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.
BOSTON — The Schwab Charitable Fund is nipping at the heels of the Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program as the nation’s second-largest donor-advised fund.
TIAA-CREF wants to be a contender in the Section 529 college savings plan business — again.
Hedge fund shares fast are becoming an important source of new donations for the Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program.
Charles R. Schwab last week called the fundamental indexes underlying his company’s three newest mutual funds “a better mousetrap,” but The Vanguard Group Inc. and Barclays Global Investors smell a rat.
Passive investing is gaining favor among wealth managers, according to bankers, vendors and industry consultants.
SAN FRANCISCO — The days when registered investment advisers could remain as cloistered and mysterious to outsiders as a John Grisham-style law firm may be drawing to a close.
As exchange traded funds proliferate, ETF producers are getting more aggressive when it comes to pitching product.
A life insurer known mainly for its fixed annuities has thrown its hat into the variable annuity ring.
BOSTON — Municipal bonds — which finance projects such as roads and sewers — may not be the sexiest investments, but if investor inflows count for anything, OppenheimerFunds Inc.’s Rochester unit looks like Sophia Loren.
Buoyed by the firm’s popularity with financial advisers, net inflows at American Funds have dwarfed its competitors’ over the past five years.
The Vanguard Group Inc., which long has espoused the virtues of buy-and-hold investing, is encouraging hedge funds — which rank among the most frenetic of investors — to invest in its exchange traded funds.
PHILADELPHIA — As part of its ongoing efforts to appeal to financial advisers, The Vanguard Group Inc. has added several features to its adviser website.
PHILADELPHIA — Real estate investment trusts have outperformed the broad market for seven years, so it isn’t surprising that exchange traded fund providers want in on the action.
PHILADELPHIA — When it comes to new indexes, those that eschew weightings based on market capitalization are all the rage.
