Jun Oh’s perspective: Vanguard’s MBA Development Program

June 16, 2021/in Career opportunities, Day in the Life, Training & education specialty programs /by deepikasharma

Jun Oh’s perspective: Vanguard’s MBA Development Program

Recruiting for MBA students is an extremely competitive landscape. Decisions are based on prior work experience and role compatibility, geographic variances, industry preferences, total compensation, benefits, and more. So, what is it about Vanguard’s MBA Leadership Development Program that has both attracted and retained this high-potential talent?

We took a deeper dive into this question and asked Vanguard crew members who participated in the MBA Leadership Development Program to recap their experience and share what initially attracted them to Vanguard and what keeps them feeling fulfilled in their roles. In this second installment of a three-part series, we highlight the experience of Jun Oh Y.

What was the biggest thing that drew you to Vanguard as you were seeking full-time opportunities?

I knew that Vanguard was the right next step for my career when I saw how they treated their crew members. My previous work experience at large financial service firms prior to business school taught me that emphasizing the employee experience in writing and having it embedded in the organization are two different things. With Vanguard, I experienced first-hand the level of support and investment Vanguard was making toward its crew members during my internship, and when it came time to decide where to head after business school, the decision came easily.

Vanguard’s MBA Leadership Development Program is rotational in nature, and also unique in that they solicit the business to understand where the needs are for MBA talent. So one experience can be different from another. What teams were you able to support during your 15 month rotation?

My MBA rotation experience was broad, dynamic, and fulfilling. I couldn’t have asked for a better overall experience. My three rotations were with: Enterprise Advice, Corporate Strategy, and Investment Risk.

What were some roles/responsibilities that your day-to-day consisted of?

While rotating through Enterprise Advice, I worked in Advice Product Strategy and Management, in the financial planning product sleeve. This rotation focused on exploring the applicability of a new scenario planning tool and building a model to better estimate end client usage of our advice products. With a good mix of a broad new subject matter and quantitative analysis, my first rotation helped lay the groundwork for my Vanguard journey.

I further expanded my understanding of Vanguard in my second rotation in Corporate Strategy, where I worked with various teams across the enterprise and divisional level in Data and Analytics, International, our Institutional Investor Group, and Business Development. My second rotation was quite dynamic in coverage and helped me better understand the business, along with our biggest priorities.

To round out my experience, my third rotation was closer to investments in the Risk Management Group, where I was tasked with re-vamping our Reasonably Anticipated Trade Size methodology in our Liquidity Risk Management program.

What was the most significant project you worked on?

When I was working on re-vamping our Reasonably Anticipated Trade Size methodology in our Liquidity Risk Management program, the new methodology was to impact the liquidity classifications across our hundreds of funds and had downstream impact in regulatory reporting as well as how we would look at liquidity risk going forward. Having the chance to contribute to such a highly visible and impactful program was very fulfilling.

What was the most impactful takeaway from the rotational program?

The most impactful takeaway is that we are expected to ask a lot of questions and bring our diverse opinions to the table. The program was designed to bring outside talent in. I believe those in the program should consider the rotations as an opportunity to develop these skills and bring it to their launch roles.

What was the biggest challenge you faced?

Switching between different project methodologies by balancing execution and upfront planning were a challenge. Given the expedited timeline of the rotational program, I initially tried to define an exact scope and specific internal milestones for every engagement. However, with the iterative nature of the larger projects, I came to realize that the flexibility of an agile methodology with consistent involvement from cross functional teams would produce a better, more efficient outcome. Fortunately, the opportunities to practice this skill – identifying which types of projects would most benefit from these two opposing approaches— and becoming proficient in it, ultimately helped me secure my current launch role.

What is keeping you fulfilled in your current role at Vanguard?

