Vanguard is best suited for beginner and seasoned investors alike who are seeking access to an array of low-cost vast mutual fund and ETF offerings, all packaged into a simple-to-use brokerage platform. Read on as we dive into the pros and cons in this Vanguard review. We'll look at some of the important facts, figures, and features, and help you decide if it's the best online broker for you.
Ratings Methodology
2024 Award Winner
Vanguard
Our Rating:
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. = Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor
Bottom Line
Vanguard remains a top option for passive investors with excellent zero-commission options for stocks and ETFs, including index fund ETFs.
Fees:
$0 online; $25 broker-assisted fee for some phone trades of stocks and ETFs from other companies (Less than $1 million)
Account Minimum:
$0
Alternatives to Consider
We recommend comparing brokerage options to ensure the account you're selecting is the best fit for you. To make your search easier, here's a short list of our best trading platforms of 2024.
| Account | Fees | Account Minimum | |
|---|---|---|---|
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars. 4.5/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. | $0 for stocks, ETFs, and options; $5 monthly for Robinhood Gold | $0 | Open Account for Robinhood |
Rating image, 5.0 out of 5 stars. 5.0/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. | $0 commission for online U.S. stock and ETF trades; trade fractional shares for as little as $1 | $0 | Open Account for Fidelity |
Rating image, 4.0 out of 5 stars. 4.0/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. | $0 per trade | $0 | Open Account for J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing |
Full Vanguard review
This stock broker is a good fit for: Investors seeking a low-cost stock broker to invest in stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds, among other common investments. Traders may want to look elsewhere, since this isn't Vanguard's bread and butter.
Pros
- Zero-commission trading
- Low cost ETFs and mutual fund investing
- No account minimums
- Account types offered
Cons
- Options commissions
- Only offers fractional share investing on Vanguard ETFs
- Active trading platform isn't as robust as competitors
We tried it: Kimberly's experience
"The thing I like the most about Vanguard is their willingness to provide help and guidance. It's easy to get a knowledgeable person on the phone at Vanguard, and they walk me through every question I have. Also, I'm very sensitive to fees and pay zero whenever possible. Vanguard has given me all the fee-free options I've needed."
- The Ascent writer Kimberly Rotter, AFC®
Top perks
Zero-commission trading
Vanguard was one of the last holdouts in the zero-commission revolution, but the company has scrapped its stock and ETF trading commissions for online trades. You'll only pay a commission on broker-assisted trades ($25), which is still quite standard in the industry.
Low cost ETFs and mutual funds
This is perhaps the biggest reason to use Vanguard as your broker. Vanguard's proprietary mutual funds and ETFs have some of the lowest expense ratios. In addition to being able to buy and sell Vanguard's excellent family of mutual funds with no transaction fee, Vanguard offers more than 3,000 other mutual funds on a no-transaction-fee (NTF) basis.
No account minimums
Vanguard has no minimum deposit requirement to open a brokerage account. That said, the platform doesn't allow you to trade fractional shares of stock, so you'll need at least enough to cover one share of whatever stock you want. However, Vanguard does let you buy fractional shares of Vanguard ETFs, so you could buy a share of a $100 ETF for as little as $1.
If you plan on buying mutual funds, keep in mind that most have their own minimum initial investment requirements, which are typically in the thousands of dollars.
International market access
This is both a good and bad feature. Unlike many online brokers, Vanguard allows investors to buy stocks directly on foreign stock exchanges. However, doing so comes with a steep $50 commission.
Research access
Vanguard provides third-party stock research reports from Standard & Poor's, Thomson Reuters, and First Call. This can help beginners find good investment candidates and can also be a great tool to help learn the basics of stock analysis.
Lots of account types
Vanguard offers individual and joint brokerage accounts, traditional and Roth IRAs, SEP-IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, solo 401(k)s, and 529 college savings plans.
