Vanguard Digital Advisor review
- Minimum deposit
- $3,000
Our verdict
Vanguard Digital Advisor is an add-on robo-advisor feature available to Vanguard Brokerage Account customers with at least $3,000.Consider Vanguard Digital Advisor if you want a competitively-priced robo-advisor that invests in more than just ETFs. Look elsewhere if you want a robo-advisor with no account minimums.
Best for: Hands-off investors and existing Vanguard Brokerage Account customers.
Pros
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Invest in ETFs and mutual funds.
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No advisory fees for first 90 days.
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No penalty for unenrolling.
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Available for individual and retirement accounts.
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Competitive advisory fees.
Cons
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Need a minimum of $3,000 in a Vanguard Brokerage Account to be eligible.
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Vanguard Brokerage Accounts with certain investments are ineligible for digital advisory.
| Fees | ★★★★★ | No advisory fee for 90 days, then 0.20%–0.25% in annual advisory fees. |
| Available securities | ★★★★★ | ETFs and mutual funds. |
| Customer support | ★★★★★ | Two ways to reach customer support, and fast response times. |
| Mobile app | ★★★★★ | The mobile app is better received among Apple users, but glitches are a common complaint. |
| Research and tools | No resources or tools specific to Vanguard Digital Advisors. | |
| Reliability | ★★★★★ | No major outages have been reported. |
To learn how our star ratings are calculated, read our methodology at the bottom of the page.
Vanguard Digital Advisor is best for hands-off investors
As a robo-advisor, Vanguard Digital Advisor makes the most sense if you don’t want to manage your own investments. After a short questionnaire to establish your investment goals and risk tolerance, Vanguard Digital Advisor builds you a portfolio of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and mutual funds, monitors your investments and rebalances your portfolio when needed.
What you can trade on Vanguard Digital Advisor
- ETFs
- Mutual funds
Account types available with Vanguard Digital Advisor
- Individual
- Retirement
- Joint
- 401k
Where Vanguard Digital Advisor shines
Unlike most other robo-advisors, Vanguard Digital Advisor offers mutual fund investing in addition to ETFs, giving you more options invest your money. Vanguard Digital Advisor is also competitively priced, offering a lower-cost index-based portfolio for 0.20% in annual advisory fees and an active portfolio option for 0.25% in annual advisory fees. Price-wise, this puts Vanguard Digital Advisor on par with robo-advisors Wealthfront and Betterment, which both charge an annual advisory fee of 0.25%. Plus, Vanguard Digital Advisor offers a 90-day trial free of management fees.
Where Vanguard Digital Advisor falls short
Vanguard Digital Advisor is only available if you have a Vanguard Brokerage Account with a balance of at least $3,000. This is steep, considering most other robo-advisors have no such minimum balance requirement. That entire $3,000 balance is also limited to certain investment types. Any Vanguard Brokerage Account with non-Vanguard mutual funds, individual bonds, securities traded on international exchanges, preferred stocks, penny stocks, illiquid stocks and options will be ineligible to enroll.Vanguard Digital Advisor’s fees
| Minimum deposit | $3,000 |
| Annual fee | No advisory fees for 90 days, then 0.20%–0.25% |
| Trade fees | $0 |
| Inactivity fee | $0 |
| Outgoing account transfer fee | $0 |
Is Vanguard Digital Advisor legit?
Yes, Vanguard Digital Advisor is a legitimate advisory service offered by Vanguard Brokerage Services, member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC).
Vanguard Digital Advisor’s platform is easy to use
The Vanguard Digital Advisor platform is simple by design, spotlighting the performance of your portfolio first and foremost. Easily create and track investing goals, deposit or withdrawal funds and review your account’s activity log to see how Vanguard Digital Advisor is investing your money.
Vanguard’s app store reviews
| Google Play app reviews | 2/5 stars based on over 8,150 reviews |
| Apple App Store app reviews | 4.7/5 stars based on over 170,000 ratings |
Vanguard Digital Advisor’s customer support
Connect with Vanguard customer support in two ways:
- Phone
- Secure message
How to open an account with Vanguard Digital Advisor
- Click the Sign up now button below and click Get started.
- Select Create an account and then Continue.
- Complete your application by providing personal information such as your name, date of birth and Social Security number. Choose a username and password and agree to Vanguard’s terms and conditions. Then, complete your investor profile.
Eligibility and required information
- At least 18 years old
- Valid phone number and residential and email address
- Valid Social Security number
- Vanguard Brokerage Account with a balance of at least $3,000
- Not be enrolled in any other Vanguard advice services
How safe is Vanguard Digital Advisor?
Vanguard Digital Advisor is considered safe and secure. Vanguard employs various security features to keep customer accounts and information safe, including encryption, account activity alerts and user authentication questions.Compare Vanguard Digital Advisor to other platforms
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Frequently asked questions about Vanguard Digital Advisor
How we rate trading platforms
★★★★★ 5/5 — Excellent
★★★★★ 4/5 — Good
★★★★★ 3/5 — Average
★★★★★ 2/5 — Subpar
★★★★★ 1/5 — Poor
We analyze top online trading platforms and rate them one to five stars based on factors that are most important to you. These factors include fees, securities available for trade, customer support, customer feedback, platform resources and overall reliability.
For a complete breakdown of how we score each category, read the full methodology of how we rate trading platforms.
Frequently asked questions
Your reviews
Matt Finder
Editor, Investments
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