The two things that keep me at Vanguard are the people and Vanguard’s attitude toward development. When I was rotating in Enterprise Advice, a fellow crew member mentioned how “unconditional positive regard” helps him work through differences of opinion in meetings. This concept of acceptance and support regardless of opinion, with the acknowledgement that we are all on the same team, neatly summarizes my interactions with my colleagues. It is so refreshing to see how everyone in the room is working toward the common goal, without pretext. Along with such an amiable work environment, Vanguard’s support for learning and development, both in and outside of work, sets it apart. The various support networks and resources we have available helped me further expand not only my subject matter expertise, but also made me feel more like a member of the broader Vanguard family.

What is one piece of advice that you would give to someone considering joining either our MBA internship or full-time rotational program?

Take full advantage of the MBA program network! We have quite a few folks that have gone through the program before us with wonderful nuggets of wisdom to share. I learned a tremendous amount from them and made some great friends in the process.

If you are interested in learning more or applying to our MBA Leadership Development – Internship opportunities, please visit our MBA page .

Please check out our first installment of this series to learn about Chantee’s experience with Vanguard’s MBA Internship Program.

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Exploring Advice with Vanguard’s Black Professional Network

June 9, 2021/in Day in the Life, Diversity & inclusion Financial Advisor /by manikantashetty

Exploring Advice with Vanguard’s Black Professional Network

My journey as a Financial Advisor

Growing up in a lower income community, financial advice was a concept not frequently discussed, despite its importance. This disparity is what led me to become a Financial Advisor, but most importantly, what led me to pursue my career as a Financial Advisor with Vanguard’s Personal Advisor Services (PAS). Vanguard stays true to its mission – to take a stand for all investors, to treat them fairly, and to give them the best chance for investment success – and has been a trail blazer in doing this within PAS. I wanted the opportunity to be able to do what is best for clients from a variety of different backgrounds and levels of wealth, and PAS enables me to do this every day.

Joining Vanguard’s Black Professional Network

Professional development is a large part of why I enjoy working at Vanguard. Crew are always encouraged to continuously develop ourselves as well as those around us. As a member of one of Vanguard’s Crew Resource Groups, the Vanguard Black Professional Network (VBPN), I’ve had the honor of serving on a team within VBPN that has been tasked with creating and facilitating unique opportunities for crew to develop personally and professionally by building expertise.

Fireside chat

Earlier this year, we organized a fireside chat highlighting Vanguard’s advisory business, where leaders discussed how Vanguard is bringing advice to traditionally underserved segments at scale and shared career options and best practices for those interested in pursuing a career within Vanguard’s Personal Advisor Services group. The event featured two of Vanguard’s most prestigious women in advice, Janelle McDonald, Head of Product Management and Strategy for Personal Advisor Services, and Massy Williams, CFA and the Principal and Head of Strategic Operations for Financial Advisor Services.

The event was amazing! Janelle and Massy were able to explain where Vanguard fits within the broader advisory and wealth management industry, as well as provide an overview of the competitive landscape. They also opened up about how Vanguard has maintained its standing in the industry due to the quality of service that we offer at a competitive price as well as the commitment we have made to do what is best for our clients. Massy shared, “Vanguard has been consistent in telling investors to be disciplined, stay the course, and remain committed to their long-term investment plans.” This spoke to me because it is essentially the reason that I love being a Financial Advisor with Vanguard; we are equipped with the organization’s methodology and are empowered to do what is best for our clients to ensure they are successful long-term.

Lastly, one of my favorite moments from the event was being able to hear more about career pathing within Vanguard’s advisory business. Janelle highlighted a wide range of options that are available to crew, from client facing roles, such as Financial Advisors, to product ownership opportunities that help shape how we deliver advice to our clients. There are a lot of possibilities, and that leaves me excited about the future.

Interested in exploring our Financial Advisor opportunities? Click here to learn more.

-Aliya W.

CFA® is a registered trademark owned by CFA Institute.
Advice services are provided by Vanguard Advisers, Inc., a registered investment advisor, or by Vanguard National Trust Company, a federally chartered, limited-purpose trust company.

