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Vanguard minimum deposit

Your expert
Adam N.
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1w ago
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Does Vanguard have a minimum deposit requirement?

Are you looking to open an account at Vanguard, but have only limited funds to invest? Wondering whether Vanguard requires a minimum deposit to start trading?

The good news is that Vanguard has no minimum deposit requirement, so you can easily start trading with as little money as you wish.

No minimum deposit at Vanguard makes it easy to start trading
Adam
Adam Nasli
Trading • Safety • Market Analysis

Together with my brokerage analyst colleagues, I have thoroughly tested the services of Vanguard by opening a real-money account. Here's what you need to know about depositing at Vanguard as of October 2024:

  • The minimum deposit at Vanguard is $0 - a great feature.
  • The only available base currency is USD.
  • You can only deposit your funds via bank transfer but there's no deposit fee.
  • Depositing money at Vanguard is an easy process.

  • For detailed conditions, explore our comprehensive Vanguard review.

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Overall score
4.3/5
Minimum deposit
$0
Stock fee
Low
Options fee
Low
Inactivity fee
no
Account opening
1-3 days

All you need to know about deposit requirements at Vanguard

Once you have decided to open an account at Vanguard and completed both the registration and verification process, you need to fund your account to be able to begin trading.

At Vanguard, the minimum deposit is $0. This means that you can deposit as little money as you wish.

Brokers that don't require a minimum deposit do so to encourage people to try their services without requiring a large initial commitment. Many brokers no longer require a minimum deposit nowadays; so if you want to compare Vanguard and its rivals along other criteria, you can do so using our broker comparison tool.

This is where you stand in your journey to your first trade at Vanguard

So what if you made a deposit but decide later that you want to switch brokers and invest your money elsewhere? No worries - you can always opt out and withdraw your funds. All you need to keep in mind are applicable withdrawal fees and withdrawal times.

At Vanguard, there are no withdrawal fees and it usually takes 2 days to receive your funds; though sometimes withdrawal might take a bit longer, depending on the method you use.

What base currencies are available at Vanguard?

At Vanguard, the only available currency is USD. If possible, try to deposit money to your brokerage account in USD.

Why is that important? If you fund your trading account in the same currency as your bank account, you won't have to pay a conversion fee. Conversion fees apply if the bank account or card you're using for depositing is denominated in a different currency than your brokerage account.

A convenient way to save on currency conversion fees is by opening a multi-currency bank account at a digital bank.

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Deposit options at Vanguard: what's available and what does it cost?

At Vanguard, the only available option to deposit money to your account is via bank transfer.

Broker
Bank transfer
Vanguard
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Ally Invest
Deposit options at Vanguard and selected competitors

Vanguard charges no deposit fees for bank transfers. This is great because the broker won't deduct anything from your deposits, and you only have to calculate with the costs charged by your bank or other third-party financial service you send the money with.

There is also a difference in typical transfer times for various deposit methods. Credit/debit card and e-wallet transfers are usually instant, but bank transfers may take 2-3 business days to arrive.

Imagine you're closely monitoring financial markets and spot a good trading opportunity you want to act upon right away. But what if there's not enough money in your broker account? In such cases, instant deposit methods like debit/credit card or electronic wallet transfers can come in handy. These can help you replenish your broker account immediately and react to market movements quickly and effectively. If this is important to you, consider opening an account with a broker that accepts instant deposit methods such as cards or e-wallets.

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It's easy to deposit money to your Vanguard account

Making an initial deposit to your brokerage account can sound like a difficult task, but actually it's fairly easy. Just follow our step-by-step guide for depositing money and shortly you'll be ready to start trading:

  • Log in to Vanguard's client area
  • Look for the 'Deposit' or 'Funding' menu
  • Choose your funding method
  • Enter the amount to be deposited and other necessary details for the transaction
  • Double-check if payment details are correct
  • If all looks OK, click to submit your deposit request
This is how the deposit interface looks like at Vanguard

If you get stuck during the process, you can always reach out to Vanguard's customer support. At Vanguard, customer support can be reached via phone and email. Alternatively, you can drop a message on our Forum.

Visit broker

Overall score
4.3/5
Minimum deposit
$0
Stock fee
Low
Options fee
Low
Inactivity fee
no
Account opening
1-3 days

Get to know Vanguard and its best alternatives

For comprehensive insights into trading conditions, costs and overall service quality at Vanguard, turn to BrokerChooser's Vanguard review for 2024. Our analysis is based on nearly 600 individual data points as well as first-hand experience. We analyze brokers by opening a live account and executing trades on their platforms using real money, which helps us understand and evaluate the full spectrum of their services.

If you want to explore the best alternatives for Vanguard in your country, head over to our Compare Broker tool, where you can compare brokers by filtering for various criteria including minimum deposits, fees, tradable products and more.

Check out this short video for a behind-the-scenes peek into how our experts personally test and evaluate brokers.

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Further reading

Everything you find on BrokerChooser is based on reliable data and unbiased information. We combine our 10+ years finance experience with readers feedback. Read more about our methodology.

author
Adam Nasli
Author of this article
I bring extensive financial expertise as one of BrokerChooser's earliest team members. Personally, I tested nearly all 100+ brokers on our site, opening real-money accounts, executing trades, assessing customer services, and providing firsthand assessment. My professional background includes roles in the banking sector and a degree from Central European University, where I teach finance. My passions lies in in-depth research of the financial industry, building trading algorithms, and managing long-term investments.
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