Advised investors reclaim serenity and time, Vanguard research finds

Vanguard is expanding the case for financial advice beyond investment performance with new research quantifying the emotional and time-related benefits clients experience when working with an advisor.

The firm’s “Emotional & Time Value of Advice” survey, released Monday, shows that investors who receive professional guidance – whether from human advisors or digital platforms – report significantly lower levels of financial stress and gain time back in their weekly schedules. These benefits, Vanguard suggests, can be just as critical to client well-being as portfolio returns or tax efficiency.

“This research reinforces what we’ve long believed: the value of advice is multidimensional,” Joanna Rotenberg, managing director of Vanguard Advice & Wealth Management, said in a statement revealing the findings. “Peace of mind – knowing you’ve made a sound financial decision that keeps your goals on track – and saving time while doing so are truly invaluable.”

According to the survey of more than 12,000 Vanguard clients, 86% of advised investors reported greater peace of mind, and 76% said advice saved them time – most typically two hours per week. 

Beyond portfolio construction tasks, half of the time savings reportedly came from increased trust in the advisor and peace of mind. And while only 38% of clients Vanguard surveyed initially sought advice to save time, twice that number later reported that time savings was a significant benefit.

Tellingly, investors working with human advisors were more likely than digital clients to experience emotional benefits, with 88% of those in human-advised relationships reporting increased peace of mind. Nearly 80% of human-advised clients also said they feel less anxious, overwhelmed or worried since receiving advice.

Beyond self-reported satisfaction, the research found measurable differences in behavior and stress levels. Advised clients were about half as likely to experience high levels of financial stress (14%) compared with self-directed investors (27%). Even among clients with similar stress levels, those with advice spent less time thinking about money each week, suggesting a psychological buffer tied to delegation and trust.

In its own 2025 Planning & Progress Study, Northwestern Mutual found 69% of Americans go through depression and anxiety from financial uncertainty, marking an 8-percentage point rise from 2023. Gen Z and millennials were the hardest hit, with four-tenths of both cohorts (39% of Gen Z and 38% of millennials) saying they experience those feelings at least once a week.

The Vanguard survey also points to benefits for employers, highlighting the impact of advice in workplace productivity. Among advised clients who reported financial stress, the average time lost to stress-related distractions was 1.8 fewer hours per week than for their non-advised counterparts. Vanguard estimated this translated to an annual productivity gain of up to $5,850 per employee.

“Understanding the emotional and time value of advice is essential to advancing how we serve investors,” said Paulo Costa, Vanguard senior behavioral economist. “It’s not just about dollars and cents; it’s about confidence, clarity, and life well-being.”