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Chantee’s perspective:
Vanguard’s MBA Internship Program

May 12, 2021/in Career opportunities, Day in the Life, Training & education /by jortega

Chantee’s perspective:
Vanguard’s MBA Internship Program

Recruiting for MBA students is an extremely competitive landscape. Decisions are based on prior work experience and role compatibility, geographic variances, industry preferences, total compensation, benefits, and more. So, what is it about Vanguard’s MBA Leadership Development Program that has both attracted and retained this high-potential talent?

We took a deeper dive into this question and asked Vanguard crew members who participated in the MBA Leadership Development – Internship Program to recap their experience and share what initially attracted them to Vanguard and what keeps them feeling fulfilled in their roles. In this first installment of a three-part series, we highlight the experience of Chantee B.

What was the biggest thing that drew you to Vanguard as you were seeking internship opportunities?

I went to undergraduate school in Philadelphia, so I heard a lot about Vanguard and its culture before pursuing my MBA. Coming from consulting, I had exposure to various financial institutions, but from everything I learned, Vanguard was just different in the way that they treat and care about their crew. I did a lot of research on the firm, and I was interested to find out for myself what life at Vanguard was all about, so I applied and interviewed for the internship. I was then given an offer and I accepted it!

Vanguard’s MBA internship program is unique in that they solicit the business to understand where the needs are for MBA talent, meaning one experience for a participant can be different from another. What team or department were you aligned to during your 10 weeks?

My internship was on the Marketing Solutions team in Vanguard’s Planning and Development division.

What were some roles/responsibilities that your day-to-day consisted of?

Coming into Vanguard, I knew that I wanted to work on a project that would be a stretch experience for me. I had no background in marketing and wanted to learn something new! The project I was assigned was a very strategic initiative for the firm, and it also gave me the opportunity to dive deep into data. Some of my daily roles and responsibilities consisted of engaging key stakeholders to gather information, finding and analyzing pertinent data, and documenting frameworks to create repeatable processes.

What was the most significant project you worked on?

The most significant project that I worked on was helping to achieve cost savings for clients using efficient processes and technology. Marketing is a technology driven function, and during my internship, I analyzed qualitative and quantitative data to make decisions on which marketing tools should be considered for widespread adoption and which should be retired.

What was the most impactful takeaway from the internship program?

Vanguard is a big place! There are a lot of functional areas and domains that you can dive into. On the flip side, it’s still easy to feel at home and part of the team because the firm takes a keen interest in its people.

What was the biggest challenge you faced?

Balancing learning all things Vanguard, while also performing well on my project, was my greatest challenge! After coming back full-time, I’m still learning about the organization! Prioritizing and pacing is key.

What brought you back to Vanguard to explore the full-time MBA Leadership Development Program?

The culture and the people are what brought me back to Vanguard full-time. I met so many amazing individuals over the summer who took the time to invest in me in some way, even though they didn’t know me. I’ve worked on many cool projects during my tenure that have helped with my development as I gain new skills, but it’s the people who helped along the way that matters the most.

What is one piece of advice that you would give to someone considering joining either our MBA internship or full-time rotational program?

Network! Talk to previous interns and MBA program participants to gain an understanding of their experiences. And once you come to Vanguard, don’t stop networking! During my summer internship I learned that crew love to participate in coffee chats, and that didn’t stop in the virtual environment! I have continued to network and schedule time with crew and leaders to learn about their journeys as well as different areas within Vanguard.

If you are interested in learning more or applying to our MBA Leadership Development – Internship opportunities, please visit our MBA page.

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My experience presenting at re:Invent

April 7, 2021/in Day in the Life, Training & education Technology /by rumpamala

My experience presenting at re:Invent

I started my career at Vanguard as a software developer in Information Technology Systems supporting our Retail business just about ten years ago. Within the first few weeks, it was evident how authentically Vanguard holds to its mission, putting clients first in every aspect of the company. What has kept me at Vanguard for these ten years is the opportunity for growth. I am consistently learning new technologies to solve the latest challenges sharing what I have learned with crew members here, and I’ve even presented in various marquee conferences outside of Vanguard.

