I had a 403b plan from a previous employer as well as a pension plan from another different employer that were just sitting in their respective accounts without any real growth. I transferred both accounts over to a traditional IRA provided by Vanguard. I was pleased with the transfer process. At one point a concierge from Vanguard made a three way call with me and with Tiaa-Creff holder of my 403b plan to facilitate the process. I am very new to utilizing the market and buying stock, etf's, and bonds but Vanguard makes the process very easy. I do all my transactions online and deposit via deposit slips that were provided to me from Vanguard. Their fees are also one of the lowest that I saw for this kind of service.

mesentary

Lynwood, CA

I have to close out my 401k because of medical reasons i told the reps that i wanted to close out my account they said for what i said because of medical bills and they will stick in to collections. They said ok they told me to print off my paper work and mail back i did with a copy of my medical bill from the family dr i had they mailed me a copy of my bill so i can mail into Vanguard.I did and it was not good enough i had a call 2 days before release of my money telling me the IRS need more information. i called the IRS about my 401 k with draw for the penalty to get information they told me what i needed to know. I told the Vanguard reps that they gotten nasty with me on the phone telling me the IRS needs to know i said the HIPAA act prevents you from knowing person health records the proof is on my bill i owe they told me then it is going to the review board i am like what they said they will decide if i get my money or they will hold on to it i told her then fine i will cancel my 401k completely the woman said no no i will see what i can do i am like look this is money i made from working i need that money to pay medical bills i am diabetic the woman said then it is not my problem you had poor health decisions. I told her to off at the end of the conversation. Screw that. I will pay the penalties i know how much i need to pay i am not worried about that what i am worried about is collections of medical bills that needs to be paid i think vanguard is the worst company yet they are rude and heartless for sure..They claim they need to know they need to know nothing basically the IRS told me over the phone the penalty rate and i said ok to that they told me also at the end of the tax year to keep record and take it to my tax accountant i do my own taxes so i know what i need to do the morons at Vanguard said that the IRS is misinformed. I was like it is the IRS they are not misinformed your not doing your job right. I filed hardship for one reason to pay bills of my medical not to blow it what morons..

Jamesstauffer

USA

Vanguard has been a great company which I use for my IRAs.  In fact, I appreciate their service so much I started my kids with Vanguard IRAs when they were 18.  We have all been able to build our Retirement accounts over the years.  Their service is very easy to use.  You can invest as little or as much as you want.  It has worked well for me.

fjm191

Coatesville, PA

I am simply trying to do a name change on my account and it's been over 3 weeks and it still hasn't happened. Even though they walked me through the forms, line by line, every single day I call to check on it and they've found something else that was filled out incorrectly or another form that need to be notarized and sent overnight mail. I'm up to 4 overnight mail costs! With the exception of 3 males I've spoken to, the boys are you and completely snotty. I guess I should have had them cut me a check for all of the money I had invested with them and start over. It's now at the point of harassment.

dlh98004

Bellevue, WA

So many mutual funds out there with hidden fees.  It is hard to find anyone who is upfront with their charges. Vanguard consistently charges lower fees and above the average returns.  Can't beat that!

viewpointsSherry

Sugar Land, TX

I opened an account today and got online access. I wanted to change my username and had to call to arrange this. The representative told me they would have to delete my online registration and I would have to start over. I said fine. They deleted my online account and then I tried to reregister as required. Got an error message saying I needed to call to get access to my account. I called again and they told me that I would not be able to reregister my online account because I had an old 401k that included a Vanguard fund and that the address on that account was different from my current address. The accounts had to be linked before I could register online again. They said the 401k representatives would be back on Monday and that I should call back then. At that point it would take another 1-2 days before I could get online access. Each time I called, the representative asked for my SSN, then proceeded to help me, followed by asking for my birthdate, then helped me some more, then asked for the answers to my security questions. It made me very uncomfortable to be giving out this information so many times. But they said they couldn't help me until I verified all the information. If it was required information, why didn't they ask all the questions up front before doing anything? It is ridiculous how poor the system is that it's this difficult to do such a simple thing as changing a username. I have no confidence that my experience will improve after this issue is resolved. This is my first day as a new Vanguard customer and I am appalled that I won't have access to my account for 2 days. I plan to close my account as soon as possible and take my money back to Fidelity. I hope this doesn't involve another round of phone calls taking up several hours. This was one of the most frustrating experiences I have ever had with any service, not just related to financial transactions, but ANY service, including auto repair. Never again. Stay away.

tbperit

San Bruno, CA

I have been with Vanguard since 2003. Their online account sign up was difficult so they sent me printed application. Two years ago, I wanted to transfer my IRA to them and after botched paperwork (needed signatures from my other custodian) and nearly a month, I was able to get my IRA transferred. They put a hold of 10 days on my account, during which I could not do anything except view my portfolio. Last week, I wanted to open a brokerage account and after 3 tries, succeeded. After funding it via electronic transfer and logging off, tried to log back in later to check the pending transaction. Guess what? Been locked out of my brokerage account since 3/10 and by the time I get home, their tech support is gone by 7pm. On top of that, the broker who took my call for help told me to take my business elsewhere if I was not happy! This was the push I needed to move my assets from this very poor customer service environment. Goodbye Vanguard :(

Dilbert1

Columbus, OH

I am a current account holder and wanted to open a brokerage account with exactly the same account information as my existing account. Sounds easy, right? The zip code which is correct and perfectly acceptable to them on the page with my name is invalid on the page with my husband's name. The whole process cannot be completed on-line because they have some really stupid programming error. I would like to like these people, because cheap is good, but if they can't manage this simple task, what other hidden problems are in their computer systems?

Adrian7770

Santa Clara, CA

After hearing a lot about VG and fidelity I thought opening an IRA account with VG but gave up after a few try Why I gave up 1) to open the account they ask for 3 things **Account owner information.** Supply each owner's name, birth date, Social Security  but when you fill this and hit continue you get an error! How difficult that can be. I checked my entry 4 times no success. I have almost 20 on-line accounts (banks and investment included so I know what I am doing)  For most Vanguard funds, a minimum initial investment of $3,000 per fund to open a Vanguard IRA®. Most firm allow opening IRA account with as little as $500. With minimum requirement of $3000 to open an account I find their claim of 'invest as little' base less..sorry

DR-PILANI

Omaha, NE

Vanguard has always been so wonderful to work with, well except once, but let's stick to the rule and not the exceptions. I opened my Roth IRA when I was 18 with Vanguard. That was 13 years ago. I have continued to invest with Vanguard and not looked back. I recommend Vanguard to all of my friends. If they could get me going and set up at 18, then they can get anyone investing. I have a SEP IRA, Roth IRA, and Money Market fund with Vanguard. My work allows me to pick from five investment companies and Vanguard is one. Their fees are by far the lowest and their returns are top notch.  I will continue to use Vanguard and anticipate long term success with their company and product. I am excited to continue investing in them with my work 401k. If you aren't investing with Vanguard, make the switch. Their website and tips are also great, easy to use, and helpful. I often read their articles and learn a lot.

maroonaz

Durham, NC