Visiting Vanguard Headquarters

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tat2ng
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Visiting Vanguard Headquarters

Post by tat2ng »

Hello,
I recall that others on the M* site mentioned having visited Vanguard's headquarters, and I remember Jason Zweig's article in Money magazine about a past Diehards reunion there.
link

This July, I will be in Philadelphia for a family reunion/wedding reception, and plan to have some extra days of vacation to take my 2 boys (age 2.5yrs & 6yrs) to see the ocean, and explore the Appalachian mountains as we drive home.

I was curious if it is worth taking the side trip over to visit Vanguard's headquarters, and what I should do to set it up. Can I just show up, or are there specific "visiting" hours? If it's not too kid-friendly, I might be able to visit on my own if necessary.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Thad
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orthros
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Post by orthros »

I don't have any information, just a request: Follow up with your trip if you do in fact make one! I'd like to do the same if it's worthwhile. Kinda like a financial pilgrimage.
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Visiting Vanguard?

Post by Mel Lindauer »

Hi tat:

After 9-11, Vanguard really tightened up the security at their campus, so there are no "visits", per se. Even to get into the Investor Center to transact business, you used to have to be "beeped" in by a security guard. I've heard (but not confirmed) that they stopped conducting transactions there. I'm not even sure if you can drive onto the campus any longer without going through a security gate.

However, if you're a Flagship client, you might talk to your rep and he/she may be able to arrange something. IMO, you shouldn't try to include the kids in your request.

Our Diehards II visit was arranged by Jack Bogle and a number of Jack Brennan's staff, and Jack Bogle served as our tour guide. It was definitely a very special event, as you saw from reading Jason's story in Money magazine.

Good luck. Let us know how you make out and what the current status is (I moved away from that area, so I've been out of that loop for a while.)

Regards,

Mel
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Post by tfb »

I went there in January. Without prior arrangement, they didn't let me through the security gate. Here's the Google Map link. You can still drive by and see the buildings, but the buildings themselves are nothing spectacular. There are about 8 five- or six-story buildings.
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tat2ng
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Post by tat2ng »

orthros wrote:Kinda like a financial pilgrimage.
That's exactly what I was thinking. :D
Mel Lindauer wrote: However, if you're a Flagship client...
Mel, unfortunately, I'm not even close. :cry: My wife and I are both 27 and have been investing for about 5 or 6 years. I think we're off to a good start, but Flagship and Voyager level are a long way off.

I will keep my hopes up, and look more into it as my road trip gets closer. I will keep you posted with any updates.

Thad
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Post by Brad »

Thad,

I was there a few weeks ago. I do not live nearby, but was attending a meeting in the area and called about a week before about a specific issue. I have a number of stocks in certificate form and wanted to put them in my VBS account but did not want to send them in the mail, even overnight. I called the 800 number and asked if this was possbile, and the rep was very accommodating. He scheduled the date and time I requested and faxed me directions to get there.

That day, I was stopped at the gate but they had my name and I drove in. I really did not see anything special, just office buildings. They do have small investor conference rooms, which is where we met. I did not ask for a tour, but was able to use the men's room unescorted and go to the pantry for a drink, so I suppose I could have poked around more, but there did not seem to be any reason to do so.

I asked the rep if they use the meeting rooms much and he said every day. Having been there, I would not go back unless I had a reason, so I would suggest you do not go very much out of your way to visit unless you are right there.
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Re: Visiting Vanguard Headquarters

Post by evofxdwg »

Well this is an old thread but helped me. Wife and I are vacationing in the area and I wondered if the V had any kind of “factory tour”. I can’t find mention of one on google but found this thread. Guess we’ll just do Philly stuff.
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Re: Visiting Vanguard Headquarters

Post by finfire »

Ocean and mountains sound more appealing.
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Re: Visiting Vanguard Headquarters

Post by Steelersfan »

evofxdwg wrote: Wed Sep 19, 2018 7:27 am Well this is an old thread but helped me. Wife and I are vacationing in the area and I wondered if the V had any kind of “factory tour”. I can’t find mention of one on google but found this thread. Guess we’ll just do Philly stuff.
The "factory" would be a bunch of offices, cubicles and conference rooms. I can't image it would be noticeably different than visiting any other office building of any other company.

Do Philly stuff.
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Re: Visiting Vanguard Headquarters

Post by barnaclebob »

What was there to see on this tour? I imagine it would just be some pictures of various former leaders and cube farms.
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Re: Visiting Vanguard Headquarters

Post by watchnerd »

I took the super special Flagship tour and it was just like Willy Wonka, but for money.
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Re: Visiting Vanguard Headquarters

Post by manatee2005 »

watchnerd wrote: Wed Sep 19, 2018 10:22 am I took the super special Flagship tour and it was just like Willy Wonka, but for money.
Did you get the golden ticket? :D

I toured the US money printing factory in DC and it was great.
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Re: Visiting Vanguard Headquarters

Post by Harry Livermore »

manatee2005 wrote: Tue Feb 16, 2021 1:47 am
I toured the US money printing factory in DC and it was great.
I actually thought the BEP (I'm assuming that's where you visited) was a bit of a let-down; I do normally enjoy the coin and bill type museums though! I felt like the BEP in Washington was a lot of waiting to walk through a single gallery, looking down at a bunch of printing presses. Maybe I was just not in the mood that day.
I would suggest that the OP visit the Philadelphia Mint. Much cooler than visiting a beige cubicle cluster at Vanguard.
But then I looked at the date of the OP and realized that this is a zombie thread from 2007!!!
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Re: Visiting Vanguard Headquarters

Post by manatee2005 »

Harry Livermore wrote: Tue Feb 16, 2021 3:40 am
manatee2005 wrote: Tue Feb 16, 2021 1:47 am
I toured the US money printing factory in DC and it was great.
I actually thought the BEP (I'm assuming that's where you visited) was a bit of a let-down; I do normally enjoy the coin and bill type museums though! I felt like the BEP in Washington was a lot of waiting to walk through a single gallery, looking down at a bunch of printing presses. Maybe I was just not in the mood that day.
I would suggest that the OP visit the Philadelphia Mint. Much cooler than visiting a beige cubicle cluster at Vanguard.
But then I looked at the date of the OP and realized that this is a zombie thread from 2007!!!
Cheers
I liked seeing all the stacks of crisp money hehehe

And they had some stuff in the lobby like the 3 gold bars worth 250k each
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Re: Visiting Vanguard Headquarters

Post by PaunchyPirate »

I’ve been there multiple times for business meetings through work before I retired in 2018. It looked pretty much like every other office building campus I’ve been to in the last decade. Lots of people sitting in cubicles and offices talking on phones.
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Re: Visiting Vanguard Headquarters

Post by mokaThought »

watchnerd wrote: Wed Sep 19, 2018 10:22 am I took the super special Flagship tour and it was just like Willy Wonka, but for money.
Sad to hear Vanguard is behind the times with occupational safety regulations.
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Re: Visiting Vanguard Headquarters

Post by hi_there »

Harry Livermore wrote: Tue Feb 16, 2021 3:40 am But then I looked at the date of the OP and realized that this is a zombie thread from 2007!!!
Maybe OP, in these past 14 years, has finally achieved Flagship status and can request a tour.

Anyway, if anyone has the opportunity, tours are sometimes available for Federal Reserve buildings, although probably not during the pandemic. There are numerous interesting processes and sites to observe on these visits. When I visited the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank, I witnessed the process of disposing of damaged or old physical dollar bills. There is a team of people whose work involves pushing pallets of money (using big carts similar to Costco) into an incinerator.
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Re: Visiting Vanguard Headquarters

Post by abuss368 »

I would really enjoy seeing Jack Bogle’s statue on the Vanguard campus.

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Re: Visiting Vanguard Headquarters

Post by Cheez-It Guy »

abuss368 wrote: Tue Feb 16, 2021 7:57 pm I would really enjoy seeing Jack Bogle’s statue on the Vanguard campus.

Tony
COVID-safe viewing experience:

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Re: Visiting Vanguard Headquarters

Post by drdrgolf »

A visit to Vanguard??? I don't think so.
A sad tale. My son works in the financial industry, and V was a client. Upon his return from a client meeting he said to me, " if you saw their operation you would pull every cent from there and put it in another company" !! I guess they were running in a time warp. It seemed like 1980 and that was the method-of-choice. I believe antiquated was his word.
However, V is still my company of choice. Guess old people like old companies.

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Re: Visiting Vanguard Headquarters

Post by nisiprius »

drdrgolf wrote: Wed Feb 17, 2021 7:04 am A visit to Vanguard??? I don't think so.
A sad tale. My son works in the financial industry, and V was a client. Upon his return from a client meeting he said to me, " if you saw their operation you would pull every cent from there and put it in another company" !! I guess they were running in a time warp. It seemed like 1980 and that was the method-of-choice. I believe antiquated was his word.
However, V is still my company of choice. Guess old people like old companies.

Dominic
Specifics, please. What, exactly, did your son see that was a reason for concern? In what way would he expect Fidelity, say, to look different?

As it happens, I bank at a place that has a building that probably looked contemporary in the 1980s, i.e. it doesn't look either like a Greek temple (1930s banks) or like a check-cashing service (2020-contemporary banks). It doesn't matter a lot to me, though. I wouldn't mind a bank with Corinthian columns or one with a café in it.

So is he just talking about shabby building decor, or are they adding up my account numbers with a Comptometer, or what?
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Re: Visiting Vanguard Headquarters

Post by Brianmcg321 »

nisiprius wrote: Wed Feb 17, 2021 7:12 am
drdrgolf wrote: Wed Feb 17, 2021 7:04 am A visit to Vanguard??? I don't think so.
A sad tale. My son works in the financial industry, and V was a client. Upon his return from a client meeting he said to me, " if you saw their operation you would pull every cent from there and put it in another company" !! I guess they were running in a time warp. It seemed like 1980 and that was the method-of-choice. I believe antiquated was his word.
However, V is still my company of choice. Guess old people like old companies.

Dominic
Specifics, please. What, exactly, did your son see that was a reason for concern? In what way would he expect Fidelity, say, to look different?

As it happens, I bank at a place that has a building that probably looked contemporary in the 1980s, i.e. it doesn't look either like a Greek temple (1930s banks) or like a check-cashing service (2020-contemporary banks). It doesn't matter a lot to me, though. I wouldn't mind a bank with Corinthian columns or one with a café in it.

So is he just talking about shabby building decor, or are they adding up my account numbers with a Comptometer, or what?
Probably the rotary telephones and Apple II Es. I wouldn’t be surprised if they still used AOL 2.0.
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Re: Visiting Vanguard Headquarters

Post by seawolf21 »

PaunchyPirate wrote: Tue Feb 16, 2021 4:47 pm I’ve been there multiple times for business meetings through work before I retired in 2018. It looked pretty much like every other office building campus I’ve been to in the last decade. Lots of people sitting in cubicles and offices talking on phones.
Visiting BEP or the Mint or the stock market exchange would be more interesting. Visiting Vanguard would be like going to work in an office building. Lol.
nisiprius wrote: Wed Feb 17, 2021 7:12 am
drdrgolf wrote: Wed Feb 17, 2021 7:04 am A visit to Vanguard??? I don't think so.
A sad tale. My son works in the financial industry, and V was a client. Upon his return from a client meeting he said to me, " if you saw their operation you would pull every cent from there and put it in another company" !! I guess they were running in a time warp. It seemed like 1980 and that was the method-of-choice. I believe antiquated was his word.
However, V is still my company of choice. Guess old people like old companies.

Dominic
Specifics, please. What, exactly, did your son see that was a reason for concern? In what way would he expect Fidelity, say, to look different?

As it happens, I bank at a place that has a building that probably looked contemporary in the 1980s, i.e. it doesn't look either like a Greek temple (1930s banks) or like a check-cashing service (2020-contemporary banks). It doesn't matter a lot to me, though. I wouldn't mind a bank with Corinthian columns or one with a café in it.

So is he just talking about shabby building decor, or are they adding up my account numbers with a Comptometer, or what?
Just speculation but before COVID I would go to many customer offices. The decor of offices like tech companies and 1st tier banking (eg Morgan Stanley/JPMC) are more lively/engaging while the offices of more conservative companies seem more stale and depressing. Trend these days (pre-COVID) is more open environment with no/low height cubicle walls while conservative companies would have high cubicle walls.

Vanugard seem to be a company on the more conservative side. Probably also running tech from a prior generation just to squeeze the last ounce of life from them.
Last edited by seawolf21 on Wed Feb 17, 2021 9:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Visiting Vanguard Headquarters

Post by abuss368 »

Cheez-It Guy wrote: Wed Feb 17, 2021 6:40 am
abuss368 wrote: Tue Feb 16, 2021 7:57 pm I would really enjoy seeing Jack Bogle’s statue on the Vanguard campus.

Tony
COVID-safe viewing experience:

Image
Love it.
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Re: Visiting Vanguard Headquarters

Post by whodidntante »

drdrgolf wrote: Wed Feb 17, 2021 7:04 am A visit to Vanguard??? I don't think so.
A sad tale. My son works in the financial industry, and V was a client. Upon his return from a client meeting he said to me, " if you saw their operation you would pull every cent from there and put it in another company" !! I guess they were running in a time warp. It seemed like 1980 and that was the method-of-choice. I believe antiquated was his word.
However, V is still my company of choice. Guess old people like old companies.

Dominic
Big V is the kind of company where you wouldn't be surprised if there is a Commodore 64, or worse, an HP-UX system :twisted: , existing as a single point of failure to their operations.
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Re: Visiting Vanguard Headquarters

Post by Cheez-It Guy »

^^The sculptor really got the position-induced suit rumples perfect!
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Re: Visiting Vanguard Headquarters

Post by Wade Garrett »

drdrgolf wrote: Wed Feb 17, 2021 7:04 am he said to me, " if you saw their operation you would pull every cent from there and put it in another company" !! I guess they were running in a time warp. It seemed like 1980 and that was the method-of-choice. I believe antiquated was his word.
This along with Vanguard's shoddy customer service (by reputation.... I've never personally had any real issues with them) are why Vanguard is the low cost leader.
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Re: Visiting Vanguard Headquarters

Post by Hockey10 »

You would be better off visiting Valley Forge National Park. But wait until Spring. If you visit today, you will experience similar weather to what George Washington had in 1778.
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