Within the past few years, Vanguard has started to transition most of our software development into the cloud. With that transition has come a wealth of fresh challenges and opportunities. My team was an early adopter of using data and analytics, speech to text, machine learning, and other cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) tools on Amazon Web Services (AWS) to pave the way for other programs here at Vanguard. Because our team was heavily involved with AWS, I was sent to their largest conference, re:Invent, in 2018 to learn from the brightest minds in the field. After a fully and busy week of panels, events, and discussions with new friends, I returned to my team eager to share my experience, but I had no idea what was in store in the years to come.

My colleague Jeff and I presenting at a conference.

Following re:Invent, my team found itself at the forefront of experimenting more of what AWS has to offer. We started to work directly with a Solutions Architect from AWS who helped us pilot two new services. Once we were successful, so, we shared our learnings with other teams, and strengthened our partnership with AWS. This led to my team being selected to present at re:Invent 2020 to showcase our journey and relationship with AWS.

Presenting at re:Invent was an invaluable experience. Our team planned, prepared, and practiced for several months leading up to the event with our AWS Solutions Architect. Ultimately, we were able to tell our story of how we were implementing new services from AWS to consistently meet the needs of our clients. It was a story that demonstrated the innovative efforts we strive to take while maintaining our client-centered focus.

Being able to represent Vanguard at one of the world’s largest conferences is an opportunity that I never imagined I would have in my career. It’s opportunities like these, and the partnerships I continue to develop, both inside and outside of Vanguard, that encourage me to bring my best and authentic self to work. The ability to innovate and explore ever evolving technology has made each day of my ten-year career as exciting as the first, and I look forward to the future challenges and opportunities that are in store over the next ten and beyond!

-Justin F.

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An advisor’s take on the importance of genuine curiosity

March 3, 2021/in Advice from crew, Day in the Life Financial Advisor /by marcin

An advisor’s take on the importance of genuine curiosity

I introduced my dad to Uber for the first time on a winter night late last year, heading home from dinner in Philadelphia’s Chinatown. My dad sat in the front passenger seat and by the time he had buckled his seatbelt, he was already talking to the driver, who replied to my dad’s questions in monosyllables. I felt for our driver: my dad was blissfully unaware that Uber rides are best conducted in mutual silence. Little by little, our soft spoken driver started opening up. He told my dad about his house in south Philly. He told my dad about his wife’s amazing cooking. He told my dad about his twin babies, their names and how they’d chosen them, and what they meant. This took place in fifteen minutes, and by the end of the ride as we said our goodbyes and apologized for disturbing his peace, the driver said, ‘That’s OK, I’m actually very talkative’.

This is par for the course for my dad, a physician who brought home a new story about his patients’ lives every night of my childhood. Nothing fails to capture his interest: tell him about your carpentry business, pet Chihuahua, granddaughter’s school project, cross country move, wacky theory, or favorite fishing spot. He will ask you another question, and probably another after that. Far from being tangential to their medical care, these conversations are my dad’s path to treating his patients best. He builds trust naturally because of his genuine curiosity about other people. In return, his patients are more willing to share information with him and follow his advice.

At Vanguard, I work in Personal Advisor Services, partnering with our managed clients to help them make the best financial decisions and meet their goals. Recently, our entire advisor team in Arizona, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina had the pleasure of hearing a presentation by Mitch Anthony, a preeminent financial planning author and speaker who focuses on what he calls “life-centered financial planning”. Mitch shared an anecdote about a financial advisor who was held in particularly high regard by his clients. Mitch asked the advisor to distill his career success into one word, and the advisor replied “curiosity”.

