska and at least age 21 in Mississippi.)
- You're not—or do not live in the same household as—a board member, executive, or someone who's able to influence policy in a publicly traded corporation.
If you have a Vanguard-administered 401(k) retirement account, you may also be eligible to enroll.7 Restrictions may apply to certain organization members.
Vanguard Brokerage Option (VBO®) accounts offered by plan sponsors aren't eligible for management by Digital Advisor. Special notice to non-U.S. investors 
Digital Advisor can manage eligible 401(k) retirement accounts7 and the following types of retail Vanguard Brokerage Accounts:
- Individual or joint tenants with rights of survivorship (JTWROS) taxable accounts.
- Traditional IRAs.
- Roth IRAs.
- Rollover IRAs.
However, we recommend that you connect other Vanguard and non-Vanguard accounts as you plan your goals so we can incorporate them into your goal growth projections, and help you forecast your likelihood of meeting your long-term goals.
Your first eligible Vanguard Brokerage Account (IRA or taxable) or employer-sponsored retirement plan account (401(k)) qualify for the advisory fee waiver. (If your employer-sponsored plan account qualifies for the advisory fee waiver, you’ll see that during the enrollment process.)
If your account has been enrolled in Digital Advisor for more than 90 days, any new accounts you subsequently enroll are not eligible for the advisory fee waiver.
Employer-sponsored retirement accounts enrolled by the plan fiduciary are not eligible for the advisory fee waiver.
For more information on Digital Advisor’s fee structure, see the VAI Form CRS and the Vanguard Digital Advisor Brochure.
Digital Advisor offers a portfolio of actively managed mutual funds and index ETFs for Vanguard Brokerage Accounts. During the onboarding process, you'll take an assessment to determine whether you have the risk temperament for active strategies and can ride out periods of active underperformance. Incorporating active funds allows for greater portfolio personalization and the potential for better investment outcomes for those clients willing to pay a higher cost for that potential.
Digital Advisor takes a holistic approach to funding your goals by “pooling” your assets across all your taxable accounts to fund your goals. This way, your taxable accounts will work together to get you closer to success. Plus, Digital Advisor will shift resources where needed and adjust automatically to ensure your asset mix evolves.
As your goals get closer, we'll make sure amounts you need to withdraw are invested more conservatively to reduce market risk. Contributions you make will be optimized to support all your goals, and any cash you withdraw will affect all your goals. With a dynamic portfolio, a single, evolving asset mix, and automatic adjustments, your goals will be aligned to stay on track together and take advantage of tax efficiencies.
Note: At this time, your nonretirement goals are only funded by taxable accounts, while retirement goals are funded by both taxable and retirement accounts. Because our approach is designed to optimize your investment returns, and minimize risk in the short term, Digital Advisor can only support goals that are at least 18 months away. To remain enrolled in Digital Advisor, you’ll need to have at least $3,000 in your account after making a withdrawal. (If you have less than $3,000, your account is no longer eligible to be managed by Digital Advisor and you would need to unenroll. There are no cancellation fees or penalties for having an account that no longer qualifies for the service.)6
Robo-advisor is a commonly used term for an all-digital financial planning and investment management service. Robo-advisors often use algorithms (i.e., processes or sets of rules followed in computer calculations) to provide automated investment services without human interaction. A robo-advisor typically gathers information about your investing goals, uses an algorithm to determine an appropriate asset allocation, and builds an investment portfolio tailored to your situation. Most robo-advisors automatically rebalance your portfolio, so you don't have to.
We're glad you asked! Our money-management service:
- Features state-of-the-art financial planning and portfolio construction capabilities, powered by Vanguard's practical and time-tested investment strategies.
- Offers access to high-quality investments consisting of Vanguard ETFs®, plus robust, easy-to-use financial planning tools.
- Connects to non-Vanguard accounts so it can present you with a holistic picture of your financial life and more accurate projections.
- Focuses on helping you build retirement savings and includes a debt payoff tool.
- Continues to add new features to help with your financial planning needs.
Digital Advisor can manage your personal investment accounts and certain employer-sponsored 401(k) retirement accounts for which Vanguard is the recordkeeper.7
Vanguard is one of the most trusted names in financial services built on the radical idea of putting investors' best interests first.
You'll incur expenses to invest in the underlying funds, collective investment trusts, and ETFs in your portfolio (i.e., expense ratios). If you're invested in ETFs, collective investment trusts, or mutual funds today, you're already paying these expenses. We credit the revenue received from your investment portfolio toward the gross advisory fee and deduct only the additional net advisory fee from your managed accounts.
In general, if you incur a fee that results in revenue for Vanguard or a Vanguard affiliate, it will be included in this credit amount. Certain regulatory required trading fees aren't considered revenue and are still incurred for trades within Vanguard Brokerage Accounts, but not credited. For more information about Digital Advisor's fee structure, refer to Form CRS Conversation Starter questions and the Vanguard Digital Advisor Brochure.
Market volatility is when the price of stocks swings up or down because there's too much trading in one direction (substantially more buys than sells or vice versa). Many investors might see the stock dip and want to sell or wait to "time the market." The market, however, is unpredictable. But that doesn't mean your money is completely up to the whims of the headlines. Even with daily ups and downs, the overall market has historically grown over the decades.
With Digital Advisor, you can benefit from the market's long-term growth with a time-tested strategy: owning a balanced portfolio. The foundations of a balanced portfolio are asset allocation and diversification. Digital Advisor will maintain your investments so you'll always have a portfolio that aligns to your retirement goal. If you choose to add other goals, it can adjust your holdings to keep you on target. We'll rebalance your portfolio if we detect it's drifted more than 5% from our recommended allocation.
