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.
The Vanguard Group Inc. today said it has added AXA Rosenberg Investment Management LLC to the advisory teams of the $12.8 billion Vanguard Explorer Fund and the $1.6 billion Vanguard U.S. Value Fund.
In an effort to catch industry leader Barclays Global Investors, State Street Global Advisors has raised the wholesalers’ compensation for effecting the sale of exchange traded funds and lowered the amount it pays for effecting sales of its mutual funds and separately managed accounts.
BOSTON — Thanks to a banner year on Wall Street, the 2006 bonus increase for employees at The Vanguard Group Inc. could be the biggest in more than a decade.
NEW YORK — Although institutional investors have hopped on the socially conscious investing bandwagon, individual investors may be wondering whether it really pays to allow their conscience to dictate their investment strategies.
PHILADELPHIA — When it comes to voting their proxies in elections for corporate directors, mutual fund companies prefer not to stand out from the crowd.
The Vanguard Group Inc. announced it filed a registration statement with the SEC for its fifth international exchange traded fund.
As the Department of Labor considers improving fee disclosure to retirement plan participants, some vendors and advisers are racing to offer more information to 401(k) participants, while most are content to wait for a directive.
Industry leaders eagerly are awaiting a proposal that would allow mutual funds to provide a two-page prospectus in lieu of the lengthy one now required, a concept that could save millions of dollars in costs.
LONDON — The first active exchange traded funds might be introduced in the United States within the next three to six months, according to sources close to negotiations between the Securities and Exchange Commission and Bear Stearns Asset Management Inc. of New York.
The Vanguard Group Inc. of Malvern, Pa., has registered to offer an actively managed exchange fund, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Increasingly popular target date funds may be missing the mark because they are too narrowly constructed and make incorrect assumptions about participant behavior, according to industry insiders and new research.
BOSTON — Sen. Barack Obama took in at least $49,185 from employees of the 20-largest U.S. mutual fund groups and related companies in the first quarter, more than any other 2008 presidential candidate.
PHILADELPHIA — It is a message he has delivered many times before, but industry experts said John C. Bogle’s continued assertion that bond funds on average are too expensive deserves special attention in the current market.
The Vanguard Group Inc. today said it plans to simplify its account fees, and will also offer ways for investors to avoid them entirely.
The Financial Planning Association is hoping that the U.S. Court of Appeals ruling overturning the broker-dealer exemption rule will jump-start the trade group’s initiative to reach out to large financial services firms.