Ah-ha! Over the years, I have often thought about the similarities between my job and my father’s. In both of our fields, we build relationships and share expertise as a means to help people live better lives. But it isn’t just that both positions share an analysis of client or patient needs, a reliance on technical subject matter expertise, and the communication of recommendations. What jumps out at me most is that I, too, leave work reflecting on all of the stories I’ve heard from my clients.

Last year, I was finally able to convince a particularly frugal couple to upgrade their truck (ten years old instead of twenty). Though they’d recently received a large inheritance, they were determined to be good stewards of what their parent’s generation had built from the ground.

Last month, a seventh generation Texan who rents out the farmhouse passed down from her great- great-grandparents told me that her tenants are out of work because of COVID-19. She’s giving them a break on their rent, because she’s ‘been there’.

More recently, I’ve had encounters with the following individuals: a client who found meaning in training therapy dogs after a career in public service; a newly retired client in a race against the seasonal clock to build a greenhouse for his wife’s flower garden; a client who described the Inherited IRA Required Minimum Distribution as an annual Christmas gift from her late father.

What I think of as “genuine curiosity” is not the same as small talk or nosiness. The only agenda is to learn about another person in order to better understand them. As Mitch Anthony described to us in his presentation, this understanding is key in evaluating what our clients are trying to achieve and personalizing the best way for them to get there. Given two clients with the same situation on paper – similar fixed income, debt, and savings levels – nine times out of ten I will come up with a different investment recommendation after speaking to them.

Another overlap between my dad’s career and my own is that we came to our chosen professions via a winding path. He studied religion and was preparing to go to divinity school when he changed course. I began to learn about personal finance only after joining Vanguard. I am a bookworm and a people person, and the idea of being a financial planner hooked me within days of arriving on campus. After studying for my Series 7 and 63 exams, I wanted to learn more and help our clients more directly. I was accepted to an eighteen month program to become a Vanguard advisor which involved training courses, shadowing tenured advisors, and taking my Certified Financial Planner™ exam.

Since becoming an advisor, the magical part of the job hasn’t changed. It always comes down to two things: learning about my clients, and collaborating with my colleagues. The advisors I work alongside are incredibly diverse in terms of their academic, cultural, and professional backgrounds, as well as their personalities and communication styles– we have extroverts, introverts, and a lot of good-natured crew across our three sites. It’s hard to overstate the value of this variety when it comes to helping other human beings with their money, in particular because we seek input from each other and our business partners in technology and methodology on a constant basis.

Across this diversity, I would argue that genuine curiosity is something that all of Vanguard’s advisors share. We are sounding boards, problem solvers, and teammates with each other and with our clients. If this is a field that you have ever considered (or haven’t considered, yet!), I would encourage you not to dismiss it simply because you didn’t tell your Kindergarten class that you wanted to become a financial planner. Being a financial advisor at Vanguard has allowed me to build strong relationships, have a positive impact, and constantly learn – I can’t imagine being anywhere else.

-Mary T.

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More than just a milestone

January 19, 2021/in Culture, Day in the Life, In the community /by kunalwagchoray

More than just a milestone

One million. That is the number of students Vanguard’s My Classroom Economy (MyCE) program has reached since its launch just under a decade ago. My Classroom Economy is a free financial literacy program and classroom management system for teachers that allows students to learn financial responsibility through hands-on learning. My Classroom Economy, and its sister program My Home Economy (for parents and guardians), are entirely powered by volunteers across Vanguard. These crew dedicate time and talent outside of their “day jobs” to fuel a “passion project” that is part of Vanguard’s suite of community programs. For me, my “day job” is in our business that serves financial advisors, specifically Registered Investment Advisors. In my role as Channel Lead, my team works with our sales group and clients to develop and execute strategy for how we can best serve this important client base. Within MyCE, I’ve volunteered in a number of roles and am proud to currently serve as the Program Chair.