What can you do during market swings? You can look at your accounts and update your information if anything has changed. You can also check out Vanguard's resources on market swings. Rest assured that your goal projections take all kinds of market volatility into account—while short-term "blips" might feel jarring, we have your long-term focus in mind.
Awarded January 2023, based on data as of October 2022.8
Awarded March 2022, based on data as of December 2021.9
Compensation provided for use of the rating in marketing materials.
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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.
Visit vanguard.com to obtain a Vanguard mutual fund or Vanguard ETF prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus, which contains investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other information; read and consider it carefully before investing.
1Enrollments in Vanguard Digital Advisor require at least $3,000 in each Vanguard Brokerage Account. For each taxable account you wish to enroll, the entire balance must be in the brokerage account's settlement fund. For each traditional, Roth, or rollover IRA you wish to enroll, the entire balance must be in certain investment types (based on eligibility screening by Digital Advisor at the time of enrollment) and/or the brokerage account's settlement fund. The Vanguard Digital Advisor service is offered through Vanguard Advisers, Inc. ("VAI"), a federally registered investment advisor. All investing is subject to risk including the possible loss of the money you invest.
All costs associated with fund expense ratios still apply at all times. The fee waiver promotion is available for Vanguard Brokerage Accounts only.
2Vanguard Digital Advisor is an all-digital service. Digital Advisor charges brokerage accounts an annual gross advisory fee in the amount of 0.20% for an index portfolio options or 0.25% for an active portfolio option. That gross advisory fee is reduced by a credit of the actual revenue The Vanguard Group, Inc. ("VGI"), or its affiliates, retain from investments in each enrolled account, resulting in a net advisory fee. The net advisory fee is the actual fee collected from your account(s) and will vary based on your unique asset allocation, portfolio option, account type, and specific holdings in each enrolled account. Note that this fee doesn't include investment expense ratios charged by a fund, such as fees paid to the funds' third-party managers which are not credited. While we generally recommend using low-cost Vanguard funds to build your portfolio, actively managed funds will have higher expense ratios than index funds. For more information on the services, find VAI's Form CRS and each program's advisory brochure here for an overview.
*To maintain diversification, this portfolio option will also include non-ESG investments to achieve your target asset allocation for international and domestic bonds.
The ESG investment option gives Digital Advisor clients the ability to substitute certain existing holdings with Vanguard ETFs that invest according to an index that has been pre-screened based on ESG factors determined by a third-party index provider. There is no guarantee that the ESG investment option will perform better than the other investment options.
ESG funds are subject to ESG investment risk, which is the chance that the stocks or bonds screened by the index provider for ESG criteria generally will underperform the market as a whole or, in the aggregate, will trail returns of other funds screened for ESG criteria. The index provider's assessment of a company, based on the company's level of involvement in a particular industry or the index provider's own ESG criteria, may differ from that of other funds or of the advisor's or an investor's assessment of such company. As a result, the companies deemed eligible by the index provider may not reflect the beliefs and values of any particular investor and may not exhibit positive or favorable ESG characteristics. The evaluation of companies for ESG screening or integration is dependent on the timely and accurate reporting of ESG data by the companies. Successful application of the screens will depend on the index provider's proper identification and analysis of ESG data.
3The introductory waiver period for Vanguard Digital Advisor's net advisory fee begins when the first account's enrollment is complete and ends after the close of the first billing period (generally 90 days), which is specific to each client. If you enroll additional accounts at a later date, you can still take advantage of any remaining fee-waiver period. However, each additional account you enroll won't trigger a unique fee-waiver period but will instead be commingled with your first enrolled account. If you unenroll before your fee-waiver period ends, you won't owe an advisory fee. But if you choose to reenroll in Vanguard Digital Advisor during or after your fee-waiver period, you won't be eligible for a second fee waiver. This fee-waiver offer may be modified or discontinued anytime at the sole discretion of Vanguard Advisers, Inc. Accounts in employer-sponsored retirement plans aren't eligible for this fee waiver.
4Based on enrolling accounts holding assets in the settlement fund that are invested in a portfolio of Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF, Total International Stock ETF, Total Bond Market ETF, and Total International Bond ETF.
5Vanguard Digital Advisor's debt payoff calculator helps you project the impact of different fixed-rate debt payments over time. To analyze your debt payments, you'll use a third-party aggregation service. There are limitations to the aggregated information, including inability to carve out any escrow payments. There also could be missing or inaccurate information, such as taxes and insurance, which you'll need to closely review in using the calculator.
6Once you enroll a taxable brokerage account in Vanguard Digital Advisor, you'll have the option to add nonretirement goals to your Digital Advisor profile. This can help you balance retirement with your other major financial goals. At this time, Digital Advisor only supports nonretirement goals you'd like to achieve before you reach age 59½.
7Vanguard-administered 401(k) retirement accounts are only eligible for management by Digital Advisor if the plan sponsor has elected to offer Digital Advisor to the plan's participants and the participants meet the eligibility criteria.
You should consult your plan fee disclosure notice for the applicable annual gross advisory fees that apply to your 401(k) account.
8Vanguard 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.
9Vanguard received the first overall ranking in Morningstar's inaugural "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.
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. Vanguard is investor-owned, meaning the fund shareholders own the funds, which in turn own Vanguard.
If you decide to manage your investments on your own, you can buy and sell Vanguard ETF Shares through Vanguard Brokerage Services® or 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.