New voice-activated access to Vanguard Investor Choice

Vanguard also announced that it intends to expand Investor Choice to all Vanguard U.S. equity index funds by the end of 2027, increasing the program to $6.4 trillion in eligible U.S. equity assets under management (AUM).¹ The consistent expansion reflects Vanguard’s commitment to giving every interested Vanguard investor a voice in proxy voting.

In this Q&A, learn more about Investor Choice and Vanguard’s new integration with Alexa.

Vanguard Investor Choice is the world’s largest retail proxy voting choice program. Investor Choice empowers Vanguard investors to direct how their shares of participating Vanguard equity index funds are voted at company shareholder meetings, giving them a simple, transparent, and easy way to make their voices heard on governance questions like executive pay or board director elections.

Investor Choice was built on three principles: First, that investors should have the option to express a preference for how their index fund shares are voted. Second, that investors have different perspectives on corporate governance. And third, that investor participation is the heartbeat of a healthy corporate governance ecosystem.

Investor Choice launched in 2023. Since then, Vanguard has made index fund proxy voting accessible to nearly 22 million retail investors across more than $3 trillion in eligible U.S. equity index AUM.²

Investor Choice offers a menu of distinct voting policy options: 

• Company Board-Aligned Policy
• Egan-Jones Wealth-Focused Policy
• Glass Lewis ESG Policy
• Mirror Voting Policy
• Fund Proxy Policy

Vanguard research found that most investors (83%) believe it's important that asset managers consider their preferences when voting, and more than half (57%) want to participate in voting programs themselves. By building a voice-activated pathway to Investor Choice with Alexa, we help meet investors where they already are, using a familiar tool to make it easier than ever to learn about the program and take the first step toward enrollment.

The integration also enables users to initiate a single voice command, "Alexa, take me to Vanguard Investor Choice," to provide an experiential overview of Investor Choice and delivers a direct link to an investor's phone to visit the enrollment page.

This is the first time Alexa+ has been used to launch an interactive proxy experience to discover and learn more about the proxy voting process.

No. The Alexa experience provides an interactive overview of Investor Choice and sends a direct link to an investor’s phone to visit the enrollment page. All enrollment and voting policy elections are completed via the Investor Choice webpage.

Very easy. Simply state, “Alexa, take me to Vanguard Investor Choice,” and Alexa will guide investors through an interactive experience. Alexa then sends a link directly to an investor’s phone to finish the enrollment process via the Investor Choice webpage.

Yes. The experience is available across all Alexa-enabled devices. Devices with screens show branded visuals and an interactive walkthrough, while audio-only devices provide a voice-guided experience. Regardless of device type, all users receive a direct link to the Investor Choice enrollment page.

Vanguard is committed to making Investor Choice available to every retail investor across our full U.S. equity index platform by the end of 2027.

Proxy voting recognizes that equity index investors are owners of the public companies in which they invest, enabling them to participate in certain decisions. Investors who own shares of a public company’s stock can vote on important governance topics such as the election of board members and approval of executive pay plans.