My Classroom

Anyone that knows me has heard me say that MyCE is the perfect marriage of two of my passions- education and personal finance. Before I came to Vanguard I completed the Teach for America program, teaching seventh grade math at a school in Charlotte, North Carolina. I found my way to Vanguard by following a tip received from teammates on an intramural kickball team and channeling my finance degree. I started at Vanguard in Client Services, helping clients meet their investment needs. I remember a colleague leaning over my desk and making the connection that as a former teacher, I might want to learn about this financial literacy program Vanguard offered. I went to an information session and was hooked. My Classroom Economy linked what I loved about my pre-Vanguard career with my current one, allowing me to stay deeply connected to the education community, while growing professionally with a company I love.

I’m exceptionally proud of our recent milestone of reaching one million students. But to me, it is more than just a milestone. It is a million lives impacted and put on a more responsible financial trajectory because of the dedication of their teachers and the passion of a volunteer team. In pausing to celebrate this manifestation of how volunteer hours have made a real difference, I also was struck not only by what I’ve given to the program over the years, but what it has given me. My time with MyCE not only helped me continue to feel fulfilled professionally, but it also has played a pivotal role in driving my career at Vanguard. My peers in the program would say the same about their own experiences. Again, more than just a milestone.

My Classroom

After seven and a half years and several different “day jobs” at Vanguard, I’ve realized that my volunteer roles allowed me to learn new skillsets and pursue interests before making career leaps. I took on a strategic assignment with MyCE, analyzing options for a potential program expansion before joining Vanguard’s Corporate Strategy group as an analyst. MyCE helped me learn how to be a people leader, first by leading the MyCE team in North Carolina and then stepping into the Program Chair seat, leading the full volunteer team of roughly 150 crew. Along the way I’ve had the chance to sharpen skills in public speaking, stakeholder management and even sales, all of which have translated to my “day jobs”.

As I think about the next million kids that My Classroom and My Home Economy will impact, I’m confident that impact will continue to extend to those volunteers behind the scenes who power the program. I think it is so important to find a place to give back that allows you to pursue a passion. That passion will be what keeps you coming back to give your time year after year. And while you’re there, embrace the opportunities to sharpen your skills and learn new things. You might not realize it at the time (I certainly didn’t), but you might just be laying the foundation for your next career move.

-Meg T.

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My career in Personal Advisor Services

January 13, 2021/in Day in the Life, Our mission /by kkilgarriff

My career in Personal Advisor Services

As I reflect on what drew me to Vanguard years ago, I think about how truly lucky I am to have found this organization. I came to Vanguard because I knew I wanted to work for a company that took a stand for every person, placed clients at the forefront of every decision, and provided an environment where I felt empowered to bring my authentic self to work.

I grew up in a single-parent household for much of my childhood. It was during those years that life quickly taught me how important it is to have a trusted financial guide regardless of where you fall on the wealth spectrum. As I entered my teenage years, I was fortunate enough to begin learning and understanding some basic financial concepts such as budgeting and savings. I remember reflecting during that time and realizing that if I applied these concepts sooner rather than later I could help change the trajectory of my family for generations to come. That’s when I knew that I wanted to focus my career and passion on helping people in every stage of life achieve financial peace.

I joined Vanguard upon my college graduation. I started on my path towards becoming a financial advisor in Personal Advisor Services (PAS) early on in my career journey, and I remember connecting with several female financial advisor mentors. What I quickly realized is that Vanguard is made up of a community of kind, collaborative, and humble human beings that genuinely want the best for you and others. They were instrumental in building my confidence to share my voice at the table and helped me overcome my test anxiety to successfully pass licensing and certification exams. I can honestly say that if it were not for the mentorship and development programs Vanguard sponsored, I would not have been successful in my goal of becoming a financial advisor and eventually a leader in Personal Advisor Services.

While working in PAS, I have never felt more connected to the Vanguard mission. Each day we work to help clients, to mentor others, and to develop ourselves. I am fortunate enough to see my peers supporting one another through new challenges, and I’m continuously encouraged to think outside of the box and learn skills that push me beyond my comfort level. I see these core principles demonstrated every day when I watch my team of advisors work tirelessly to assist clients. We take a stand for everyone, whether it’s the new family planning for a multitude of goals, the retiree nervous about leaving the workforce, or even the single parent with a story similar to my own upbringing.