Great CD rates
Vanguard offers the ability to buy FDIC-insured CDs in its brokerage accounts. Not only do these have no fees or commissions, but they have some of the best APYs of any CDs on our radar. Plus, they are available in terms ranging from one month to more than 10 years.
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What could be improved
Options commissions
Most online brokers still charge a per-contract fee for options trading. Although Vanguard used to cost a lot more than $1 per contract charge, these days, most of its peers charge much lower fees. However, it's worth noting that the options commission is waived for a certain number of trades for accounts with over $1 million invested in Vanguard ETFs and mutual funds. For example, an account with $1 million in Vanguard funds would get 25 free options trades before commissions start.
Some online brokers allow investors to buy fractional shares of stock. In other words, if you have $500 and your favorite stock is $1,000 per share, you could buy half a share. Vanguard doesn't allow this. However, Vanguard will allow fractional share purchases of Vanguard ETFs.
Active trading platform
Vanguard's trading platform isn't as feature-packed for traders as other trading platforms out there. It's mainly designed for long-term investors who need to place an occasional order to buy or sell a stock. Traders looking for a complex platform would probably be better served elsewhere.
Commissions
Virtually all of the major online brokers offer commission-free online stock trades, and Vanguard is no different. Its per-contract options commission is a bit on the high end, but its mutual fund commission is quite competitive. And as noted earlier, both the options and mutual funds commissions can be waived for accounts with more than $1 million invested in Vanguard funds.
| Stocks and ETFs | Options | Mutual Funds |
|---|---|---|
| $0, (plus $25 to trade less than $1 million of ETFs from other companies by phone) | $1 per contract | $0 - $20, (plus $25 to trade less than $1 million of mutual funds from other companies by phone) |
Data source: Vanguard.
Buying mutual funds
As mentioned earlier, mutual funds are perhaps the best reason investors might choose Vanguard over any of its rivals.
For starters, Vanguard's mutual funds are highly regarded as some of the lowest cost index fund products for long-term investors. Vanguard mutual funds have some of the lowest expense ratios in the industry, and low-cost index investing was one of the motivations for founding the company in the first place. If you choose Vanguard as your broker, you'll be able to buy any of Vanguard's mutual funds without paying a commission.
In addition, Vanguard offers thousands of other (non-Vanguard) mutual funds on a commission-free, or no-transaction-fee (NTF) basis. And if a particular mutual fund you're interested in is not on Vanguard's NTF list, its standard mutual fund commission of $20 is on the lower end of those charged by its peers. For accounts with over $1 million in Vanguard funds, the standard commission is $0 for a certain number of mutual fund trades, and just $8 thereafter.
Fees
In addition to the commissions we've already discussed, Vanguard charges some other fees you might run into:
- Account service fee: Vanguard charges a $20 annual account service fee. However, the service fee is waived for some of Vanguard's clients with large account balances, or those who hold at least $10,000 in Vanguard ETFs and mutual funds in their account, or who choose to have their statements and documents electronically delivered.
- Foreign securities fee: If you purchase a stock on a foreign exchange (not an American depositary receipt, or ADR), it comes with a $50 processing fee.
- Wire fee: Vanguard charges a $10 fee per holding you redeem, which is actually rather low. Wire fees in the $30 range aren't uncommon. And, this is waived for investors with at least $1 million in Vanguard funds.
TIP
Compare the best IRA accounts
If you're interested in comparing IRA accounts, you're not alone! You can get the list of the best IRAs we've found (and compare them side-by-side) on these pages:
- Best IRA Accounts
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Trading platform
Vanguard's trading platform isn't as robust as other stock trading platforms from trading-first brokers. If you regularly move in and out of stocks or like to make complex options trades, Vanguard is probably not the best choice for you.
On the other hand, Vanguard has plenty of functionality and features such as research reports that will be more than sufficient for long-term investors. And, Vanguard's mobile app is highly rated on the Apple App Store and allows you to trade and check your portfolio on the go.
