Vanguard ETF fees & minimums | Vanguard (2024)

FAQs

Vanguard ETF fees & minimums | Vanguard? ›

Minimums & account balances

You can buy a Vanguard ETF for as little as $1.

Minimums & account balances

You can buy a Vanguard ETF for as little as $1.

Yes. All Vanguard clients have access to ETFs and mutual funds from other companies, as well as individual stocks, bonds, and CDs (certificates of deposit). And you'll pay $0 commission to trade ETFs and stocks online.

High and Low Ratios

A good expense ratio, from the investor's viewpoint, is around 0.5% to 0.75% for an actively managed portfolio. An expense ratio greater than 1.5% is considered high. The expense ratio for mutual funds is typically higher than expense ratios for ETFs. 2 This is because ETFs are passively managed.

Vanguard's mutual funds and ETFs aren't just low cost; they're significantly less expensive than the industry average. Vanguard's average expense ratio is 0.09%. The average expense ratio across all mutual funds and ETFs is 0.49%, according to an August 2021 study from investment researcher Morningstar.

Fidelity: Costs. Vanguard and Fidelity charge $0 commissions for online equity, options, and ETF trades for U.S.-based customers.

We'll waive the fee for all participants in the plan if at least one participant has at least $50,000 in qualifying Vanguard assets.

Is it better to buy Vanguard ETFs through Vanguard? ›

Do You Save Money If You Buy From Vanguard Directly? In many cases, buying and selling Vanguard funds directly through Vanguard is less expensive than making a purchase through a broker. That's because Vanguard has low to non-existent fees and commissions and most brokers charge commissions.

TD Ameritrade meets the needs of both active traders and beginner investors with quality trading platforms; $0 commissions on online stock and ETF trades; and a large selection of mutual funds.

ETF fees are accrued daily, which means they are reflected in the daily price of an ETF; however, the fees are typically deducted from fund assets on a monthly basis. From the investor's perspective, ETF fees are not directly paid like a monthly bill. Instead, they are reflected in a fund's net return.

ETF costs. In contrast to mutual funds, ETFs do not charge a load. ETFs are traded directly on an exchange and may be subject to brokerage commissions, which can vary depending on the firm, but generally are no higher than $20.

Fees are important because they can have a huge impact on your ultimate returns. A $100 investment that grows by 7% a year would be worth $197 in 10 years, without fees. Subtract a 1% annual fee, though, and the result is $179, meaning fund expenses have eaten up approximately 10% of your potential portfolio.

(ETFs don't have minimum initial investment requirements beyond the price of 1 share.) After you meet the minimum, you can typically add as little as $1 at a time to the same mutual fund.

Buffett bet that over 10 years, an S&P 500 index fund would outperform five actively managed hedge funds. His investment, the Vanguard 500 Index Fund Admiral Shares (NASDAQMUTFUND:VFIAX), not only won, but it trounced the competition -- earning returns of nearly 126% while the hedge funds averaged just 36%.

Bottom Line. Overall, Vanguard and Fidelity are both great choices for those interested in investing. They offer a wide range of investment options, low costs, and hands-off or active management depending on your preference. When it comes to index funds, Vanguard is hard to beat, with hundreds of low-cost options.

Fidelity and Vanguard both do a good job keeping costs fairly low, but Fidelity has a slight edge overall. Both brokers charge zero commission for stock and ETF trades, but Fidelity charges $0.65 per contract on options trades, while Vanguard charges $1 per contract for customers with less than $1 million in assets.

Market risk

The single biggest risk in ETFs is market risk. Like a mutual fund or a closed-end fund, ETFs are only an investment vehicle—a wrapper for their underlying investment. So if you buy an S&P 500 ETF and the S&P 500 goes down 50%, nothing about how cheap, tax efficient, or transparent an ETF is will help you.

How long should you hold an ETF? ›

Holding period:

If you hold ETF shares for one year or less, then gain is short-term capital gain. If you hold ETF shares for more than one year, then gain is long-term capital gain.

Bottom Line. ETF benefits, including simplicity, low expenses and tax efficiency, make ETFs a worthwhile investment for retirement. Popular types of ETFs for retirement include dividend ETFs, fixed-income ETFs and real estate ETFs.

In the last 30 Years, the Vanguard S&P 500 (VOO) ETF obtained a 9.73% compound annual return, with a 14.96% standard deviation. In 2022, the ETF granted a 1.37% dividend yield. If you are interested in getting periodic income, please refer to the Vanguard S&P 500 (VOO) ETF: Dividend Yield page.

Now is a great time to load up on quality ETFs.

The stock market has been rough this year, which can make it a daunting time to invest. But this volatility will pass, and over the long term, it's extremely likely the market will see positive average returns.

While Vanguard stands out with its suite of funds, the brokerage is more limited when it comes to other offerings. However, it does allow investors to trade individual stocks and bonds. Conversely, Fidelity allows clients to invest in individual stocks, bonds, ETFs, options, mutual funds and more.

Charles Schwab offers all the investments you'd expect from a large broker, including equities, bonds, futures, Forex, options, and access to cryptocurrency (through Bitcoin futures and funds only). Vanguard's offerings are comparatively limited, but they should be adequate for most buy-and-hold investors.

