Mutual funds

Build your legacy with high-quality, low-cost mutual funds that fit your needs.

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What's a mutual fund?

A mutual fund is a collection of investors' money that fund managers use to invest in stocks, bonds, and other securities.

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Why invest in mutual funds?

Mutual funds can be particularly suitable for investors seeking long-term, tax-deferred growth in retirement accounts.

Low costs

Our average expense ratio across our mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) is 84% lower than the industry average.1

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Less risk through diversification

Mutual fund diversification helps reduce risk by spreading your investment across a range of securities, so underperformance in one area can be offset by better performance in others.

Professional management

You don't have to keep track of every security your mutual fund owns. The fund is managed by experts who take care of that for you, so you're free to focus on other things.

Convenience

You can buy and sell mutual fund shares online and set up recurring investments and withdrawals.

Vanguard mutual fund options

Vanguard offers a range of mutual funds to invest in, designed to serve different investment goals and risk tolerances. Here's an overview of our 4 main types of mutual funds.

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Index funds

Enjoy the benefits of diversification, tax efficiency, and low costs with index mutual funds.

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Actively managed funds

Our careful selection of talent, paired with our consistent investment approach and client-first focus, sets our actively managed mutual funds apart.

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Target Retirement Funds

You make just one decision, and the fund's managers maintain the target risk and handle rebalancing for you.

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ESG funds

Invest in what matters to you. Our ESG (environmental, social, governance) funds allow you to invest in funds that align with your personal preferences.

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Choose from more than just Vanguard funds

Access thousands of investments from other fund companies and hold them in one Vanguard account. We offer many no-transaction-fee (NTF) funds.

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Mutual funds vs. ETFs

Mutual funds and ETFs (exchange-traded funds) are similar in many ways, but there are a few key differences that set them apart.

Learn more about the difference between mutual funds and ETFs

ETFs

An ETF is a collection of hundreds or thousands of stocks, bonds, or other securities, managed by experts, in a single fund that trades on major stock exchanges.

  • You can buy and sell ETFs throughout the trading day and get real-time pricing, just like stocks.
  • Vanguard ETFs have a $1 investment minimum. Minimums for all other ETFs are set at the share price.
  • ETFs are generally more tax-efficient than mutual funds.
  • We offer both index and actively managed ETFs.

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Mutual funds

A mutual fund is a collection of stocks, bonds, or other securities, managed by experts, in a single fund that's bought and sold at the end of each trading day based on its net asset value (NAV).

  • You can place buy or sell orders for mutual funds throughout the trading day. However, these trades are processed and priced at the end of the day at NAV.
  • Investment minimums can range from $1,000 to $50,000, depending on the fund.
  • Mutual funds are generally less tax-efficient than ETFs.
  • We offer both index and actively managed funds.

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Do it yourself

Both industry experts and everyday people rely on our high-performing,2 low-cost mutual funds and ETFs. Choose from diverse investments to save for your financial goals.

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Explore professional advice

Whatever you're working toward, we have a range of services to help you get there. Get a personalized plan and judgment-free guidance to keep you on track.

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Get a diverse portfolio in one convenient fund

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Invest according to your goals

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ETFs

Learn how ETFs combine diversification, low costs, and real-time trading.

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Money market funds

Save for short-term goals and emergencies with a lower-risk investment.

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Other investment products

We have a variety of products to select from. See which best fits your needs.

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Frequently asked questions

What else should I know about mutual funds?

In order to purchase a mutual fund, you'll need to open an account if you don't have one already. When it comes to researching mutual funds, some basic things to consider are the fund's expense ratio and your target asset allocation—the combination of stocks, bonds, and cash you should hold in your portfolio.

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How do I decide which mutual fund to pick?

Start with your savings goals to get an idea of how aggressive you want your investments to be based on your risk tolerance and how long you'd like your money to be invested. Then determine the best asset allocation for your goals, and select a mutual fund to help build your diversified portfolio. Once you identify your investment time horizon and your portfolio's allocation, you might also want to consider whether you want an index fund or an actively managed fund.

Learn more about selecting a mutual fund

What's the difference between active and index mutual funds?

Index funds, also known as passively managed funds, are built to follow a market benchmark like the S&P 500 Index or Dow Jones Industrial Average. Active funds are managed by fund managers who handpick the fund's investments in an attempt to beat the market.

Compare index funds and active funds

What's NAV?

You’ll often see the phrase "mutual funds trade at NAV" or the word "NAV" when you research mutual funds. NAV stands for net asset value—it's the price per share that you buy the mutual fund for. The NAV is calculated at the end of the trading day.

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 the 10-year period ended December 31, 2025, 6 of 6 Vanguard money market funds, 72 of 104 Vanguard bond funds, 21 of 23 Vanguard balanced funds, and 176 of 193 Vanguard stock funds—for a total of 275 of 326 Vanguard funds—outperformed their peer group averages. Results will vary for other time periods. Only funds with a minimum 10-year history were included in the comparison. (Source: LSEG Lipper.) Note that the competitive performance data shown represent past performance, which is not a guarantee of future results, and that all investments are subject to risks. For the most recent performance, visit our website at www.vanguard.com/performance.

For more information about Vanguard funds, Vanguard ETFs, or non-Vanguard funds offered through Vanguard Brokerage Services, 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.

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.

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. Please review VAI’s Form CRS and each program’s advisory brochure for more information.

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 online) 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.

ESG portfolios 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 portfolios screened for ESG criteria. The index provider or advisor 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 portfolios 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 certain screens 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. 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 or no impact or support of a given position. The weight given to ESG factors for active non-ESG funds may vary across types of investments, industries, regions and issuers; may change over time; and not every ESG factor may be identified or evaluated. Where ESG risk factor analysis is used as one part of an overall investment process (as is the case for actively managed equity and fixed income non-ESG Funds), such Funds may still invest in securities of issuers that all market participants may not view as ESG-focused or that may be viewed as having a high ESG risk profile.