At Vanguard, our standards of success are based on helping investors achieve financial security, being an employer of choice, and being a force for positive change in the communities in which we operate. Our efforts have not gone unnoticed.
Vanguard earned the top ranking for do-it-yourself (DIY) Investor Satisfaction in J.D. Power’s 2025 U.S. Investor Satisfaction Study. This is the fourth time Vanguard has received this prestigious recognition. Vanguard has won this award 4 out of 5 years.
Awarded March 2025, based on data collected throughout 2024. For J.D. Power 2025 award information, visit jdpower.com/awards. Use of study results in promotional materials is subject to a license fee; no compensation was provided for award consideration.
The J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Investor Satisfaction Study surveyed approximately 4,000 self-directed investors. Vanguard previously secured the number 1 ranking in 2021, 2022, and 2023, and the number 2 ranking in 2024. The survey was fielded between January and December 2024 and measured satisfaction in 7 key dimensions on a 1,000-point scale: product and service offerings meet investor needs, resolving problems or complaints, ease in doing business with the firm, digital channels, people, value for fees paid, and level of trust with the firm.
Vanguard was the only robo-advisor to earn a "High" assessment and placed first out of 16 U.S.-based robo-advisors in Morningstar’s 2025 Robo-Advisor Report.
Awarded January 2025, based on data as of December 31, 2024. Vanguard compensated Morningstar to be able to promote the award.
Vanguard received the first overall ranking in Morningstar's "Robo-Advisor Landscape Report" for 2025 among 15 other robo-advisors selected by Morningstar. Morningstar evaluated each provider across the following weighted criteria as of December 2024, to determine their rankings: total price (30%); the process used to select investments, construct portfolios, and match portfolios with investors (30%); the parent organization behind the digital platform (20%); and breadth of services (20%). Additional details about Morningstar's methodology are available on its website (https://www.morningstar.com/specials/your-guide-to-getting-started-with-robo-investing). Current fees may vary for Vanguard's advisory services and the other robo-advisors considered. Although Vanguard compensates Morningstar for marketing services, Morningstar's opinions and evaluations are independent and unrelated to the selection of Vanguard for this ranking. Following the independent announcement of this ranking, Vanguard purchased a license from Morningstar for the right to include this rating in Vanguard marketing. Source: “2025 Robo-Advisor Report" by Dan Culloton, et al. ©2025 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.
Vanguard Digital Advisor received the top rating for "Best Robo-Advisor for Low-Cost Investing" for 2024 among 14 other robo-advisors selected by NerdWallet.
Awarded January 2024 based on data as of October 2023.
NerdWallet evaluated each provider across the following weighted criteria as of October 1, 2023, to determine the winner for low costs: management fees (50%), expense ratios on investments (40%), and account fees (10%). NerdWallet also selected Vanguard Digital Advisor for the 2021 award based on November 16, 2020, data; the 2022 award based on October 1, 2021, data; and the 2023 award based on October 1, 2022, data. Additional details about NerdWallet's methodology are available on their 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. ©2017-2024 and TM, NerdWallet, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Vanguard received the Best New U.S. Fixed Income ETF Award for Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF (VTES) during the 10th annual etf.com awards, held in New York City in April 2024.
Etf.com Award winners are selected in a three-part process designed to leverage the insights and opinions of leaders throughout the ETF industry.
The awards process begins with open nominations between December 1, 2023 and January 8, 2024, via a publicly available submission form. Interested parties are invited to submit nominations via the publicly available submission form. Self-nominations are accepted. A single fund/issuer can be nominated for multiple awards as long as it meets the criteria of the category. All entries related to funds are strictly for U.S.-listed ETFs.
Following the open nominations process, the etf.com Awards Nominating Committee, made up of etf.com editorial staff, will review nominations. Nominations are screened for eligibility (appropriate timing and category). If more than five unique entries are received in the nomination process, the members of the Nominating Committee will force-rank their top five, resulting in a final slate for each category. Votes will be resolved on a majority basis, and ties broken where possible with head-to-head runoff votes. If ties cannot be broken, more than five finalists are allowed. The Nominating Committee will complete this process and short list of nominees will be published on etf.com on January 29, 2024.
Winners among those finalists were selected by a majority vote of the etf.com Award panel of judges, a group of independent ETF experts from the ETF industry. Judges recuse themselves from voting in any category in which they or their firms appear as finalists. Ties were decided, where possible, with head-to-head runoff votes. Voting will be complete by March 1, 2024. Results will be kept confidential until they are announced at the etf.com Awards ceremony on April 17, 2024 and published on etf.com following the live event.
Vanguard was named one of the 7 best 401(k) plans for the months of August and September 2024 by Forbes ADVISOR.
