Our mission Archives - Vanguard Careers

Vanguard's mission statement featured on lobby wall

Transforming the world of advice

November 15, 2019/in Advice from crew, Career opportunities, Our mission advisor, learn, transforming, transforming the world, vanguard, world /by ldoyle

Transforming the world of advice

“Vanguard has been transforming the world of investing for over four decades and we are in the early years of transforming the world of advice.” – Claire M., Principal, Personal Advisor Services

Watch this video to learn more about how our advisors make a difference in their clients’ lives and put investors first.

Click here to learn more about financial advisor opportunities at Vanguard.

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Making a difference across multiple regions

November 5, 2019/in Diversity & inclusion, In the community, Our mission charlotte, charlotte community, community, doing great work, giving campaign, grants, grants program, great work, hometown, hometown grants, hometown grants program, impact, local, local community, organizations, program, serving, vanguard, vanguard gives, work /by dbasavapatna

Making a difference across multiple regions

Vanguard believes that being a global leader also means being a local leader. Through volunteer Investment Committees, The Vanguard Group Foundation is making grants in the regions around the world that we call home. The Vanguard Gives Back Hometown Grants Program is charged with funding pressing, local human services needs and working with nonprofit partners that contribute to the vibrancy of the community. The program is fueled by crew volunteers who commit two years of service dedicated to learning about the nonprofit sector, philanthropy, and the local community landscape.

In this blog, we asked three Vanguard leaders to write about their experiences in serving as site leads for the Hometown Grants Program. The combined efforts of these leaders and their teams have placed $2.3 million into local organizations over their two-year commitment. Here is what Amanda M. from Arizona, Ed F. from North Carolina, and Steve H. from Pennsylvania, had to say:

Vanguard has long had a culture around community that you are no stranger to, what drew you into this particular opportunity with Hometown Grants?

Ed: Hometown Grants enabled me to take my passion for impacting our local community to a much deeper, grass-roots level. Having previously been involved in Vanguard Gives Back initiatives in Charlotte, including leading our workplace giving campaign and our volunteer efforts, Hometown Grants provided an opportunity to start-up a hyper-local focused program from scratch, which is pretty cool. While we were provided with some loose guardrails and guidelines, we were also given a significant amount of autonomy to figure out the best strategy that would have meaningful impact in the Charlotte community.

Steve: In 2012, I had the honor of serving as the lead for the crew fall charitable giving campaign. Not only did that experience tap into my longstanding passion for service, it opened my eyes to the incredible impact Vanguard can have in the community. I was very excited about the Hometown Grants program because it was yet another way to harness the energy and passion of Vanguard crew to make a meaningful difference in our communities, but I was also intrigued by the entrepreneurial nature of this new venture.

What skills have you developed through your participation in this initiative and how have you applied these skills both inside and outside of the office?

Amanda: Debating which organization to fund can be a sensitive and emotional topic. My peers and I all have preferences on which charitable cause is the most important and those often differ from the priorities of others. Plus, when you find so many organizations doing great work, it can be hard to reduce the list to a manageable few. Learning how to listen with empathy and understanding was critical to ensure each team member was heard and team health remained strong. Outside of work, it has given me a platform to talk to my kids about philanthropy. Now, when we debrief our day at the dinner table, I am talking to them about organizations I went to visit or work that is being done in the community. It’s been rewarding to talk to them about the importance of giving back and about some of the neat initiatives that are happening in our neighborhood.

Ed: Most importantly, I gained a deeper understanding of the Charlotte community and the critical issues our city is facing. Upward mobility remains a challenge even as Charlotte continues to have one of the highest rates of highly educated new residents moving to our city. I have met and learned from some very influential non-profit partners who provide critical services in our community often with few resources or limited budgets. I am looking forward to continuing my work post-Hometown Grants, whether it be through volunteerism or board involvement. Hometown Grants also enabled me to hone my leadership and finance skills as we have conducted research, reviewed non-profit financials and tax-filings, and conducted on-site visits to select the non-profit agencies we partner with.

What has been the biggest takeaway in serving as a site lead for the program?