Vanguard margin rates
| Margin Balance | Effective Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to $19,999 | 13.75% |
| $20,000 - $49,999 | 13.25% |
| $50,000 - $99,999 | 12.75% |
| $100,000 - $249,999 | 12.25% |
| $250,000 - $499,999 | 11.75% |
| $500,000 and above | Contact Vanguard for rates |
Data source: Vanguard. Rates as of Feb. 19, 2024.
While we aren't huge fans of margin investing, there are some cases when using margin can be useful. With that, here's a look at Vanguard's margin rates. To put those numbers in context, the words I'd use would be "about average." This is a similar margin structure to most other online brokers. If you frequently use margin, there are lower-cost options, but for most people who use margin occasionally or not at all, these rates should suffice.
Research offerings
Access to third-party stock research can be a valuable tool for investors, especially beginners. It can help you find good investment opportunities, determine how volatile you can expect your investments to be, and learn the basics of stock analysis. Vanguard provides third-party stock research reports from Standard & Poor's, Thomson Reuters, and First Call, which should be more than sufficient for most long-term investors.
Vanguard is right for you if:
- You are a long-term investor -- especially a retirement investor -- who wants to place an occasional buy or sell order and isn't a frequent trader.
- You only want to use options on occasion, if at all.
- You are a mutual fund investor or an ETF investor, and you specifically want to be able to buy Vanguard mutual funds with no commissions.
Compare Vanguard to other brokerages
Wondering how Vanguard stacks up to the competition? Check out our reviews:
- Vanguard vs. Ally Invest
- Vanguard vs. Betterment
- Vanguard vs. Charles Schwab
- Vanguard vs. Fidelity
- Vanguard vs. Merrill Edge
- Vanguard vs. Robinhood
Our brokerage rating methodology
At The Motley Fool Ascent, brokerages are rated on a scale of one to five stars. We primarily focus on fees, available assets, and account types; however, we also take into account features like research, education, tax-loss harvesting, and highly rated mobile apps. Our highest-rated brokerages generally include low fees, a diverse range of assets and account types, and useful platform features.
See our full methodology here: Ratings Methodology
FAQs
There is no specific account minimum to open a brokerage account with Vanguard. However, since Vanguard doesn't allow fractional share investing except with its own ETFs, you'll need at least enough money to purchase one share of a stock or a fractional share of an ETF, or the minimum investment amount for a mutual fund you want to invest in.
There are a few things Vanguard doesn't offer for investors. Fractional share investing of stocks is a big example -- if a stock is trading for $500 per share, you'd need $500 to invest in it. Many competitors would allow you to directly buy a piece of a share. Plus, as a platform focused on long-term, buy-and-hold investing strategies, Vanguard's trading platform isn't as feature-packed as many other traditional brokerages.
Our Brokerages Experts
By:Matt Frankel, CFP®
Writer, Analyst
Matt is a Certified Financial Planner™ and investment advisor based in Columbia, South Carolina. He writes personal finance and investment advice for The Ascent and its parent company The Motley Fool, with more than 4,500 published articles and a 2017 SABEW Best in Business award. Matt writes a weekly investment column ("Ask a Fool") that is syndicated in USA Today, and his work has been regularly featured on CNBC, Fox Business, MSN Money, and many other major outlets. He’s a graduate of the University of South Carolina and Nova Southeastern University, and holds a graduate certificate in financial planning from Florida State University.
By:Cole Tretheway
Cole Tretheway is a full-time personal finance writer whose articles have been featured on The Ascent and The Motley Fool. He has a degree in English with a Certificate in Professional and Technical Communication from California Polytechnic University, SLO.
Fact CheckedAshley Maready
Writer and Editor
Ashley Maready is a former history museum professional who made the leap to digital content writing and editing in 2021. She has a BA in History and Philosophy from Hood College and an MA in Applied History from Shippensburg University. Ashley loves creating content for the public and learning new things so she can teach others, whether it's information about salt mining, canal mules, or personal finance.