For this review, Forbes Advisor began with an extensive list of the most popular 401(k) companies on the market today. The publication then rated these companies based on factors like setup costs, administrative fees, employee costs, funds available and services provided on top of 401(k) administration.
From there, the publication searched through the top contenders to see who really stood out in performance for certain areas. By looking deeper into the individual specialties of these 401(k) companies, they were able to identify the best contenders for businesses.
Vanguard was one of a handful of fund companies to continue to receive Morningstar's “High” rating in its 2023 Parent Pillar assessment. The Parent Rating represents Morningstar's assessment of the stewardship quality of a firm. The model considers data points such as manager retention, fees, and the firm's historical performance. Morningstar highlighted Vanguard's advice offer, growth, product development, and strategic shifts in international markets in assigning the rating.
Vanguard received a “High” Parent Pillar rating from Morningstar in its 2023 Medalist Ratings, as of April 21, 2023. The Parent Pillar rating analyzes the parent organization in charge of managing a fund, and is assigned directly by analysts, indirectly by analysts, or directly by algorithm. The pillar ratings take the form of Low, Below Average, Average, Above Average, and High. Additional details about Morningstar's Medalist Rating Methodology are available on their website. Although Vanguard compensates Morningstar for marketing services, Morningstar's opinions and evaluations are independent and unrelated to the selection of Vanguard for this ranking. Source: “Vanguard Parent Rating” by Alec Lucas. ©2023 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.
Vanguard was named as a 2023 Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia honoree by the Philadelphia Foundation for making an impact in the community (June 2023).
The Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia initiative, modeled after the national Points of Light program, provides a standard for superior corporate citizenship, and showcases how companies use their time, skills, and resources to drive social impact in their company and communities.
Vanguard was named one of the 2023 Best Companies for Multicultural Women by Seramount (June 2023).
Vanguard Digital Advisor received the top rating for "Best Robo-Advisor for Low-Cost Investing" for 2023 among 16 other robo-advisors selected by NerdWallet.
Awarded January 2023 based on data as of October 2022.
NerdWallet evaluated each provider across the following weighted criteria as of October 1, 2022, to determine the winner for low costs: management fees (50%), expense ratios on investments (40%), and account fees (10%). NerdWallet also selected Vanguard Digital Advisor for the 2021 award based on November 16, 2020, data and the 2022 award based on October 1, 2021, data. Additional details about NerdWallet's methodology are available on their 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. ©2017-2023 and TM, NerdWallet, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
10 Vanguard funds received 12 Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards. The awards honor mutual funds and firms that have the best risk-adjusted performance over 3-,5-, and 10-year horizons (February 2023).
Based on the Lipper Leader for Consistent Return rating, which is a risk-adjusted performance measure calculated over 3-, 5-, and 10-year periods. The fund with the highest Lipper Leader for Consistent Return (Effective Return) value in each eligible classification wins the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Award. If the funds are eligible for Lipper Fund Awards, are in the Lipper database and meet all criteria as per methodology, they will be considered. The merit of the winners is based entirely on objective, quantitative criteria. Proprietary methodology is the foundation of the Award qualification. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Vanguard was recognized as a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion and listed in the 2022 Disability Equality Index® for our accessibility options for both internal crew and external clients (July 2022).
Vanguard was the only robo-advisor to earn a "High" assessment and placed first out of 16 U.S.-based robo-advisors in Morningstar’s inaugural Robo-Advisor Landscape report (March 2022).
Vanguard received the first overall ranking in Morningstar's inaugural Robo-Advisor Landscape report for 2022 among 15 other robo-advisors selected by Morningstar. Morningstar evaluated each provider across the following weighted criteria as of December 2021 to determine their rankings: total price (30%); the process used to select investments, construct portfolios, and match portfolios with investors (30%); the parent organization behind the digital platform (20%); and the breadth of services (20%). Additional details about Morningstar's methodology are available in its press release. Current fees may vary for Digital Advisor and the other robo-advisors considered. Although Vanguard compensates Morningstar for marketing services, Morningstar's opinions and evaluations are independent and unrelated to the selection of Vanguard for this ranking.
Awarded March 2022, based on data as of December 2021. Vanguard compensated Morningstar to be able to promote the award.
For the second year in a row, NerdWallet named Vanguard Digital Advisor the Best Robo-Advisor for Low-Cost Investing (January 2022, based on data as of October 2021).
Vanguard Digital Advisor received the top rating for "Best Robo-Advisor for Low-Cost Investing" for 2022 among 18 other robo-advisors selected by NerdWallet. NerdWallet evaluated each provider across the following weighted criteria as of October 1, 2021, to determine the winner for low costs: management fees (50%), expense ratios on investments (40%), and account fees (10%). NerdWallet also selected Vanguard Digital Advisor for the 2021 award based on November 16, 2020, data. Additional details about NerdWallet's methodology are available on their 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. ©2017-2022 and TM, NerdWallet, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Awarded January 2022 based on data as of October 2021.