Amanda: There is always a need for more work to be done in the community than there are hours in the day to support or dollars to fund. It is not hard to find an important cause that will improve our community. The hard part is prioritizing which organizations to focus on. It took a lot of time to research, really get to know these teams and the impact they are trying to make. Then ultimately determining where we could have the biggest impact. And there is no “right” answer. It is only part science, the rest is art.

Steve: In the past two years, the work of the Hometown Grants team exposed us to countless organizations that are making an incredible difference in communities. There are so many worthy, effective, innovative charitable organizations out there doing great work, we could have funded many more groups than we were able to. But I believe our team did a tremendous job of honing in on the key organizations that both had amazing impact and could best benefit from the dollars we had. The most rewarding parts of the job were when we heard the profound gratitude from these groups for our contributions, and the excitement they expressed about how they were going to put the money to work. You feel the very tangible benefit of all the hard work the committee put in.

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Advertising…at Vanguard??

September 18, 2019/in Culture, Day in the Life, Our mission Mid-level specialist /by fanwar

Advertising…at Vanguard??

Meet Bonnie D. She is an Advertising Manager who did not expect to find herself in the financial services industry. Now after having spent a number of years in creative roles at Vanguard, one thing she says she never takes for granted: “I laugh every single day.”

If you’re seeking an environment where you can make a difference and develop professionally, learn more about our MBA programs at www.vanguardjobs.com.

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Remembering Vanguard’s heritage through our History Center

August 7, 2019/in Our mission blog, business, center, center collects, collection, crew, first index, fund, fund reports, history, history center, investment, preserve, reflect, reports, started, story, time, vanguard, vanguard's history /by fdoerr

Remembering Vanguard’s heritage through our History Center

May 1^st marks 44 years since Vanguard opened for business. In this blog, we take some time to reflect on the past four decades with a virtual tour of Vanguard’s History Center.

Vanguard was started as a bold experiment – a firm built solely for the benefit of investors, not outside owners. Since the mid-1970s, we’ve remained steadfast to our investment philosophy and guiding principles. When a company has existed for over forty years, it’s bound to have accumulated some interesting artifacts. These can be fun treasures, like celebratory photos, or service awards, but may also include business data, fund reports, and employment documents. Unfortunately, over time, these relics can get lost, thrown away, or just physically fall apart.

The Vanguard History Center is changing all of that.

Established in 2014, the History Center is Vanguard’s corporate archive. They acquire and preserve items that tell the Vanguard story: both its origins, and its evolution. In addition, the Center collects original records that reflect our broad range of products, services, and other offerings. A staff of archivists gathers and conserves items, in addition to promoting awareness about Vanguard’s heritage, answering reference questions concerning Vanguard’s history, and delivering educational presentations about the Center’s work.

The collection currently includes business reports, marketing materials, advertisements, photographs, and objects. Assistant Archivist Kate F. observes, “One of the most valuable items archived in my opinion is documentation from the early days of the world’s first index mutual fund – the First Index Investment Trust – which was launched by Vanguard in 1976. These materials possess a wealth of intellectual value and are of central importance to telling Vanguard’s unique story.”

And thanks to donations from current and former crew, the collection is always growing. Here are just a few of the items crew can find there:

But this work is about more than just finding cool pieces, although it can be neat to see a handwritten letter from Jack Bogle to the crew. It’s about sustaining knowledge management, and ensuring we have all the resources and research to support any business need. The Center has provided fund reports for advisors, investment commentary for research projects, and resources to onboard new or transitioning crew. Archivist Emily C. explains, “Like a museum, the History Center collects items. The end goal, however, isn’t to craft flashy exhibits or displays. We’re building a resource. Crew use the body of information we collect to fulfill information needs.”

The collection connects crew around the globe with our culture and rich history.

It captures crew stories and achievements. And it reassures both clients and crew that we have a process in place to preserve those things that may otherwise disappear forever. The History Center’s motto is, “Preserving the past to support the future.” It’s a great reminder of the progress we’ve made, the goals we’ve achieved, and the evolution of our business. Most importantly, it demonstrates that we have never and will never waver from that mission we started way back in 1975.

Emily shares, “The coolest thing I’ve discovered isn’t in the collection, but about Vanguard – seeing just how deep the crew’s passion for Vanguard and our mission runs.”

