Vanguard’s personal-investor site is where a U.S. resident opens a brokerage account or IRA. The same brand also administers workplace plans. If your money is in a plan through your job, start there. Opening a new personal account does not move a 401(k) by itself.
Vanguard’s style of account is built around holding funds and ETFs. The application still requires identity information, and support for a personal account is the 877 number, not the employer-plan number.
Personal-investor phone hours are weekdays. Employer-plan participants use a different number and website from retail investors.
What to have ready
- Legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, and U.S. mailing and residential addresses.
- Email and phone, plus employment and income information on Vanguard’s form.
- A choice of taxable brokerage account or IRA.
- Bank linking information entered on Vanguard’s site when you are ready to invest.
- Your plan login if the account is an employer retirement plan.
Create the account
- 01
Start at investor.vanguard.com
Choose the personal account type. Have your identification information ready. Submit it only on Vanguard’s form.
- 02
Expect a fund-oriented setup
Vanguard may ask how you want to hold settlement cash and which kind of account registration you need. Joint accounts need the other owner’s details and consent.
- 03
Fund by bank transfer
After the account exists, link a bank from inside the account. Mutual-fund purchases can take a business day to receive a price. The confirmation will show the price you received.
- 04
Call the personal line if the application stalls
Use 877-662-7447 on a weekday if Vanguard asks for more identity documents. Have those documents ready. Do not email images of your ID to Northline.
How to invest once the account is funded
- 01
Decide fund or ETF before you click buy
A Vanguard mutual fund and a Vanguard ETF can track a similar index and still trade differently. Mutual funds generally price once a day. ETFs trade through the day like a stock.
- 02
Place the trade in the brokerage account
Use Vanguard’s trade screen, enter the fund or ticker, and review the minimum investment if one is shown. Submit only after the preview matches the account you intended.
- 03
Revisit contributions separately
An automatic investment plan is a standing instruction you set up. It is not the same button as a one-time trade. Read the start date before you confirm it.
How to reach Vanguard and open a ticket
The steps below create a case with Vanguard. They are not the same as a Northline support ticket. Use Vanguard when the money or the login is theirs. Use Northline when you want the path explained first.
- 01
Call the line for your account type
Personal brokerage and IRA: 877-662-7447 on weekdays. Employer plan: 800-523-1188. Using the wrong line costs time because the representative may not see that account.
- 02
Send a secure message from inside the account
Log in and use Vanguard’s message or document upload for statements, transfer paperwork, and non-urgent questions. Keep a copy of what you sent.
- 03
Give them a single request
State the account type, the date of the transaction, and what you want reviewed. Ask for a case number. Vanguard will not treat a Northline form as their case.
Questions about this firm
Why can’t I reach Vanguard on Saturday?
The personal-investor hours Vanguard publishes are weekdays, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern. The markets are also closed on Saturday.
Is my 401(k) the same login as a new Vanguard brokerage account?
Often no. Employer plans use the participant site and the 800-523-1188 line. A retail account is opened separately.
Can you move my old 401(k) into Vanguard?
Rollovers are processed by the plan and by Vanguard. We can outline the usual paperwork. We cannot submit it or choose the investments inside the IRA.