I agree with almost everything said in the other reviews.
This Vanguard...
Vanguard
Founded by the investment industry pioneer John Bogle, Vanguard is one of the world's largest investment management companies. Vanguard's mission is to help clients reach their financial goals by being the world's highest-value provider of investment products and services. Vanguard offers services to personal investors, institutional investors and financial advisors.
Overall, the company provides access to mutual funds, ETFs, securities and equities, financial management planning, retirement planning, college savings options, and premium services catered to high, net-valued customers.
Vanguard also offers annuity products. High level descriptions of select product categories include:
1) Mutual Funds: Diversified investments under the manage of Vanguard; categorized into Vanguard Funds and Core Funds.
2) ETFs, Securities, and Equities: Clients are allowed access to Vanguard's exchange-traded funds, thousands of stocks and bonds and cds, options, and investments on margin.
3) 401(k) Rollover: Offers services in transitioning from previous company to Vanguard's oversight. Vanguard specialists provide aid via phone.
4) IRAs: Vanguard offers both Traditional and Roth IRAs, both of which require a minimum of $3,000 in initial contributions in order to qualify under Vanguard's policies.
5) 529 College Savings Options: The company's College Savings Options include tax-deferred growth and tax-free qualified withdrawals, with many state plans providing state income tax benefits as well. Other benefits are: higher contribution limits, no income boundaries for account owners or age restrictions for beneficiaries, a range of investment options, and almost no restrictions on where the child goes to college.
6) Personal Services: Personal Services include Concierge Services for new accounts or 401(k) rollovers, Flagship Services for investors with $1 million or more in Vanguard mutual funds and ETFs and Voyager Services for investors with $50,000 to $500,000 in Vanguard mutual funds and ETFs.
| Vanguard Product Reviews |
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Product Review of Vanguard Variable Annuity
The Vanguard variable annuity comes with an optional guaranteed lifetime... Product Review of Vanguard Variable Annuity
Very few people know what an annuity is.
Even fewer people know how annuities... Product Review of Vanguard Variable Annuity
Most annuities come with something referred to as a surrender charge.... |
| Products Offered |
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| General Information | |
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| Website | http://www.vanguard.com |
| Type | Asset Management |
| Founded | 1975 |
| Ownership | Private |
| Country | USA |
| Contact Information | |
|---|---|
| Address | PO Box 2600 Valley Forge, PA 19482 |
| Phone | 877-662-7447 |
| Fax | |
Information & Articles about Vanguard
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What are older investors to do right now?
Tough questions for both investors and their advisors. There are some good thoughts and discussions shared in a recent New York Times article. John Bogle comments on asset allocation decisions and decisions about getting back into the market as an older investor:
Several financial advisors provide their comments. A common and fundamental theme is that the old rules and approaches to investment decision making for retirees and near retirees may no longer apply in a post financial crisis environment. Source: New York Times |
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Vanguard founder John Bogle suggests that buy and hold investing is not dead. Similar to Warren Buffett, Bogle's preferred time horizon for equity investments is forever. Bogle urges caution for anyone who is thinking of investing in equity market with a time horizon of less than 10 years--which, by the way, would include almost all people who are approacing or in retirement:
Source: Motley Fool |
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There is in fact a study from Professor David Babbel that compares the performance of fixed indexed annuities to portfolios of stocks and bonds and it is fascinating.
The study compares the performance of two fixed indexed annuities (FIA) to the following alternative investments:
While certainly not representative of all asset classes, the alternatives do provide a proxy for broad market performance.
The two fixed indexed annuities have terms of 9 years and 14 years. Both FIAs have similar issue dates on or around January 1995.
Again, the results are eye opening with the fixed indexed annuities outperforming—in terms of annualized returns and terminal wealth—the alternative investments over every time period. In some instances the outperformance is dramatic. The impact of starting dates for the investment portfolios and the subsequent sequence of returns risk is especially noticeable.
I will be communicating some of the study features over the next several days. There is an accompanying lecture that I first need to digest.
It is important to note that the study is strictly academic and is not intended to be used in any form as a marketing tool. The study is a result of the collaborative efforts of Professor David Babbel, Dr. Miguel Herce, and Dr. Kabir Dutta. The results were initially communicated in November, 2008 at an Ibbotson Associates / IFID Centre conference. |
While efforts are made to keep information on this page accurate and updated, the information shown on this page may be variable or out of date. Always check the issuing company's website or other public data listings for the latest information applicable to you as actual information may vary.