If you enjoyed this post, check out more from our #LifeatVanguard Blog. And if you’re ready for a more rewarding, engaging, meaningful career, search our opportunities at www.vanguardjobs.com.

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Serving families who have served for us

July 19, 2019/in Culture, Diversity & inclusion, Our mission, Voyage to Vanguard acp, active duty, corporate, corporate partners, crew, goal, mentors, military, military spouses, military spouses summit, organization, partnership, serve, sign, spouses, spouses summit, vanguard, vanguard crew, veterans, white house /by kkilgarriff

Serving families who have served for us

I left the military three years ago, nine years after taking my first Oath of Office. Transitioning from serving in an organization that was so core to my identity turned out to be no small task. Over the next two years in business school, I often wondered if I would be able to find that sense of service in my future workplace. When I came to Vanguard after graduation, I quickly found my answer.

VetsConnect Joins Forces with ACP
Shortly after coming aboard, I was asked if I would be interested in working to stand up a new partnership with American Corporate Partners (ACP), a nonprofit aimed at pairing corporate leaders with veterans transitioning to the private sector. The goal of the partnership was to respond to the broader desire of the Vanguard community to more visibly support our nation’s veterans. The VetsConnect / ACP partnership would act as a gateway to connect Vanguard Crew with service members outside the organization.
I had familiarity with ACP, as I had taken part as a protégé (mentee) myself during my transition out of the military. This opportunity would now allow me the chance to give back on the corporate side of the relationship. Needless to say, I was ecstatic.

Crew Respond in a Big Way
Our first priority was to create a community of corporate mentors here at Vanguard. Initially, we were hoping to identify a total of fifty crew members who would like to take part. Within the first day of sign ups we had exceeded our initial goal, and by the end of the week we had more than 90 mentors involved. In fact, after benchmarking against other corporate sign up rates, Vanguard crew were 23x more likely to sign up to mentor a veteran. This tremendous response was an incredible testament to the authenticity of the culture, and I was able to witness firsthand something I had heard a lot about as a new hire: Vanguard’s commitment to mission and willingness to give back.

White House Military Spouses Summit
Several months later, ACP was invited to attend a Military Spouses Summit at the White House. Representing Vanguard, I traveled to Washington DC along with representatives from 45 other businesses to discuss the unique employment challenges that military spouses face. At present, there are more than 600,000 military spouses and 16% (4x the national average) are unemployed. They face a myriad of unique challenges, including a lack of license and certification transferability across state lines and fragmented resumes due to constant relocation and deployments. Our goal was to ask how corporations and non-profits could help. How can we do more? What opportunities exist? The chance to work with corporate partners to address (and continue addressing) these questions is an extremely rewarding experience. For me, it represents an evolution of my desire to serve, aided by the mission and crew of Vanguard. Although I no longer serve on active duty, I’m extremely proud to say that I work at Vanguard, where we serve families who have served for us.

– Bill F.

ACP: https://www.acp-usa.org/

Additional testimonials from ACP protégé’s and Vanguard mentors

“The program helps our organization as it helps veterans – win/win. The matching of protégé to mentor is quite good and the seamless accountability is a big plus!”

“I think the connection is great. I wish I had the same kind of opportunity when I departed active duty back in 2011 and could have skipped some of my early mistakes in my civilian career. You don’t know what you don’t know and it’s easy for veterans just to take the path of least resistance without being challenged by someone who is already there.”

If you’re seeking an environment where you can make a difference and develop professionally, check out our opportunities at www.vanguardjobs.com.

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A conversation with Chief Information Officer, John Marcante

June 26, 2019/in Advice from crew, Day in the Life, Our mission, Voyage to Vanguard career, information, vanguard /by manjunath

A conversation with Chief Information Officer, John Marcante

In this video feature, Vanguard Chief Information Officer, John Marcante, and IT Delivery Manager, Kelly Rumbaugh, sit down for a conversation to discuss their journeys to Vanguard, what excites them about innovative technologies as well as advice for individuals interested in pursuing a career in the industry.

Curious about our Information Technology career opportunities? We’ve got you covered.

