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Retirement

We can help you reach your goal

Bringing all your retirement savings to Vanguard can make your life easier—and even give you a better shot at the retirement you want.
5 minute read

Why choose Vanguard?

A company you can count on

Vanguard's been meeting investors' needs since 1975. The company you trust with your money today will be the same company serving you tomorrow.

Personal, professional advice that can save you time and worry

We know how hard you've worked for your savings, and we want you to make the most of them. A personal advisor from Vanguard can guide you on everything from planning your retirement date to balancing multiple goals to taking Social Security.

Get your retirement plan

High-quality funds

88% of Vanguard mutual funds and ETFs (exchange-traded funds) performed better than their peer-group averages over the past 10 years.* Our competitive performance is one reason our funds so often appear on "best of" lists.

Mutual fund

A type of investment that pools shareholder money and invests it in a variety of securities. Each investor owns shares of the fund and can buy or sell these shares at any time. Mutual funds are typically more diversified, low-cost, and convenient than investing in individual securities, and they're professionally managed.

ETF (exchange-traded fund)

An investment with characteristics of both mutual funds and individual stocks. Many ETFs track an index, a commodity, or a basket of assets. Unlike mutual funds, ETFs can be traded throughout the day. ETFs often have lower expense ratios but must be purchased and sold through a broker, which means you may incur commissions.

Low costs

Our expenses and fees are among the lowest in the industry—in fact, they're 82% less than the industry's average.† And the less money taken out of your earnings, the more stays in your account, helping you get closer to retirement every day.

If you invest $50,000 or more, you'll qualify for additional services and lower costs.

See what you get as a Voyager or Flagship Services client

Earnings

The investment returns you accumulate on the savings in your account.

Top fund managers

Our in-house management teams have the experience and expertise you'd expect from the company that launched the first index fund for everyday investors. And we complement them with portfolio managers from around the world, chosen for their skills in specific areas of the market.

Index fund

A type of mutual fund or ETF (exchange-traded fund) that seeks to track the performance of a particular market index (for example, the S&P 500 Index) by buying and holding all or a representative sample of the securities in the index, in the same proportions as their weightings in the index.

How you benefit from moving your money to one place

A clearer investment strategy

Combining your savings at one financial provider is a good opportunity to make sure you have an appropriate asset mix—which is more important than ever now that you're getting close to retirement.

You may need to think about becoming more conservative with your money, to lower the chance your balance will drop right before you retire. Consider investing in a target-date fund, which will automatically transition your asset mix in a way that's tailored to your specific retirement timeline.

See what you get with Vanguard Target Retirement Funds

Asset mix

The way your account is divided among different asset classes, including stock, bond, and short-term or "cash" investments.

Conservative

A conservative portfolio is relatively safe from investment risk (although there's no guarantee it won't lose money). Because risk and reward are related, a conservative investor can also expect returns that are, on average and over time, lower than those of someone with a moderate or aggressive portfolio.

Target-date fund

A mutual fund intended for retirement savers that automatically rebalances and adjusts its asset mix as investors get closer to retirement. For example, a 20-year-old might invest in a target-date fund for people planning to retire around 2060. Target-date funds are professionally managed and typically diversified across asset classes and market segments.

Lower expenses

Moving your money to one account could give you a chance to lower your investment costs.

The larger your nest egg, the more costs eat away at your savings. If you've saved $500,000 at the time you retire, cutting your expenses by just half a percentage point could mean an extra $1,500 to spend every year in retirement.††

See how investment costs will affect your retirement spending

Easier money management

As you transition into retirement, having your money in one place means it will be much easier to see, track, and withdraw your savings on an ongoing basis.

Top questions about bringing your savings to Vanguard

It's true that spreading your money over different asset classes may reduce your risk. Some people think that splitting money between companies also reduces your risk—in case one company goes bankrupt.

But that's not true in Vanguard's case. Vanguard (the company) is actually owned by the Vanguard mutual funds and ETFs.**

Each fund also owns the individual securities (stocks and bonds, for example) that make up the fund, and there's no way for a fund to go bankrupt unless every security simultaneously loses all value (an event that would reach far beyond Vanguard if it were to occur).

The securities that underlie the funds are held by a custodian, not by Vanguard. Vanguard is paid by the funds to provide administration and other services. If Vanguard ever did go bankrupt, the funds would not be affected and would simply hire another firm to provide these services.

No! Many transfers can be initiated online in just a few minutes, and you can call us if you have questions. In some cases, we can even complete the paperwork for you.

We don't charge any fees to roll over or transfer accounts. Check with the company currently holding your account to find out if it has any transfer fees or requirements.

Moving money is a great time to streamline your portfolio and see whether lower-cost investments are available. But if you want to keep the investments you already own, you can do that too, through an in-kind transfer.

You can:

  • Roll over 401(k) and 403(b) accounts.
  • Transfer IRAs or taxable accounts.
  • Bring over stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, and other securities.

Learn more about moving money to Vanguard

In-kind transfer

When investments are transferred from one financial provider to another "as is." There's no selling or buying involved and no tax consequences.

Asset class

A major type of asset—stocks, bonds, and short-term or "cash" investments.

Risk

Usually refers to investment risk, which is a measure of how likely it is that you could lose money in an investment. However, there are other types of risk when it comes to investing.

1035 exchange

The exchange of an annuity from one insurance company to another without incurring current income taxes. To qualify, the annuity must be funded with after-tax contributions. The transaction is named after the applicable section of the Internal Revenue Code.

Where does retirement fit into your priorities?

See how to juggle multiple financial goals

Get more from Vanguard. Call 1-855-850-6972 to speak with an investment professional.

Explore advice

Use our handy tools

You're getting close to retirement, but how do you know if you'll have enough?

See if you'll have enough to retire

Roll over your retirement money

Did you leave retirement savings behind at an old job? Get more flexibility and easier money management.

See if a 401(k) rollover is right for you


We're here to help

Talk with one of our investment professionals

Call 1-855-850-6972

Monday through Friday
8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Eastern time

Ready to start?

Move money to Vanguard


We're here to help

Talk with one of our investment specialists

Call 1-800-962-5028

Monday through Friday
8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Eastern time

Ready to start?

Move money to Vanguard

*For the 10-year period ended September 30, 2024, 6 of 6 Vanguard money market funds, 82 of 98 Vanguard bond funds, 21 of 23 Vanguard balanced funds, and 168 of 189 Vanguard stock funds—for a total of 277 of 316 Vanguard funds—outperformed their Lipper peer-group averages. Results will vary for other time periods. Only mutual funds and ETFs (exchange-traded funds) 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

**Vanguard is owned by its funds, which are owned by Vanguard’s fund shareholder clients.

†Vanguard average ETF and mutual fund expense ratio: 0.08%. 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, 2023.

††This hypothetical example assumes a 6% rate of return, a 4% inflation rate, that expense ratios are cut from 0.80% to 0.30%, that withdrawals are adjusted for inflation, and that the entire portfolio is liquidated over 35 years.
 

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.

Investments in Target Retirement Funds are subject to the risks of their underlying funds. The year in the fund name refers to the approximate year (the target date) when an investor in the fund would retire and leave the workforce. The fund will gradually shift its emphasis from more aggressive investments to more conservative ones based on its target date. An investment in a Target Retirement Fund is not guaranteed at any time, including on or after the target date.

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