Vanguard has been my home where I’ve grown personally and professionally for the past 5 years. I’ve been supported and encouraged as I came out to my family and eventually married my wife, as I worked to obtain the CFP ® designation, and as I continually challenge myself to develop new skills. While this has been a rewarding 5 years, I’m incredibly excited for the possibilities the future holds and what the next 10, 15 and even 20 years will bring.

– Ashley M.

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The mission of the Vanguard Specialty Programs (VSPs) is to advance Vanguard’s core purpose by delivering the next generation of talented and diverse leaders through focused attraction and accelerated development. In this blog, we highlight excerpts from articles our VSP managers recently published that provide insights into the personal experiences of alumni as well as crew who are currently participating in the undergraduate programs.

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The winding path to an analytics career

October 14, 2020/in Day in the Life able to draw, analyst, analytics, career, company, data, data analyst, data analytics, decisions, engineering, financial, help, help our clients, looking, looking at data, new tools, people, work, work with a group, world /by jortega

The winding path to an analytics career

Fifteen years ago, I switched from a career in engineering to enter the world of business analytics. Luckily for me, despite a few hiccups during the first-year transition, analytics as a discipline was growing rapidly, and there were many critical skills that I could bring with me to solve countless problems facing businesses. There were some obvious advantages that this new career path in data analytics offered over engineering. First, the number of companies and job openings in the engineering world was limited and concentrated in a few tech hot spots in the country, whereas it seemed as if every company was going to have a need for an analytics department. Secondly, and more importantly, it seemed as if the number and types of challenges that businesses faced that could be addressed and solved by looking at data was going to be a lot more fun and keep me much more interested and engaged in my job than I could hope.

Interestingly, when I made the switch to analytics, I had always envisioned myself working in the financial services industry. It was easy to see the data they were working with, and compared to what I was doing in engineering, looking at financial data seemed like a natural next step. Little did I know that I was actually going to be drawn into the human side of analytics, and rather than looking at data capturing prices, I’d be looking at how people made decisions and evaluated financial decisions. My first job in analytics took me to a firm that used behavioral finance, A/B testing and terabits of data to make decisions on how to optimally extend credit terms to customers. My next destination took me to a marketing agency that used data to evaluate how people selected health care and insurance plans. Without knowing it, I had managed to get pulled into the world of marketing. I still had to think like an analyst, and use my training as a scientist, but I also wound up realizing that to be a complete data analyst, one had to be more of a Renaissance man, and be able to draw upon multiple disciplines to be really successful in this space.

During my time at Vanguard, I’ve switched from the role as a data analyst, to an analytics manager, back to an analyst again. Recently I moved to our Institutional Investor Group to be a data analyst, helping redesign the website for our retirement plan participants. Part of the reason I stepped down as a manager was because I saw the rapid changes occurring in our field, and had the chance to work with a group of data analysts who got to work with some great new tools. I had the privilege to work with a group of talented young analysts, who all demonstrated the critical growth mindset, and I saw them all develop so quickly into amazing contributors who really unlocked their potential. It reminded me why I chose to go into analytics in the first place – the new challenges, the need to continuously learn new tools, new problems to solve, and new people to work with.

Constantly learning and growing should be part of any successful data analyst’s career development. It took me 20 years to find a career and a company that has made me truly satisfied in my work, but Vanguard has been the perfect place for me to call home the past eight years. A company with a supportive culture that values development, that also has a growing need for using data to improve decision making – that’s what I had been searching for from the beginning! There’s nothing more rewarding in a career than actually being able to draw upon your skills and experience to help people make smarter decisions to help our clients. I couldn’t be happier that I wound up at Vanguard, getting the chance to do what I’m best at, to help make our company do what it does best – help our clients achieve financial success.

