With a workplace that supports thousands of crew members, designing a comprehensive, best-in-class benefits package requires creativity and a willingness to innovate. This is especially true in the well-being space. That’s why we introduced FlexFund for our U.S. crew in 2022. With FlexFund, crew can make use of this offer in a way that’s personal, highly flexible, and customized to their well-being needs.

What is FlexFund?
FlexFund, powered by Level, is a $1,500 annual stipend program that allows crew to choose the benefits that matter most to them.

This benefit is different from others because it is money that Vanguard sets aside specifically to support crew well-being—whatever that may look like. Crew can spend their dollars freely on the categories below. While we’ve included some examples of the various perks, there are even more that crew can explore.

Physical and Emotional Wellness
• Fitness subscriptions
• Fitness equipment
• Gym memberships
• Emotional wellbeing apps
• Resiliency training

Lifestyle/Convenience
• House cleaning service
• Lawn moving service
• Laundry service
• Transportation

Family Care
• Childcare
• Elder care
• Pet expenses

Technology and Mobility
• Entertainment subscriptions
• Cell phone data plan
• Personal technology device

Financial Wellness
• Tax prep service
• Identity theft service
• Debt/credit counseling service

FlexFund in action
The flexibility doesn’t stop there. Crew can choose to spend the entire amount on one category or across many. These expenses that one chooses can change over time as each crew’s lives change. Even the payment process makes it easy for crew with three flexible ways to pay; digital card, hard card, or reimbursement from a personal card via a modern app.

This forward-thinking offer first started in the tech industry, and Vanguard is one of the first financial institutions to adopt it. Because FlexFund is meant to be responsive to crew needs, the benefits team regularly collects crew feedback about their experience and the kinds of options they would like to see. The list of eligible expenses will change over time based on the feedback and trends.

As for the feedback received thus far, here is what some crew had to say about the FlexFund:

Recently found a wash/dry/fold company in our area, and it has been a gamechanger for my mental health and our household! I despise laundry and used to spend a day of our precious weekend family time doing it and other household chores. I’m thankful to get that time back to spend with my little ones! – Adrienne F.

What a great and absolutely flexible way for Vanguard to provide the crew with those little pleasures that help us all from a physical and mental wellness point of view. – Louise K.

Really excited about this one — I love how diverse and practical the options are! Relevant to a range of life circumstances (relationship or parenting statuses too) and more. Feels so useful in making a felt difference in life’s day-to-day. – Rebecca H.