Vanguard is my favorite investment company, so I might be a little biased in this review. I trust them with over a half million of my own dollars. It’s nearly impossible to beat their low investment fees in their mutual fund and ETF lineup.
Vanguard Personal Advisor Services builds on the Vanguard reputation of delivering low-fee investment products by offering a full-service investment management relationship for a bargain of 0.30% in annual fees. Given the low cost of the underlying Vanguard funds in their recommended portfolios, the full-service Personal Advisor Services total management fees will come in around 0.50% or less.
That’s an amazingly low total fee that compares favorably against most actively managed mutual funds that don’t come with a personal advisor or investment management services.
Would I recommend this service to others? Yes! If you need hand-holding with your investments, Vanguard Personal Advisor Services is a compelling new entry in the money management field. The fees are straightforward and advisors don’t have vested interests in up-selling you on expensive and unnecessary financial products just to make a few more bucks on commissions.
Because of this, I give Vanguard Personal Advisor Services 8 out of 10 stars. The missing stars come down to the fact that you are still paying a 0.30% fee for advice each year (other robo advisors are somewhat cheaper) and the lack of tax-loss harvesting. For professional money management, a 0.30% annual fee is still very competitive, the Vanguard name is trusted, and the service offering looks solid, hence the 8-star rating.
