Our mission
To take a stand for all investors, to treat them fairly, and to give them the best chance for investment success.
At Vanguard, we think four simple principles can improve your chances of investment success.
- Having a goal in mind can help when it comes to picking the right investments. This could be anything from saving for retirement, to buying a home. Your investment plan.
- Are you looking for short-term security or long-term gains? How much growth do you need to reach your goal? Answering questions like these can keep you focused on building a portfolio that’s right for you and your needs.
- Investing in the right mix of shares and bonds could have a bigger impact on your returns than anything else you do.
- It’s all about finding the right level of risk and reward. Shares typically give you a higher return over the long-term but are riskier. Whereas bonds are more stable but offer lower potential returns.
- Making money from investments isn’t about predicting the future because the future is unpredictable. Instead, you should focus on the one thing you can control – costs.
- By keeping your costs low, you keep more of your returns. Those savings can really add up, especially in the long term.
- Sometimes our emotions can lead us to make simple mistakes when investing. Like buying the latest hot investment when prices are high then panic-selling when prices drop – the opposite of what common sense says we should do.
- The most successful investors are often those with discipline. Those who invest for the long term and don’t tinker with their portfolios too much.
Our goal is helping you reach yours:
We believe that advice and advocacy can help you achieve better outcomes, whether you partner with our financial advisors or use our robo-advisor.
A track record of strong performance
- Money market
- Bond
- Balanced
- Stock
Our funds are crafted with you in mind to help you reach your goals of investment success. Over the last 10 years we have had a history of strong performance.*
- Money market
- Bond
- Balanced
- Stock
Our funds are crafted with you in mind to help you reach your goals of investment success. Over the last 10 years we have had a history of strong performance.*
Vanguard is a leader in low-cost investing
Lower investment costs keep more of your money working for you. See how we keep your costs down, so you have a better chance of investing success.
- 10 years
- 20 years
- 30 years
Low costs can add up to big savings
Say you invested $50,000. If it earned 6% per year, and you subtracted the costs, here's what you'd have over time.†
†Vanguard's average ETF and mutual fund expense ratio: 0.08%. Industry average ETF and mutual fund expense ratio: 0.47%. All averages are asset-weighted. Industry averages exclude Vanguard. Sources: Vanguard and Morningstar, Inc., as of December 31, 2022. This hypothetical example assumes a 6% return on a $50,000 investment. If the rate of return were altered, results would vary from those shown. The shaded amounts represent both the amount paid in expenses as well as the "opportunity costs"—the amount you lose because the costs you paid are no longer invested. The final balance shown is after costs. This example doesn't represent any particular investment and doesn't account for inflation. There may be other material differences between investment products that must be considered prior to investing. The final account balance does not reflect any taxes or penalties that may be due upon distribution. Withdrawals from a traditional IRA before age 59 1/2 are subject to a 10% federal penalty tax unless an exception applies.
Try our tools calculators for more insight
Investing should be easy
Choose from a wide range of investments for your brokerage account, such as mutual funds, ETFs, stocks and more—all for a low cost.
Choosing the right account for your financial goal is key. Whether you need a Vanguard Brokerage Account for general investing or retirement, or need a 529 Plan to save for future education expenses, or another type of account, we've got options that can help you reach your goal.
An account for every goal
We offer several account types to choose from. If you're not sure which account suits your needs, visit our Accounts overview page.
Access more than 160 no-transaction-fee mutual funds from Vanguard and enjoy commission-free trading when you buy or sell ETFs or Vanguard mutual funds online.
Your portfolio, your way
In your Vanguard account you can invest in mutual funds, ETFs, stocks, bonds, and more. See all the types of products you can choose from to build your portfolio.
Need to roll over an old employer-sponsored plan to an employer-sponsored plan held at Vanguard, or a Vanguard IRA®? We can help!
401(k) & 403(b) rollovers
There are several ways to roll over an employer-sponsored plan held at another institution to Vanguard. See which one is right for you.
See all your investments in one place! Enjoy the benefits of consolidation by transferring your assets to Vanguard.
Account transfers
Get an overview of how transfers work at Vanguard.
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For more information about Vanguard funds, visit vanguard.com to obtain a prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus. Investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other important information about a fund are contained in the prospectus; read and consider it carefully before investing.
*For the 10-year period ended December 31, 2023, 6 of 6 Vanguard money market funds, 82 of 98 Vanguard bond funds, 21 of 23 Vanguard balanced funds, and 172 of 188 Vanguard stock funds—for a total of 281 of 315 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. 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 http://www.vanguard.com/performance.
You must buy and sell Vanguard ETF Shares through Vanguard Brokerage Services (we offer them commission-free) or through another broker (which 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.
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. 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.