Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

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exodusing
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by exodusing »

fogalog wrote: Sat Feb 01, 2025 12:00 pm
dkturner wrote: Sat Feb 01, 2025 11:42 am

Help me out here if you can. When I call my account representative, and he can’t take my call, I get a message telling me that my call is being transferred to the ultra high net worth group for assistance. To which group do I “belong”?
I'm sorry but I have no idea. In the past I have almost always scheduled calls via messaging. I have only had to call for something urgent once, a few years ago - for a tax-loss harvest that went awry - and at that time I got through to my Flagship / Flagship Select rep directly.
They appear to have eliminated most of the flagship branding. On My dashboard should be a box labeled Wealth Management Team, including various contact information such as a link to schedule a call.

Do you see that when you login and go to your dashboard?

The ultra high net worth group seems the successor to flagship select.
fogalog
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by fogalog »

exodusing wrote: Sat Feb 01, 2025 12:16 pm
fogalog wrote: Sat Feb 01, 2025 12:00 pm
I'm sorry but I have no idea. In the past I have almost always scheduled calls via messaging. I have only had to call for something urgent once, a few years ago - for a tax-loss harvest that went awry - and at that time I got through to my Flagship / Flagship Select rep directly.
They appear to have eliminated most of the flagship branding. On My dashboard should be a box labeled Wealth Management Team, including various contact information such as a link to schedule a call.

Do you see that when you login and go to your dashboard?

The ultra high net worth group seems the successor to flagship select.
When I log in on either the app or the web i see, "Wealth Management Team", and a picture / phone number for my "Relationship Manager".
dkturner
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by dkturner »

exodusing wrote: Sat Feb 01, 2025 12:16 pm
fogalog wrote: Sat Feb 01, 2025 12:00 pm
I'm sorry but I have no idea. In the past I have almost always scheduled calls via messaging. I have only had to call for something urgent once, a few years ago - for a tax-loss harvest that went awry - and at that time I got through to my Flagship / Flagship Select rep directly.
They appear to have eliminated most of the flagship branding. On My dashboard should be a box labeled Wealth Management Team, including various contact information such as a link to schedule a call.

Do you see that when you login and go to your dashboard?

The ultra high net worth group seems the successor to flagship select.
I see Wealth Management Team and the contact information you mentioned and the links to send messages and schedule a call.
Grasshopper
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by Grasshopper »

Flagship for 30+ years traded BND for Treasuries and got kicked out 2 years or so ago.
exodusing
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by exodusing »

fogalog wrote: Sat Feb 01, 2025 3:43 pm
exodusing wrote: Sat Feb 01, 2025 12:16 pm
They appear to have eliminated most of the flagship branding. On My dashboard should be a box labeled Wealth Management Team, including various contact information such as a link to schedule a call.

Do you see that when you login and go to your dashboard?

The ultra high net worth group seems the successor to flagship select.
When I log in on either the app or the web i see, "Wealth Management Team", and a picture / phone number for my "Relationship Manager".
Do you have a link to schedule a call? That seemed to be your issue. Also, when you call in do you get your rep, or if unavailable, someone who says they are from the ultra high net worth team or some such?

If so, you seem to have the standard for what used to be flagship select.
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yankees60
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by yankees60 »

I still call my Flagship phone number in the hopes that it will spare me a 40-minute wait to talk to someone!
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by Feldman »

Is there a known current threshold for Vanguard Qualifying Assets to reach the "Ultra High Net Worth" grouping? I wonder whether it's yet another vestige that you may keep for a while if you already have it (until resources are reallocated to paying clients / services), but that no one new will be added to the group regardless of assets? I don't care if that's their plan -- just curious about making it less opaque.
dkturner
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by dkturner »

exodusing wrote: Sun Feb 02, 2025 8:16 am
Do you have a link to schedule a call? That seemed to be your issue. Also, when you call in do you get your rep, or if unavailable, someone who says they are from the ultra high net worth team or some such?
Yes to both questions. Thanks for the information!
fogalog
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by fogalog »

exodusing wrote: Sun Feb 02, 2025 8:16 am
fogalog wrote: Sat Feb 01, 2025 3:43 pm
When I log in on either the app or the web i see, "Wealth Management Team", and a picture / phone number for my "Relationship Manager".
Do you have a link to schedule a call? That seemed to be your issue. Also, when you call in do you get your rep, or if unavailable, someone who says they are from the ultra high net worth team or some such?

