VANGUARD PERSONAL ADVISOR®

Frequently asked questions

Learning the basics

Personal Advisor is our premium advice and money management service. To be eligible, you must have one of the following:

 

  • $250,000 or more in your employer-sponsored retirement plan at Vanguard.
  • $50,000 or more in IRAs and taxable accounts—owned individually or as joint tenants with rights of survivorship—at Vanguard.
  • $250,000 total among your employer-sponsored retirement plan, IRAs, and taxable accounts—owned individually or as joint tenants with rights of survivorship—at Vanguard.

You must also:

 

  • Be in a retirement plan that offers Personal Advisor.
  • Be a U.S. resident or have an APO/FPO/DPO mailing address.
  • Not be a company insider or control person.

Note: Other eligibility requirements may apply.

Personal Advisor might be a good fit for you if:

 

  • You want ongoing access to a financial advisor who's available to talk whenever you have questions about your money and financial goals.
  • You want a smart strategy to help with goals like funding your retirement, saving for college, buying a home, or starting a business.
  • You don't want to make your own investment decisions. You want someone else to keep an eye on your portfolio for you.
  • You find it tough to stick to a long-term plan or you react when markets are volatile.
  • You have complex financial decisions to make about things like Social Security, health care, or withdrawing your retirement savings. And you want help.
  • You believe in the power of diversification, low costs, and a long-term view.

Personal Advisor is not the right fit for you if you're looking for an advisor who will identify hot investment trends and actively trade to beat the market.

First, complete your Digital Advisor profile. If you are eligible to upgrade to Personal Advisor, you will be able to click an upgrade link and then begin setting up your Personal Advisor account.

Understanding fees

After you sign up, you’ll only pay about 0.30% of assets we manage for you each year. That's about $30 for every $10,000 in your portfolio (with a $250,000 minimum balance required in your retirement plan).1; 2

 

And the fees come out of your investment account automatically each quarter. So you’ll never pay out of pocket.

The fee covers access to a financial advisor, your personal financial plan, and ongoing money management and advice. (This fee doesn’t include any costs of the funds you invest in—known as expense ratios. But we generally recommend using low-cost Vanguard funds.) 

Vanguard revolutionized the financial industry by offering low-cost index funds. And now we’ve done it again—this time with advice.

 

Our advice is fueled by sophisticated technology and our time-tested investment strategies. When you sign up, you’ll have access to the best thinking of Vanguard experts.

 

And because we have no hidden fees or agendas, you can trust us to give you straightforward guidance. Simply put, our goal is to keep you on track to reach the financial goals that are important to you.

Exploring all your options

Yes. Personal Advisor is our premium advice service that combines digital advice and money management with access to a human advisor.

You already have access to everything Vanguard Digital Advisor® has to offer including high-tech advice and money management. When you complete your profile, you’ll unlock custom goals and powerful financial planning features.

You may be eligible for Vanguard Situational Advisor™. This advice-only service connects you with an advisor when you need one. You can get help with any financial situation—from buying a home to planning for retirement and everything in between. We’ll give you advice that you can put into action.

Take a look at a side-by-side comparison of all our services.

Partner with an advisor today

Join the growing number of investors who are already using Personal Advisor. Complete your Digital Advisor profile and then upgrade today!
Complete my profile
Whenever you invest, there's a chance you could lose the money.
Diversifying means having different types of investments. It doesn’t guarantee you’ll make a profit or that you won’t lose money.

1Actual costs vary. Personal Advisor will reduce your gross advisory fee by the amount of revenue (such as expense ratio rebates) that Vanguard (or a Vanguard affiliate) collects on your portfolio in order to calculate the net advisory fee. Personal Advisor’s annual net advisory fee is approximately 0.30% across your enrolled accounts for a typical investment portfolio, although your actual net fee will vary depending on the specific holdings in each enrolled account. Your net advisory fee can also vary by enrolled account type. Plan participants’ actual advisory fees will vary depending on your plan’s lineup and the revenue that Vanguard receives from those investments. Please see your plan fee disclosure notices for the applicable annual gross advisory fees that apply to your plan assets.

2To be eligible for Personal Advisor, you must have one of the following:

  • $250,000 or more in your employer-sponsored retirement plan at Vanguard.
  • $50,000 or more in IRAs and taxable accounts—owned individually or as joint tenants with rights of survivorship—at Vanguard.
  • $250,000 total among your employer-sponsored retirement plan, IRAs, and taxable accounts—owned individually or as joint tenants with rights of survivorship—at Vanguard.

Vanguard Digital Advisor's and Vanguard Personal Advisor’s services are provided solely by Vanguard Advisers, Inc. (VAI), a registered investment advisor. Please review the Vanguard Digital Advisor and Personal Advisor brochure for important details about these services. Vanguard Digital Advisor’s and Personal Advisor's financial planning tools provide projections and goal forecasts, which are hypothetical in nature, do not reflect actual investment results, and are not guarantees of future results.

Vanguard Situational Advisor is provided by Vanguard Advisers, Inc. (VAI), a registered investment advisor. Eligibility restrictions may apply.