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Celebrating Global Accessibility

Vanguard’s annual celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), held on May 16, placed a spotlight on the role of assistive technology in helping people with disabilities achieve more independent and productive lives.

Assistive technology takes many forms: adapted vehicles, hearing aids, safety devices, scooters and wheelchairs, in addition to computers, iPads, tablet software, and hardware.

Signage at an Accessibility event

Our 2019 GAAD celebration featured a guest presentation from Susan Tachau of the Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF), a statewide, non-profit organization that helps individuals with disabilities and older Pennsylvanians acquire assistive technology devices and services. The presentation provided information about the organization, how it helps people with disabilities find funding and access to assistive technology tools; and on raising awareness of financial education and literacy.

Before and after the event, our crew had opportunities to learn more about assistive technology tools and gained insights into how we can all advocate for accessibility at work and in our communities.

Picture of a presenter at a Vanguard Global Accessibility event

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That company down the street that doesn’t give advice? Think again.

May 15, 2019/in Advice from crew, Career opportunities, Crew benefits, Culture, Day in the Life, Our mission advisor, crew /by manjunath

That company down the street that doesn’t give advice? Think again.

Meet Deji A. He is a Financial Advisor Manager who shares how he found the right fit in Vanguard. Deji’s strong client focus and passion for developing his crew have remained a priority throughout his career.

Watch his full story below:

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Curious about our Advisor opportunities? We’ve got you covered.

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Vanguard leaders share what inclusion means to them

We asked 7 Vanguard leaders what inclusion means to them.

Here’s what they had to say:

1. Christina Selby, Principal in Finance:

Everyone’s voices being heard and taken into account as we make decisions and set strategy for the business. We want everyone to feel comfortable engaging, debating, and being an active member of our team. The best thoughts come from a diverse team!

2. Steve Holman, Principal in Institutional Sales:

Inclusion to me means that I never have to question if I belong; what makes me unique is embraced by others, and we spend our time celebrating what links us together rather than focusing on everything that makes us different from one another.

3. Joe Davis, Global Chief Economist and Principal:

Feeling that I could walk into any meeting and be comfortable sitting at the table, and that my voice would be heard. Others may disagree with my perspective, of course, but others are not offended if I take a different respectful view.

4. Lisha Davis, Head of the Innovation Studio:

People feeling safe to be themselves, to voice their ideas and concerns, and to feel like they’re helping to shape our culture.

5. Jodi Miller, Principal in Retail:

Being approachable to all crew and open-minded to all ideas and perspectives that our crew bring forward.

6. Kevin Jestice, Principal in Information Technology & Security:

For me, inclusion is about everyone being comfortable bringing their whole self to work and fostering an environment that promotes and appreciates differences. Everyone is unique and has real value to add in this world. Being inclusive is about appreciating that value and ensuring people are comfortable being themselves so they can achieve their full potential. The greater the diversity of backgrounds and ideas we bring to a challenge, the more creative and better the outcome.

7. Manuel Calero, Principal in Retail:

I came to this country and enrolled in school having no understanding of the English language, not knowing a single person, and generally did not have a clue about how the school systems worked. Almost every single teacher I had, in spite of having nothing in common with me, went out of their way to get to know and guide me. Simply accepting me as just another student would have been okay, but they didn’t see that as an option. It was almost as if I was a family member they were inclined to help. I am forever indebted to those teachers from decades ago who reached out to me, and who taught me the importance of caring about and taking an active interest in others. They lived inclusion, which they knew to be a verb not an attitude or passive concept. To this day, I do my best to follow in their footsteps by doing as they did for me here at Vanguard.

Are you ready to make it count this year? Search our opportunities.

