Overview of Vanguard fees and charges
It's safe to say that Vanguard's fees are low in general. They either don't charge a brokerage fee for things other brokers do charge for, or they only charge a small amount. This means that you can use Vanguard even in case you trade frequently like multiple times a week or daily.
Here's a high level overview of Vanguard's fees
| Assets | Fee level | Fee terms |
|---|---|---|
| US stock fee | Low | Commission-free |
| EURUSD fee | - | Not available |
| US tech fund fee | High | $20 per trade if investment is less than $500k, but Vanguard funds and 3000 other funds are free |
| Inactivity fee | Low | No inactivity fee |
Vanguard fees
Vanguard fees explained
We compare Vanguard fees with its closest competitors, J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing and Ally Invest.
Vanguard fees
Vanguard trading fees
Vanguard's trading fees are low which makes it suitable for you even if you trade often (i.e. multiple times a week).
Let's break down the trading fees into the different asset classes available at Vanguard.
Trading fees
Vanguard's trading fees are low.
Stock fees and ETF fees
Vanguard has low stock trading fees.
| Vanguard | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing | Ally Invest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US stock | $0.0 | $0.0 | $0.0 |
| UK stock | - | - | - |
| German stock | - | - | - |
Fund fees
Vanguard fund fees are high.
| Vanguard | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing | Ally Invest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mutual fund | $20.0 | $0.0 | $10.0 |
| EU mutual fund | - | - | - |
Bond fees
Vanguard has low bond fees.
| Vanguard | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing | Ally Invest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Treasury bond | $0.0 | $0.0 | $10.0 |
| EU government bond | - | - | - |
Options fees
Vanguard's options fees are low.
| Vanguard | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing | Ally Invest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US stock index options | $10.0 | $6.5 | $5.0 |
| UK stock index options | - | - | - |
| German stock index options | - | - | - |
Financing rates
Vanguard financing rates are .
If you want to trade on margin and prefer to hold your positions long, financing costs can be significant.
| Vanguard | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing | Ally Invest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple CFD financing rate | - | - | - |
| Vodafone CFD financing rate | - | - | - |
| EURUSD financing rate | - | - | - |
| EURGBP financing rate | - | - | - |
Leverage is a double-edged sword and can dramatically amplify your profits. It can also just as dramatically amplify your losses. Trading foreign exchange/CFDs with any level of leverage may not be suitable for all investors.
Vanguard fees
Vanguard non-trading fees
When it comes to looking at all the non-trading fees Vanguard is a cheap broker. This means that they don't charge you a lot for non-trading related activities on your trading account, like withdrawal fee.
Non-trading fees include various brokerage fees and charges at Vanguard that you pay not related to buying and selling assets. Among some others, typical non trading fees are withdrawal fee, deposit fee, inactivity fee and account fee.
| Vanguard | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing | Ally Invest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Withdrawal fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Deposit fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Inactivity fee | No | No | No |
| Account fee | No | No | No |
Vanguard fees
Vanguard deposit fee
Deposit fees are applied when you send money to your trading account from your bank account. Usually brokers don't charge money for that and Vanguard is not different: you will see the exact same amount on your brokerage account that you sent by any of the deposit methods Vanguard offers.
| Vanguard | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing | Ally Invest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Credit/debit card | No | No | No |
| Electronic wallets | No | No | No |
| Deposit fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Vanguard fees
Vanguard withdrawal fee
Unlike some online brokers we have reviewed Vanguard does not charge a withdrawal fee. This means that you'll see the same amount of money on your bank account that you transferred from your brokerage account.
| Vanguard | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing | Ally Invest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Credit/debit card | No | No | No |
| Electronic wallets | No | No | No |
| Withdrawal fee with bank transfer | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Vanguard fees
Vanguard inactivity fee
Vanguard does not apply an inactivity fee which is great because your account will not be charged even if you do not trade for a longer time period (months or years).