– Jeff W.

If you’re seeking an environment where you can make a difference and develop professionally, check out our Data & Analytics and Information Technology & Security career opportunities.

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Solving problems and innovating through data science

September 16, 2020/in Advice from crew, Career opportunities, Day in the Life artificial intelligence, artificial intelligence and data, artificial intelligence and data science, artificial intelligence and machine, artificial intelligence and machine learning, captured in 2018, data, data science, intelligence and data, intelligence and data science, intelligence and machine, intelligence and machine learning, machine learning, people all over the world, photo captured in 2018, reach their financial, street firms, vanguard, wall street, wall street firms /by mfield

Solving problems and innovating through data science

I graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology in 2002 with a Computer Engineering degree. The Institute was very close to Wall Street, and upon graduation, many of my classmates received offers from top Wall Street firms and investment banks. I too fell into the allure of working on Wall Street. I received a few offers from some of the top firms in New York—and I also received one from Vanguard, who was making it a priority to recruit from my school at the time. However, this was when the dot-com bubble burst and most of the Wall Street firms rescinded their offers for all of my classmates including me. Vanguard was the only firm that honored their commitment and did not rescind their offer. I am thankful to this day.

At Vanguard, I have the opportunity to do what I always dreamt of doing and much, much more at a firm where doing right by clients and crew is the guiding principle. I joined Vanguard as a software engineer and never looked back. At the time, all I wanted to do was to apply what I had learned in school to real life problems, but didn’t have much thought about where I applied them. As time went on, I realized how fortunate I was to be at Vanguard, whose main mission was to help people all over the world reach their financial dreams. Knowing you’re doing well for others is incredibly rewarding. I got the best of both worlds: I could apply my passion in technology and apply it at a company whose mission is to lift people up. I also got to work on our trading systems, sales systems, mobility (iOS) systems, customer relationship management systems and so on, all while learning about and applying analytics to everything we did.

From a career perspective, Vanguard invested in my professional development. Today, I’m the Head of AI & Machine Learning for Enterprise Advice. focused on artificial intelligence and data science. About 7 years ago, with the advent of big data technology and infrastructure, I started to focus on advanced analytics and data science exclusively. I saw an opportunity to use data science and artificial intelligence to provide better, more personalized, and smarter services to our investors.

Vanguard now wants to do for financial advice what we did for Exchange Traded Funds and mutual funds: make top notch, holistic advice accessible to anyone who needs it at an incredibly low price. That’s where my team comes in. I now help lead our advanced analytics and artificial intelligence team for Vanguard’s advice program. My department is comprised of data engineers, data scientists and artificial intelligence and machine learning scientists who collaborate closely with our investment experts and economists. And they come from diverse educational backgrounds—some have computer science or engineering backgrounds, while others studied physics or statistics.

Group of workers standing in office hallway

Photo captured in 2018

In order to create highly personalized advice experiences, we seek to incorporate behavioral economics to better personalize the advice needed. To that end we are utilizing artificial intelligence and other data science techniques on a variety of financial advice projects. Our goal is to create experiences and services that will help more people than ever before reach their financial goals. My team is directly empowering Vanguard’s mission and I personally feel inspired every day to come to work. Being able to learn about cutting edge technology in artificial intelligence and data science and use it to help as many people as possible is extremely rewarding.

Investing is complex, and sometimes, it’s a challenge for people to know how to make wise investment and financial decisions. Vanguard is committed to giving investors all over the world a fair shake, and is investing in services—such as advice—to do so. I am passionate about trail blazing artificial intelligence and machine learning at Vanguard, which is enabling us to fulfill our mission and help millions of people all over the world reach financial independence.

Now, who will join us on this noble mission?

-Amir A.

To view opportunities available on Amir’s team, please click here.

Man and woman talking in an office setting

Photo captured in 2018

If you’re seeking an environment where you can make a difference and develop professionally, check out our Data & Analytics and Information Technology & Security career opportunities.

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