If so, you seem to have the standard for what used to be flagship select.
Sorry if I wasn't clear in my original post: it's not an issue for me per se, I just noticed and was puzzled by the seeming removal of the Flagship / Flagship Select branding. It seems like a miss on Vanguard's part. It is rare that I have to call without scheduling - only once in ~20 years for me.
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by unwitting_gulag »

fogalog wrote: Sat Feb 01, 2025 11:22 am Perhaps I am just realizing this very late but it seems Flagship and Flagship Select have now gone away completely, even at $5m+

I clicked on one of the links further up this thread for "flagship" and it redirects to: https://investor.vanguard.com/client-benefits

If you tap on the "$5 million +" tab you will see:

"At Vanguard, you can choose how much assistance you receive for a fee" [emphasis mine]
That's been my experience too. When speaking to somebody about the topic on the phone, the action was to connect me with the rep of a team offering services for a fee. The rep was, to his credit, thoroughly honest. He said that different investors benefit from a different range of services, with some self-directed investors not benefiting at all. For those, there's no point in availing oneself of what's offered. My reply, was that the only "service" that I genuinely crave, is a special phone number with quick access and no waiting. This, I was told, exists only if one signs-up for some tier of wealth management. It's no longer the case, that having $XYZ invested garners one any particular fast-track service, merely for the beauty of having this $XYZ with Vanguard.
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by afan »

It is now Feb, 2025. I did not speak with anyone at Vanguard in 2024 and I do not recall speaking with anyone in 2023. Beyond that, I do not remember.

If the need to talk with a Vanguard person comes up so rarely, I would not pay much for it.

Right now, Vanguard is doing for me exactly what I want-managing low cost index funds, buying more each month on my automatic schedule, reinvesting dividends and doing tax reporting. ALMOST for free. In fact, given securities lending and my mix of funds, I think Vanguard is paying me a small amount, net, to let them invest my money.

I am a happy camper, who would far, far rather do something online than talk with a rep over the phone. But that is just me.
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by DrDoodle »

afan wrote: Sun Feb 02, 2025 5:57 pm ... would far, far rather do something online than talk with a rep over the phone.
Me too; I much prefer to do stuff myself online. Unfortunately the Vanguard website is an abysmal mess, so it's a lot harder and more confusing to do stuff online than it should be, and some things are just impossible.

Last time I checked I still had a dedicated Relationship Manager who is (understandably) always busy when I call, so I press something and get connected to another representative in the ultra high net worth group. I prefer it this way, because my assigned rep is useless ... slow, unresponsive, careless, uninformed. Sounds like most folks have to wait on hold for a long time, so I guess I should be grateful that my calls are answered promptly. This is the only benefit of being an ultra high net worth client.
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by beyou »

DrDoodle wrote: Sun Feb 02, 2025 11:52 pm
afan wrote: Sun Feb 02, 2025 5:57 pm ... would far, far rather do something online than talk with a rep over the phone.
Me too; I much prefer to do stuff myself online. Unfortunately the Vanguard website is an abysmal mess, so it's a lot harder and more confusing to do stuff online than it should be, and some things are just impossible.
What exactly can't you do online with Vanguard ?
I would say every broker has some tasks that can't be performed online but Vanguard has more online services than many others.
I recently considered moving my IRAs to a broker at a major national bank, but they had no online RMD nor ability to change beneficiary online, both of which Vanguard can do. There was another task for my IRA that Vanguard does offline but the bank brokerage wouldn't do at all (trust related beneficiary issue). I decided to keep my IRAs at Vanguard, not to say there aren't other options than Vanguard to do the same tasks but not all brokers have these features, Vanguard does (as well as Fidelity afaik). But don't assume just any broker can do everything online, many only have the most common repetitive tasks online and nothing more.
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by dkturner »

beyou wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 12:20 am
What exactly can't you do online with Vanguard ?
In theory you can do virtually everything at Vanguard online. In practice the online stuff frequently either doesn’t work or doesn’t work properly.