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Why you should raise your hand for that volunteer opportunity at work

April 18, 2019/in Culture, In the community, Our mission attach='scroll position='top left repeat='no-repeat video=, attachment= attachment_size= attach='scroll position='top left, attachment_size= attach='scroll position='top left repeat='no-repeat, av_textblock size= font_color= color=, av_textblock size= font_color= color= custom_class=, background_position='top left background_repeat='no-repeat animation=, background_position='top left background_repeat='no-repeat animation= mobile_display=, bottom_border='no-border-styling bottom_border_diagonal_color='#333333 bottom_border_diagonal_direction= bottom_border_style= id=, custom_bg= src= attachment= attachment_size= attach='scroll, left background_repeat='no-repeat animation= mobile_display=, left repeat='no-repeat video= video_ratio='16:9 overlay_opacity='0.5, min_height= vertical_alignment='av-align-top space= margin='0px margin_sync='true, position='top left repeat='no-repeat video= video_ratio='16:9, repeat='no-repeat video= video_ratio='16:9 overlay_opacity='0.5 overlay_color=, size= font_color= color= custom_class=, space= margin='0px margin_sync='true padding='0px padding_sync='true, src= attachment= attachment_size= attach='scroll position='top, vertical_alignment='av-align-top space= margin='0px margin_sync='true padding='0px, video= video_ratio='16:9 overlay_opacity='0.5 overlay_color= overlay_pattern=, video_ratio='16:9 overlay_opacity='0.5 overlay_color= overlay_pattern= overlay_custom_pattern= /by manjunath

Why you should raise your hand for that volunteer opportunity at work

When I first started looking for internships during undergrad, candidly, I was not excited by anything out there. All the business opportunities looked painfully similar. Stay with me, this is a happy story. What caught my eye during research for job fairs were the firms that heavily demonstrated their commitment to community. While it is pretty common nowadays to champion community involvement, what is less common is sincere passion backing those snapshots of community events.

Nearly every time I spoke with a representative of a company, I heard the same message: ‘Community service is great! We have one event each year that we rally behind and blast on social media. Other than that, not much else goes on.’ Disappointing… that is until I stumbled upon Vanguard’s My Classroom Economy, which is a program that enables educators to teach children financial responsibility through experiential learning.

From the multiple interviews to the first day of my internship at Vanguard, everyone I asked about My Classroom Economy indicated it was an ongoing, substantial operation: a mini-business within the business. Comprised of project teams, ambassador roles, as well as leaders for the work streams, this organization was solving a problem known all too well among my generation: a lack of financial literacy. Throughout college, in casual conversations or classroom debate, I heard the common lamentation from my peers: Why were we taught about geometric shapes but never received any sort of training/instruction on critical financial concepts, such as budgeting? Even social media comically points out the irony in a lack of ‘parallelogram season’ and searing reality of tax season. My Classroom Economy is not only fighting for an admirable cause, but also offers many opportunities to build leadership, project management, and relationship-building skills. I wanted in!

Fast forward through my senior year of college, my first full year of employment with Vanguard, and to steadily increasing my involvement with My Classroom Economy. Today, I serve as Project Manager for two expansions of the program, My Home and My Group Economy. My role in My Classroom Economy has helped me just as much as it’s helped our community.

If at any point while reading this, you were reminded of a time your interest was sparked in your workplace by a non-direct-job experience (i.e. something you are not compensated for) and you’re wondering if it is worth pursuing, here are reasons to raise your hand for that activity:

Validation in impactful work

Sometimes the most rewarding jobs are the ones you do not because you are being compensated but because you care. When you care about something you feel good contributing your time and energy to it. And thankfully, your professional development has helped you build upon valuable skills, which in the end, feels validating when you’re tapping into them for an altruistic cause.

Skill-building for future compensatory experiences & safe space to fail

Flipping what I just said on its head, while you have a ton of valuable skills to offer, you may not always accurately assess your utility. We are biased creatures and while you may think a job is perfect for you, volunteerism is a way to test out your interests and skills before jumping into a long-term role. Volunteerism offers exposure to skills and situations that teach you what you can do versus what you can do well. Capitalize on the chance to try ideas and challenge yourself in a safe space.

Cross-functional teamwork

Working with individuals from various disciplines is critical to the workplace of today. In a volunteer network, you can work regularly with individuals in roles from client-facing to IT development. Building relationships through cross-functional teamwork is beneficial to build your network and a fun way to learn about what other people do. It’s a way to research other types of roles within your company and can offer a ton of insight you would not otherwise have access to.

Bottom line: If you find something you are passionate about, have fun while getting invaluable experience for your long-term career. Stop sitting on your hands – raise them instead.