Vanguard is owned by its funds, which are owned by Vanguard's fund shareholder clients. Our retail direct investment advisory strategies, in turn, are built on core investments in the Vanguard funds.
While we seek to put our clients’ interests first, we have sought to identify potential conflicts where interests and incentives differ, and we seek to disclose such conflicts or situations to you. Like other advisors, we are incentivized to recommend our programs and services over other third-party financial services solutions and products. You should consider carefully which of our services is appropriate for you and whether other products may be more suitable or appropriate. Note that Advisors are not required to recommend the lowest cost solution.
The experiences of any Vanguard client may not be representative of the experience of other Vanguard clients and are not a guarantee of future investment performance or success.
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 ("VMC"). Neither VAI, VNTC, nor its affiliates guarantee profits or protection from losses.
All investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest.
Private investments involve a high degree of risk and, therefore, should be undertaken only by prospective investors capable of evaluating and bearing the risks such an investment represents. Investors in private equity generally must meet certain minimum financial qualifications that may make it unsuitable for specific market participants.
The Vanguard Cash Plus Account is a brokerage account offered by Vanguard Brokerage Services, a division of Vanguard Marketing Corporation, member FINRA and SIPC.
1The 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. ("VAI"). Accounts in employer-sponsored retirement plans aren't eligible for this fee waiver.
2Enrollments in Vanguard Digital Advisor require at least $100 in each Vanguard Brokerage Account. For each account you wish to enroll, the entire balance must be in certain allowable investment types (based on eligibility screening by Digital Advisor at the time of enrollment) and/or the brokerage account's settlement fund.
3Vanguard Digital Advisor charges Vanguard Brokerage Accounts an annual gross advisory fee of 0.20% for its all-index investment options and 0.25% for an active/index mix. Vanguard Personal Advisor charges Vanguard Brokerage Accounts an annual gross advisory fee of 0.35% for its all-index investment options and 0.40% for an active/index mix. These services reduce those fees by the amount of revenue that Vanguard (or a Vanguard affiliate) retains from your portfolio in order to calculate your net advisory fee. Note that this fee doesn't include investment expense ratios—such as fees paid to the funds' third-party managers, which aren't credited.
You should consult your plan fee disclosure notice for the applicable annual gross advisory fees that apply to your 401(k) account.
4Vanguard Personal Advisor Select and Vanguard Personal Advisor Wealth Management charge fees based on a tiered fee schedule (maximum 0.30%) calculated as an average advisory fee on all advised assets. Note that this fee doesn't include investment expense ratios.
5Vanguard can help determine if tax-loss harvesting is appropriate for your specific situation. Tax-loss harvesting is included in your Vanguard advisory fee. Tax-loss harvesting involves certain risks, including, among others, the risk that the new investment could have higher costs than the original investment and could introduce portfolio tracking error into your accounts. There may also be unintended tax implications. We recommend that you carefully review the terms of the consent and consult a tax advisor before taking action.
ESG funds are subject to ESG investment risk, which is the chance that the stocks or bonds screened by the index provider or advisor, as applicable, 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 or advisor's assessment of a company, based on the company's level of involvement in a particular industry or their own ESG criteria, may differ from that of other funds or an investor's assessment of such company. As a result, the companies deemed eligible by the index provider or advisor 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 or advisor's proper identification and analysis of ESG data. The advisor may not be successful in assessing and identifying companies that have or will have a positive impact or support a given position. In some circumstances, companies could ultimately have a negative impact, or no impact.
The services will typically invest your assets in a portfolio of Vanguard ETFs®, all of which are commission-free online through a Vanguard Brokerage Account managed by Digital Advisor. Vanguard Brokerage Accounts are offered through and maintained by VMC, a registered broker-dealer and member FINRA and SIPC. 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).
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.
We recommend that you consult a tax or financial advisor about your individual situation.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP® and Certified Financial Planner™ in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.