My most recent “encounter” with Vanguard online was in early January when I wanted to update my IRA RMD for 2025. My profile said I was having 10% of my RMD withheld for federal income tax. Wrong. I clicked on the link to make a change to my actual withholding rate and it didn’t work. It kept up coming back to 10%. Called my Vanguard representative and got a team member who explained the system wasn’t working properly and went on to correct the error.

This happens frequently. It’s usually not the same thing over and over again - it’s just random incompetence.
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beyou
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by beyou »

dkturner wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 6:51 am
beyou wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 12:20 am
What exactly can't you do online with Vanguard ?
In theory you can do virtually everything at Vanguard online. In practice the online stuff frequently either doesn’t work or doesn’t work properly.

My most recent “encounter” with Vanguard online was in early January when I wanted to update my IRA RMD for 2025. My profile said I was having 10% of my RMD withheld for federal income tax. Wrong. I clicked on the link to make a change to my actual withholding rate and it didn’t work. It kept up coming back to 10%. Called my Vanguard representative and got a team member who explained the system wasn’t working properly and went on to correct the error.

This happens frequently. It’s usually not the same thing over and over again - it’s just random incompetence.
Could you see the correction online after they modified it ?

As a retired developer and IT manager, I can say such less frequent actions often do not get automated at all, or if so, maybe not beta tested well enough. A function needed and used everyday will always get more attention than one used annually by only a portion of clients. Even worse are new acct setup, this is often the most poorly automated at smaller firms that do not have mass retail volume like the big 3 discussed regularly. That said, they should do it right or not at all.

My secondary broker has some offline functions, but competent people answer in a timely manner and get the job done, which is not my preference but better than using poorly tested broken online functions.

The main thing broken that I use is portfolio watch, but the biggest problem is how it handles external holdings, which is incorrect after recent changes and they refuse to fix with dumb explanation why it cant/wont be fixed. I guess external holdings are not a priority. Again, they should remove the feature, or fix it. But they leave it knowingly broken.
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yankees60
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by yankees60 »

beyou wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 7:15 am
dkturner wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 6:51 am

In theory you can do virtually everything at Vanguard online. In practice the online stuff frequently either doesn’t work or doesn’t work properly.

My most recent “encounter” with Vanguard online was in early January when I wanted to update my IRA RMD for 2025. My profile said I was having 10% of my RMD withheld for federal income tax. Wrong. I clicked on the link to make a change to my actual withholding rate and it didn’t work. It kept up coming back to 10%. Called my Vanguard representative and got a team member who explained the system wasn’t working properly and went on to correct the error.

This happens frequently. It’s usually not the same thing over and over again - it’s just random incompetence.
Could you see the correction online after they modified it ?

As a retired developer and IT manager, I can say such less frequent actions often do not get automated at all, or if so, maybe not beta tested well enough. A function needed and used everyday will always get more attention than one used annually by only a portion of clients. Even worse are new acct setup, this is often the most poorly automated at smaller firms that do not have mass retail volume like the big 3 discussed regularly. That said, they should do it right or not at all.

My secondary broker has some offline functions, but competent people answer in a timely manner and get the job done, which is not my preference but better than using poorly tested broken online functions.

The main thing broken that I use is portfolio watch, but the biggest problem is how it handles external holdings, which is incorrect after recent changes and they refuse to fix with dumb explanation why it cant/wont be fixed. I guess external holdings are not a priority. Again, they should remove the feature, or fix it. But they leave it knowingly broken.
"Again, they should remove the feature, or fix it. But they leave it knowingly broken."

For certain, puzzling!
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by Kaintucke »

afan wrote: Sun Feb 02, 2025 5:57 pm It is now Feb, 2025. I did not speak with anyone at Vanguard in 2024 and I do not recall speaking with anyone in 2023. Beyond that, I do not remember.

If the need to talk with a Vanguard person comes up so rarely, I would not pay much for it.