Online listed stock and ETF trades at Schwab are commission-free. Online options trades are $0.65 per contract. Service charges apply for automated phone trades ($5) and broker-assisted trades ($25) for stocks, ETFs, and Options.

Very few Vanguard funds charge fees when you buy and sell shares. The fees are designed to help those funds cover higher transaction costs and protect long-term investors by discouraging short-term, speculative trading. Fees vary from 0.25% to 1.00% of the amount of the transaction.

Account and advice fees

A $20 annual fee applies to each of your brokerage and mutual-fund-only accounts. SIMPLE IRAs, Individual 401(k)s, and Vanguard 529 Plan accounts have special account service fees.

What to invest $3,000 dollars in? ›

VTI vs VOO: The Verdict

If you like the name-brand recognition of the S&P 500 and want to stick to large-caps, then VOO might be the better option. If you don't mind some mid and small-cap exposure, then VTI could be a good pick. Investors can potentially also use both as tax-loss harvesting pairs.

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, VOO is a great option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend segment of the market.

Expense ratios. VOO and IVV boast the lowest management fee at 0.03%, about one-third of the SPY ETF. While the difference between a 0.03%, and 0.0945% expense ratio may seem trivial, such fees can really add up. For every $10,000 invested, these respective fees equal $3 and $9.45 annually.

There is nothing inherently risky with ETFs in general. However, because they trade like individual stocks, a skilled investor can actually implement investment strategies with added diversification, and therefore decreased risk, when used correctly.

Here are the best online brokers for ETF investing:

Fidelity Investments. TD Ameritrade. Vanguard Group. E-Trade Financial.

Vanguard is paid by the funds to provide administration and other services. If Vanguard ever did go bankrupt, the funds would not be affected and would simply hire another firm to provide these services.

There are 2 basic types of dividends issued to investors of ETFs: qualified and non-qualified dividends. If you own shares of an exchange-traded fund (ETF), you may receive distributions in the form of dividends. These may be paid monthly or at some other interval, depending on the ETF.

You'll typically pay a commission each time you buy or sell an ETF—but not always. Keep in mind, the smaller your investment and the more frequently you trade, the more impact these commissions will have on your bottom line.

How do I get out of paying ETF? ›

You would receive the total return of the ETF, minus the expenses. If the fund's total return (before expenses) during a year is 10.00%, and the expense ratio is 0.50%, the net return to you (after expenses) would be 9.50%. An expense ratio of 0.50% translates to expenses of $5 for every $1,000 you invest.

The end results: mutual fund shareholders end up paying income taxes on those distributions, and the fund company spends time handling transactions, increasing its operating expenses. Since the sale of ETF shares does not require the fund to liquidate its holdings, its expenses are lower.

Vanguard charges $0 for withdrawal. The withdrawal process is usually executed within 2 days. Vanguard is a reliable broker, regulated by at least one top-tier regulator. You can only withdraw funds to accounts in your name.

***Vanguard average ETF expense ratio: 0.05%. Industry average ETF expense ratio: 0.25%.

ETFs don't have minimum investment requirements -- at least not in the same sense that mutual funds do. However, ETFs trade on a per-share basis, so unless your broker offers the ability to buy fractional shares of stock, you'll need at least the current price of one share to get started.

What's the minimum investment? Because they trade like stocks, ETFs do not require a minimum initial investment and are purchased as whole shares. You can buy an ETF for the price of just one share, usually referred to as the ETF's "market price."

Vanguard's account minimum is $0, but keep in mind many mutual funds may require a minimum initial investment. Vanguard funds have minimums that start at $1,000.

CEFs do not have minimum investment requirements, if purchased on the secondary market. As long as an investor is willing to purchase a single share, an investor can buy into the fund.

For example, as of April 27, 2023, the minimum investment for VFIAX is $3,000, while there is no minimum investment for VOO.

How many ETFs should I own as a beginner? ›

The majority of individual investors should, however, seek to hold 5 to 10 ETFs that are diverse in terms of asset classes, regions, and other factors. Investors can diversify their investment portfolio across several industries and asset classes while maintaining simplicity by buying 5 to 10 ETFs.

There is no minimum amount required to begin investing in ETFs. All you need is enough to cover the price of one share and any associated commissions or fees.

$20 for each Vanguard mutual fund in each account. We'll waive the fee for all participants in the plan if at least one participant has at least $50,000 in qualifying Vanguard assets.

Minimum initial investment

$1,000 for Vanguard Target Retirement Funds and Vanguard STAR® Fund. $3,000 for most actively managed funds. Most Vanguard index funds no longer offer Investor Shares to new investors. For the few that do, most have $3,000 minimums.

The lowest price an inverse ETF can trade for is $0. If you short shares of an ETF, though, the price can go up indefinitely. You'll be on the hook to buy back shares at some point.

If you're looking for an easy solution to investing, ETFs can be an excellent choice. ETFs typically offer a diversified allocation to whatever you're investing in (stocks, bonds or both). You want to beat most investors, even the pros, with little effort.

ETFs carry more flexibility; they trade like stocks and can be bought and sold throughout the day. Mutual fund shares price only once per day, at the end of the trading day, but may benefit from economies of scale. While Vanguard fees are low in many of its products, ETFs tend to be more tax-efficient.