Office address: 100 Vanguard Blvd Valley Forge, PA 19482
Website: www.vanguard.com
Year established: 1975
Company type: investment advisor firm
Employees: 20,000+
Expertise: mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, asset management, sub-advisory services, finance, investment management, technology, IT, healthcare, employee wellness, sustainability, ESG, human resources, talent management
Parent company: N/A
Key people: Salim Ramji (CEO), Greg Davis (president), Matthew Benchener (MD), Joseph Brennan (CRO), Lauren Valente (CHRO), Michael Rollings (CFO), Nitin Tandon (CIO)
Financing status: N/A
The Vanguard Group, based in Pennsylvania, offers investments, advice, and retirement services to over 50 million investors. Owned by its member funds and their shareholders, Vanguard serves individual investors, institutions, and financial professionals worldwide. With over 20,000 employees and $9.3 trillion in assets as of May 2024, the company operates globally, providing a broad range of financial services.
The Vanguard Group was founded in 1975 by John C. Bogle to create an investor-owned mutual fund company focused on long-term value. Their origins go back to the Wellington Fund, launched in 1929 by Wellington Management, which later became part of Vanguard. In 1976, Vanguard introduced the first index mutual fund, revolutionizing low-cost investing.
The company expanded in the 1990s, opening offices in Arizona and North Carolina, and its first international office in Australia in 1996. In 2001, the firm launched ETFs, offering affordable access to index funds, and in 2015 introduced Personal Advisor Services for tailored advice. The Vanguard Group joined the World Economic Forum's Global Parity Alliance to advance DEI in 2022 and appointed their first outsider CEO in 2024. (Vanguard was previously known for promoting from within its ranks.)
Vanguard offers a wide range of investment products and services designed to meet the diverse needs of its clients. Key offerings include:
The Vanguard Group’s mission is to provide low-cost, client-focused products that support long-term financial goals. From advice to investments, the company emphasizes clear insights and a commitment to helping clients succeed.
The Vanguard Group fosters a culture of participation, inclusion, and innovation, where diverse teams thrive and new ideas are encouraged. The company offers opportunities for professional development and recognizes individual contributions.
Vanguard supports long-term employee success with a comprehensive rewards package that includes these benefits:
The company’s sustainability efforts include reducing its carbon footprint and managing climate-related risks through a comprehensive strategy. It aims to minimize its environmental impact by reducing emissions, electricity and water usage, and diverting waste from landfills by 2025. The Vanguard Group also engages its employees in these efforts and pursues sustainable business practices:
The Vanguard Group is committed to creating an inclusive workplace where employees can thrive and contribute. The company has expanded its DEI efforts with stronger processes and accountability. Vanguard also promotes equity within its community, supply chain, and client services through:
Vanguard focuses on supporting the communities where its employees and clients live, prioritizing early childhood development and financial well-being. The company works with nonprofit and corporate leaders to address key community needs. Their philanthropic efforts reflect its long-term mission to create lasting, positive impacts.
Salim Ramji was appointed CEO of Vanguard in 2024. He has held leadership roles throughout his 25 years of experience, including:
Ramji holds a BA in economics and politics from the University of Toronto and an MA in law from the University of Cambridge.
These are some of the key leaders overseeing The Vanguard Group divisions and their specific responsibilities:
The Vanguard Group is expanding its fixed-income offerings by introducing two new actively managed municipal bond ETFs, focusing on tax-exempt investments. These funds aim to offer low-cost, diversified exposure to high-quality municipal bonds, appealing to investors seeking stability and long-term growth. This move strengthens Vanguard's position in the fixed-income ETF market, complementing its existing lineup of municipal bond products.
Vanguard Charitable recently achieved a major milestone in its support for nonprofit organizations since its founding in 1997. This achievement highlights the growing role of donor-advised funds, which help donors support charitable causes over time. By facilitating philanthropy, The Vanguard Group continues to advance its mission of maximizing donors' impact and expanding its influence in the charitable sector.
If timing is everything, the mutual fund industry couldn't have picked a worse time to launch managed- payout funds.
Vanguard CEO McNabb warns against the regulation of futures. For McNLeverage is the real issue, he says
Exchange-traded commodities funds will evolve and prosper, despite having drawn the attention of regulators concerned that they may have helped fuel a run-up in oil and natural-gas prices, according to a panelist at the <i>InvestmentNews</i> ETF Insights virtual conference last week.
Utah announced modifications to its Section 529 college savings plan today, including lower fees on some investment options and more flexibility in asset allocation.
High on the mutual fund industry's “to do” list is defeating legislation that would impose a $150 billion-per-year tax on securities transactions.
Despite the market rebound, investors are continuing to pour money into bond funds, causing a number of asset managers and financial advisers to make sure that their clients are diversifying their fixed-income holdings.
John Bogle, founder of The Vanguard Group Inc., is being challenged to put his money where his mouth is with regard to index-based investing.
Morningstar Inc. last week launched ratings and research reports for 20 of the largest target date mutual funds — and identified The Vanguard Group Inc. as the best target date provider for investors, based on such criteria as management, fees and performance.
More-restrictive investment advice regulations are coming now that the Labor Department has killed a controversial Bush administration proposal that would have permitted the mutual fund industry to provide direct investment advice to defined contribution plan participants.
Rather than focusing on past deficiencies in target date funds, the Senate Special Committee on Aging's recent hearing on the funds focused on how they can be turned around quickly.
Providers of 401(k) plans have lambasted a critical article published Oct. 9 in Time magazine denouncing the 401(k) system.
With The Vanguard Group Inc. on its heels, Pacific Investment Management Co. LLC today launched new actively managed exchange-traded funds.
Now that exchange-traded funds can come to market with relatively little fuss, providers are readying to launch emerging-markets ETFs in what industry observers call an ill-advised attempt to jump on the latest trend.
Fidelity Investments experienced outflows in its long-term mutual funds in October — the first time the fund behemoth has seen net outflows in months.