Right now, Vanguard is doing for me exactly what I want-managing low cost index funds, buying more each month on my automatic schedule, reinvesting dividends and doing tax reporting. ALMOST for free. In fact, given securities lending and my mix of funds, I think Vanguard is paying me a small amount, net, to let them invest my money.

I am a happy camper, who would far, far rather do something online than talk with a rep over the phone. But that is just me.
Unfortunately problems and situations , including things that cannot be done online at all, arise and then the caller is forced into long wait times, unanswered transfers, difficulty in understanding the CSR, etc.
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by yankees60 »

Kaintucke wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 12:37 pm
afan wrote: Sun Feb 02, 2025 5:57 pm It is now Feb, 2025. I did not speak with anyone at Vanguard in 2024 and I do not recall speaking with anyone in 2023. Beyond that, I do not remember.

If the need to talk with a Vanguard person comes up so rarely, I would not pay much for it.

Right now, Vanguard is doing for me exactly what I want-managing low cost index funds, buying more each month on my automatic schedule, reinvesting dividends and doing tax reporting. ALMOST for free. In fact, given securities lending and my mix of funds, I think Vanguard is paying me a small amount, net, to let them invest my money.

I am a happy camper, who would far, far rather do something online than talk with a rep over the phone. But that is just me.
Unfortunately problems and situations , including things that cannot be done online at all, arise and then the caller is forced into long wait times, unanswered transfers, difficulty in understanding the CSR, etc.
"Unfortunately problems and situations , including things that cannot be done online at all, arise and then the caller is forced into long wait times, unanswered transfers, difficulty in understanding the CSR, etc."

All too true! And, frequent.
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by Kaintucke »

I am reviewing this thread and my experience with CS at Vanguard and what I am getting is there is no longer any special service number(s) for DIY clients at Vanguard, no matter how much money you have invested with them. Stated differently, you will have to put some assets under management at Vanguard to avoid their regular crappy customer service. It seems Vanguard is aiming to get rid of DIY clients of all asset levels and provide retail services only to their clients that put assets under Vanguard management. Any thoughts on this ?
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by exodusNH »

Kaintucke wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 1:50 pm I am reviewing this thread and my experience with CS at Vanguard and what I am getting is there is no longer any special service number(s) for DIY clients at Vanguard, no matter how much money you have invested with them. Stated differently, you will have to put some assets under management at Vanguard to avoid their regular crappy customer service. It seems Vanguard is aiming to get rid of DIY clients of all asset levels and provide retail services only to their clients that put assets under Vanguard management. Any thoughts on this ?
This is what I've been saying for years.

Vanguard wishes they were BlackRock. All the pesky wetwear is someone else's problem while they get to collect the ER.
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by exodusing »

Kaintucke wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 1:50 pm I am reviewing this thread and my experience with CS at Vanguard and what I am getting is there is no longer any special service number(s) for DIY clients at Vanguard, no matter how much money you have invested with them. Stated differently, you will have to put some assets under management at Vanguard to avoid their regular crappy customer service. It seems Vanguard is aiming to get rid of DIY clients of all asset levels and provide retail services only to their clients that put assets under Vanguard management. Any thoughts on this ?
If you have sufficient assets, even as a DIY investor, you get access to the ultra high net worth team, which answers the phone quickly, either your dedicated rep (who has a unique phone number) or someone else on the team. That's better than the long hold times many in customer service threads experience.

The claimed benefits:
Your Relationship Manager will help you and your family with:

Guidance and education to achieve your overall investment and planning goals.
Subject matter expertise to connect you with Wealth Management’s best solutions.
Vanguard thought leadership, including economic and market outlooks, to keep you informed.
Overall account management - such as transferring assets, transacting on your portfolio, gifting, and changing account ownership.
Guidance and education here are better than from Vanguard reps, including when they provided free consultation with a CFP. They do seem capable of helping with account management issues.