Vanguard was recognized by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation as a 2022 Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality, scoring a perfect 100% on the Corporate Equality Index survey (January 2022).
Nine Vanguard funds received 16 Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards. The awards honor mutual funds and firms that have the best risk-adjusted performance over 3-, 5-, and 10-year horizons (March 2022).
Based on the Lipper Leader for Consistent Return rating, which is a risk-adjusted performance measure calculated over 3-, 5-, and 10-year periods. The fund with the highest Lipper Leader for Consistent Return (Effective Return) value in each eligible classification wins the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Award. If the funds are eligible for Lipper Fund Awards, are in the Lipper database and meet all criteria as per methodology, they will be considered. The merit of the winners is based entirely on objective, quantitative criteria. Proprietary methodology is the foundation of the Award qualification. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Forbes magazine named Vanguard one of the World's Best Employers (October 2021).
Morningstar designated eight Vanguard ETFs as 5-star ETFs with risk-adjusted returns in the top 10% of their peer groups and 36 Vanguard ETFs as 4-star ETFs with risk-adjusted returns in the top third of their peer groups (September 2021).
The Morningstar Rating™ for funds, or "star rating," is calculated for funds with at least a three-year history. Exchange-traded funds and open-ended mutual funds are considered a single population for comparative purposes. It is calculated based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure that accounts for variation in a managed product's monthly excess performance, placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. The top 10% of products in each product category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receive 2 stars, and the bottom 10% receive 1 star. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Results are as of September 30, 2021, and will vary for other time periods. 1,512 ETFs were included in this analysis.
Morningstar also named Vanguard Australia its Multisector Fund Manager of the Year (February 2021). Award was based on various criteria, including low costs, risk-adjusted performance, and stewardship.
Vanguard was named to AZ Business magazine's list of Arizona’s Most Admired Companies in 2021 (September 2021).
U.S. Veterans Magazine recognized Vanguard as a 2021 Top Veteran-Friendly Company (August 2021).
Computerworld magazine named Vanguard to its list of 2021 Best Places to Work in IT (July 2021).
Vanguard made Money magazine's list of top Roth IRA providers (May 2021).
Based on a number of factors at the time these awards were announced in May 2021, including having a large number of investment options, low fees, reasonably low minimum investment/balance requirements, and helpful online account management options. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Thirteen Vanguard funds received Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards. The awards honor mutual funds and firms that have the best risk-adjusted performance over 3-, 5-, and 10-year horizons (March 2021).
Based on the Lipper Leader for Consistent Return rating, which is a risk-adjusted performance measure calculated over 3-, 5-, and 10-year periods. The fund with the highest Lipper Leader for Consistent Return (Effective Return) value in each eligible classification wins the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Award. If the funds are eligible for Lipper Fund Awards, are in the Lipper database and meet all criteria as per methodology, they will be considered. The merit of the winners is based entirely on objective, quantitative criteria. Proprietary methodology is the foundation of the Award qualification. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Vanguard was recognized by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation as a 2021 Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality, scoring a perfect 100% on the Corporate Equality Index survey (January 2021).
Ten Vanguard funds were named to Morningstar's Thrilling 36 list (September 2020).
Funds included on Morningstar’s Thrilling 36 have expense ratios in their category’s cheapest quintile, manager investment of more than $1 million in the fund, a Morningstar Risk rating below the High level, a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Bronze or higher, and returns above the fund’s category benchmark over the manager’s tenure for a minimum of five years. In the case of allocation funds, category averages are used. Funds on the Thrilling 36 list must be a share class accessible to individual investors with a minimum investment no greater than $50,000. The Morningstar Risk measure is based on the utility theory of risk and penalizes downside volatility more than upside. It’s based on a fund’s 3-, 5-, and 10-year records and is measured relative to category peers. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
For the 20th year running, Vanguard made Money magazine's “best of” lists. We claimed 20 of the 50 ETF spots and 23 of the 50 mutual fund spots for 2020 (December 2019).
Based on steady performance, low costs, skilled and trustworthy managers, and a consistent investment strategy. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Notes:
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.
Vanguard ETF Shares are not redeemable with the issuing fund other than in very large aggregations worth millions of dollars. Instead, investors must buy and sell Vanguard ETF Shares in the secondary market and hold those shares in a brokerage account. In doing so, the investor may incur brokerage commissions and may pay more than net asset value when buying and receive less than net asset value when selling.
All investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest.