You’re a goal-oriented investor

Based on your answers, you align best with valuing clear, appropriate investment goals in your investment strategy. Check out our resources below to help you get started.

You’re a balance- oriented investor

Based on your answers, you align best with valuing a balanced, diversified mix of investments in your investment strategy. Check out our resources below to get started.

You’re a cost-oriented investor

Based on your answers, you align best with valuing minimized costs in your investment strategy. Check out our resources below to get started.

You’re a discipline-oriented investor

Based on your answers, you align best with valuing long-term perspective and discipline in your investing strategy. Check out our resources below to help you get started.

Vanguard's 4 investing principles

Create clear, appropriate investment goals

Many of us aspire to achieve a certain quality of life or fund a specific financial goal. Being explicit about your investment goals helps you turn your aspirations into reality. Over time, both savings (the amount you invest initially and over time) and investment returns (what the investment earns) will play crucial roles in achieving any investment goal. 

Keep a balanced, diversified mix of investments

This process is also known as defining an asset allocation. By diversifying investments across stocks and bonds among sectors and countries, you can reduce overall portfolio volatility and help guard against unnecessarily large losses. When considering what mix of investments is appropriate for you, bear in mind the benefit of having a portfolio that matches your level of comfort with the ups and downs of markets.

Minimize costs

While markets and financial returns may be hard to predict, one thing you can control is costs. There are two broad categories of costs you should try to minimize: taxes and investment costs, which can include expense ratios, transaction costs, and sales charges. Together, these costs cut into investment returns.

Maintain perspective and long-term discipline

Discipline in investing is the ability to adhere, over time, to an investment plan. Once you’ve created a plan by defining your goals, choosing an appropriate asset allocation, and minimizing costs, discipline is what will help you get closer to achieving your objectives.

Create clear, appropriate investment goals

Many of us aspire to achieve a certain quality of life or fund a specific financial goal. Being explicit about your investment goals helps you turn your aspirations into reality. Over time, both savings (the amount you invest initially and over time) and investment returns (what the investment earns) will play crucial roles in achieving any investment goal. 

Keep a balanced, diversified mix of investments

This process is also known as defining an asset allocation. By diversifying investments across stocks and bonds among sectors and countries, you can reduce overall portfolio volatility and help guard against unnecessarily large losses. When considering what mix of investments is appropriate for you, bear in mind the benefit of having a portfolio that matches your level of comfort with the ups and downs of markets.

Minimize costs

While markets and financial returns may be hard to predict, one thing you can control is costs. There are two broad categories of costs you should try to minimize: taxes and investment costs, which can include expense ratios, transaction costs, and sales charges. Together, these costs cut into investment returns.

Maintain perspective and long-term discipline

Discipline in investing is the ability to adhere, over time, to an investment plan. Once you’ve created a plan by defining your goals, choosing an appropriate asset allocation, and minimizing costs, discipline is what will help you get closer to achieving your objectives.

Create clear, appropriate investment goals

Many of us aspire to achieve a certain quality of life or fund a specific financial goal. Being explicit about your investment goals helps you turn your aspirations into reality. Over time, both savings (the amount you invest initially and over time) and investment returns (what the investment earns) will play crucial roles in achieving any investment goal. 

Keep a balanced, diversified mix of investments

This process is also known as defining an asset allocation. By diversifying investments across stocks and bonds among sectors and countries, you can reduce overall portfolio volatility and help guard against unnecessarily large losses. When considering what mix of investments is appropriate for you, bear in mind the benefit of having a portfolio that matches your level of comfort with the ups and downs of markets.

Minimize goals

While markets and financial returns may be hard to predict, one thing you can control is costs. There are two broad categories of costs you should try to minimize: taxes and investment costs, which can include expense ratios, transaction costs, and sales charges. Together, these costs cut into investment returns.

Maintain perspective and long-term discipline

Discipline in investing is the ability to adhere, over time, to an investment plan. Once you’ve created a plan by defining your goals, choosing an appropriate asset allocation, and minimizing costs, discipline is what will help you get closer to achieving your objectives.

See our principles in action with advice

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Most recently awarded January 2024, based on data as of October 2023.*

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$100** minimum to qualify.
Annual advisory fee: Approximately $15-$16 per $10,000 invested.***

Our robo-advisor gives you:

  • Automated investing with ETF-based portfolios.
  • Guidance on saving for retirement.
  • Options to add custom goals to your plan.
  • Debt strategies to pay off debt faster.
  • No advisory fees for the first 90 days.†
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*Vanguard Digital Advisor previously received NerdWallet's top rating for “Best Robo-Advisor for Low-Cost Investing” in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. NerdWallet selected Vanguard Digital Advisor for the 2021 award based on November 16, 2020 data, the 2022 award based on October 1, 2021 data, the 2023 award based on October 1, 2022 data, and the 2024 award based on October 1, 2023 data. For the 2024 award, NerdWallet evaluated 15 providers across the following weighted criteria to determine the winner for low costs: management fees (50%), expense ratios on investments (40%), and account fees (10%). Additional details about NerdWallet’s methodology and current Best-Of Awards winners are available on its 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. ©2017–2025 and TM, NerdWallet, Inc. All rights reserved.

**Enrollments in Vanguard Digital Advisor require at least $100 in each Vanguard Brokerage Account. For each taxable account or traditional, Roth, rollover, or inherited 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. 

***Vanguard 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 option 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.

†The 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. If you previously enrolled accounts in other VAI proprietary retail offers you will not be eligible for the introductory fee waiver. This fee-waiver offer may be modified or discontinued anytime at the sole discretion of Vanguard Advisers, Inc. All costs associated with fund expense ratios still apply at all times.

1The Vanguard Cash Plus program APY (annual percentage yield) is 3.90% as of December 4, 2024. The APY will vary and may change at any time. Source for average bank savings yield of 0.45%: FDIC National Rates and Rate Caps as of October 21, 2024.

2A low annual account service fee of $25 is waived when you elect e-delivery of documents. You can sign up for e-delivery during and after the process of opening an account. There may be low fees for certain types of transactions. See the Vanguard Brokerage Services Commission and Fee Schedules for details and exclusions.

For more information about Vanguard mutual funds or ETFs, obtain a mutual fund or ETF 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.

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