As many have advised regarding Vanguard's customer service, if you believe you'll get better service elsewhere, the best course is to transfer your assets elsewhere. I wouldn't bet on Vanguard improving its reps or IT, especially in the short term.
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by JohnDoh »

exodusNH wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 2:09 pm
Kaintucke wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 1:50 pm I am reviewing this thread and my experience with CS at Vanguard and what I am getting is there is no longer any special service number(s) for DIY clients at Vanguard, no matter how much money you have invested with them. Stated differently, you will have to put some assets under management at Vanguard to avoid their regular crappy customer service. It seems Vanguard is aiming to get rid of DIY clients of all asset levels and provide retail services only to their clients that put assets under Vanguard management. Any thoughts on this ?
This is what I've been saying for years.

Vanguard wishes they were BlackRock. All the pesky wetwear is someone else's problem while they get to collect the ER.
True. And a good thing IMO, now that Vanguard ETFs can be EASILY held anywhere. My sense is that Vanguard is still the best at actual fund management and also at low ER, so I still want to stick with their ETFs. But I hold them at Fidelity which is a great one-stop shop, with great IT, great customer service, etc. It's really the best of both worlds.

And, if you didn't know that Vanguard used to "also" be a platform, you wouldn't really care. The problem is really people's attachment to something that no longer exists. Accept it and move on, especially since it has literally zero impact on your portfolio or investment returns that it the priority focus, right?

(Also: why fight city hall?)
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by goodenyou »

I have had pretty good luck with CS at Vanguard. My calls have had short wait times and they call back within 10-15 minutes if I choose. I have been with Vanguard for a long time (30 years) and have a large portfolio.

I don't know the qualifications, if any, for some special service, but I would imagine that I would qualify. I am not aware of some special VIP category.

I have significant assets at Schwab and Fidelity as well, and the investments there are also made up of several Vanguard funds (VTI, BND, VTSAX, etc..)

I agree that the app and website are not as good as others, but acceptable for my low complexity of use.


In all, it's the familiarity, low cost and great MMFs that keep me there.
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by yankees60 »

JohnDoh wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 3:29 pm
exodusNH wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 2:09 pm

This is what I've been saying for years.

Vanguard wishes they were BlackRock. All the pesky wetwear is someone else's problem while they get to collect the ER.
True. And a good thing IMO, now that Vanguard ETFs can be EASILY held anywhere. My sense is that Vanguard is still the best at actual fund management and also at low ER, so I still want to stick with their ETFs. But I hold them at Fidelity which is a great one-stop shop, with great IT, great customer service, etc. It's really the best of both worlds.

And, if you didn't know that Vanguard used to "also" be a platform, you wouldn't really care. The problem is really people's attachment to something that no longer exists. Accept it and move on, especially since it has literally zero impact on your portfolio or investment returns that it the priority focus, right?

(Also: why fight city hall?)
Reality advice.
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by Rajsx »

True,

Driven out after 30 yrs being with Vanguards due to -

Select Flagship benefits were withdrawn
Constant efforts to put us in their PAS-Personal Advisory Service
Delayed & Poor Customer Service

We converted our Vanguard Funds to ETFs & moved to Fidelity, going good so far-
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by DrDoodle »

beyou wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 12:20 am What exactly can't you do online with Vanguard ?
Send a wire, for one thing
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by beyou »

Rajsx wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 5:44 pm True,

Driven out after 30 yrs being with Vanguards due to -

Select Flagship benefits were withdrawn
Constant efforts to put us in their PAS-Personal Advisory Service
Delayed & Poor Customer Service
What Flagship similar benefits do you get at Fidelity and actually use ?

Sale of advisory services is also done by Fidelity, and worse ( insurance products ).
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by Big Dog »

Rajsx wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 5:44 pm True,

Driven out after 30 yrs being with Vanguards due to -

Select Flagship benefits were withdrawn
Constant efforts to put us in their PAS-Personal Advisory Service
Delayed & Poor Customer Service

We converted our Vanguard Funds to ETFs & moved to Fidelity, going good so far-
Interesting, I don't recall any efforts to get us into PAS. Sure, like everyone else, they have plenty of marketing materials, but I learned long ago to ignore marketing materials.
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by ObiQuiet »

DrDoodle wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 6:12 pm
beyou wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 12:20 am What exactly can't you do online with Vanguard ?
Send a wire, for one thing
It's not free (edit: and only to a previously linked account) but from the Portfolio page, I see "Transfer Money" at the right under each account.
In the popup menu, I see "Send Me Money"

Then, I get to the "Sell Vanguard Funds" page.

For "Where is the Money Going?" I choose my linked checking account. Then I have the two options:
( ) Electronic Bank Transfer
( ) Wire (fee)

This is for a taxable, "migrated" brokerage account.
Last edited by ObiQuiet on Mon Feb 03, 2025 7:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by AlwaysLearningMore »

fogalog wrote: Sun Feb 02, 2025 12:01 pm
exodusing wrote: Sun Feb 02, 2025 8:16 am
Do you have a link to schedule a call? That seemed to be your issue. Also, when you call in do you get your rep, or if unavailable, someone who says they are from the ultra high net worth team or some such?

If so, you seem to have the standard for what used to be flagship select.
Sorry if I wasn't clear in my original post: it's not an issue for me per se, I just noticed and was puzzled by the seeming removal of the Flagship / Flagship Select branding. It seems like a miss on Vanguard's part. It is rare that I have to call without scheduling - only once in ~20 years for me.
You're right, a boolean search of the website doesn't bring up the word "Flagship."
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by yankees60 »

ObiQuiet wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 6:37 pm
DrDoodle wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 6:12 pm
Send a wire, for one thing
It's not free (edit: and only to a previously linked account) but from the Portfolio page, I see "Transfer Money" at the right under each account.
In the popup menu, I see "Send Me Money"

Then, I get to the "Sell Vanguard Funds" page.

For "Where is the Money Going?" I choose my linked checking account. Then I have the two options:
( ) Electronic Bank Transfer
( ) Wire (fee)

This is for a taxable, "migrated" brokerage account.
Wire is same day transfer if initiated by a certain time. Your bank may charge you to receive it.

No charge to do an ACH but takes one to two days. No fees on either end. Don't know what holding period banks have on their end for incoming but Vanguard has 7 calendar days for incoming.
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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zaboomafoozarg
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by zaboomafoozarg »

$1M invested used to be pretty rare but now everyone and their mom has $1M, so I can see why they'd get rid of it.

It's been 10 years since our last net worth poll but I think the average net worth then was around $2M.

I bet the average net worth on this forum is well over $5M now, maybe closer to $10M.
exodusNH
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by exodusNH »

zaboomafoozarg wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2025 9:14 am $1M invested used to be pretty rare but now everyone and their mom has $1M, so I can see why they'd get rid of it.

It's been 10 years since our last net worth poll but I think the average net worth then was around $2M.

I bet the average net worth on this forum is well over $5M now, maybe closer to $10M.
Average? That seems unlikely.

I'm single. I've been saving for retirement since 1996. I've owned a total of 4 cars since 2000, including a beater I drove for two years after my car was totaled. I don't have children. I left college with no debt.

My net worth is only around $1.5M. Depending on where you look, that puts me somewhere in the 90-95th percentile.

There are some wealthy people here, but it's not mostly 2%ers.
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by jebmke »

yankees60 wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2025 9:00 am
ObiQuiet wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 6:37 pm

It's not free (edit: and only to a previously linked account) but from the Portfolio page, I see "Transfer Money" at the right under each account.
In the popup menu, I see "Send Me Money"

Then, I get to the "Sell Vanguard Funds" page.

For "Where is the Money Going?" I choose my linked checking account. Then I have the two options:
( ) Electronic Bank Transfer
( ) Wire (fee)

This is for a taxable, "migrated" brokerage account.
Wire is same day transfer if initiated by a certain time. Your bank may charge you to receive it.

No charge to do an ACH but takes one to two days. No fees on either end. Don't know what holding period banks have on their end for incoming but Vanguard has 7 calendar days for incoming.
It has been a little while but when I initiate a bank transfer from my VG settlement fund, if I initiate it first thing in the morning it typically hits the bank by the end of the day. It used to be an overnight thing but I think the institutions have started doing ACH runs more frequently. I know that an AMEX push to my checking account at USAA is reliably same day unless I initiate it late in the day.

I have never had a hold. I haven't done anything really large -- the only time I needed a large amount was a house purchase and I used a wire which, as you say is pretty much real-time.
Don't trust me, look it up. https://www.irs.gov/forms-instructions-and-publications
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yankees60
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by yankees60 »

exodusNH wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2025 9:33 am
zaboomafoozarg wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2025 9:14 am $1M invested used to be pretty rare but now everyone and their mom has $1M, so I can see why they'd get rid of it.

It's been 10 years since our last net worth poll but I think the average net worth then was around $2M.

I bet the average net worth on this forum is well over $5M now, maybe closer to $10M.
Average? That seems unlikely.

I'm single. I've been saving for retirement since 1996. I've owned a total of 4 cars since 2000, including a beater I drove for two years after my car was totaled. I don't have children. I left college with no debt.

My net worth is only around $1.5M. Depending on where you look, that puts me somewhere in the 90-95th percentile.

There are some wealthy people here, but it's not mostly 2%ers.
Depends if that average is the mean or the median. If Bill Gates or Elon Musk joined the forum the median would be unchanged but the mean would go up by some multiple of X.

Time for a new poll? Who can create it? Would be most valuable broken down by age and whether for one person or two.
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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yankees60
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by yankees60 »

jebmke wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2025 9:53 am
yankees60 wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2025 9:00 am

Wire is same day transfer if initiated by a certain time. Your bank may charge you to receive it.

No charge to do an ACH but takes one to two days. No fees on either end. Don't know what holding period banks have on their end for incoming but Vanguard has 7 calendar days for incoming.
It has been a little while but when I initiate a bank transfer from my VG settlement fund, if I initiate it first thing in the morning it typically hits the bank by the end of the day. It used to be an overnight thing but I think the institutions have started doing ACH runs more frequently. I know that an AMEX push to my checking account at USAA is reliably same day unless I initiate it late in the day.

I have never had a hold. I haven't done anything really large -- the only time I needed a large amount was a house purchase and I used a wire which, as you say is pretty much real-time.
Is it possible you did have a hold but it never came into play because you never attempted to access within that hold period?
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by jebmke »

yankees60 wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2025 9:57 am
jebmke wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2025 9:53 am
It has been a little while but when I initiate a bank transfer from my VG settlement fund, if I initiate it first thing in the morning it typically hits the bank by the end of the day. It used to be an overnight thing but I think the institutions have started doing ACH runs more frequently. I know that an AMEX push to my checking account at USAA is reliably same day unless I initiate it late in the day.

I have never had a hold. I haven't done anything really large -- the only time I needed a large amount was a house purchase and I used a wire which, as you say is pretty much real-time.
Is it possible you did have a hold but it never came into play because you never attempted to access within that hold period?
perhaps. But my bank alerts me whenever there is a deposit and it was never mentioned. It has always been a small amount though. Five figures or less typically.
Don't trust me, look it up. https://www.irs.gov/forms-instructions-and-publications
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yankees60
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by yankees60 »

jebmke wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2025 10:02 am
yankees60 wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2025 9:57 am

Is it possible you did have a hold but it never came into play because you never attempted to access within that hold period?
perhaps. But my bank alerts me whenever there is a deposit and it was never mentioned. It has always been a small amount though. Five figures or less typically.
My bank puts extra holds on deposits over a certain amount.
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
jebmke
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by jebmke »

yes; I think there is a lot of variability. We have one small seldom used account at a local B&M and they seem to have some odd policies. I mainly use them to write one check per year for property taxes. But they have good coffee and their pens are decent and free. Lollipops for sugar addicts.
Don't trust me, look it up. https://www.irs.gov/forms-instructions-and-publications
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by Feldman »

ObiQuiet wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 6:37 pm
DrDoodle wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 6:12 pm
Send a wire, for one thing
It's not free (edit: and only to a previously linked account) but from the Portfolio page, I see "Transfer Money" at the right under each account.
In the popup menu, I see "Send Me Money"

Then, I get to the "Sell Vanguard Funds" page.

For "Where is the Money Going?" I choose my linked checking account. Then I have the two options:
( ) Electronic Bank Transfer
( ) Wire (fee)

This is for a taxable, "migrated" brokerage account.
I believe that whether outgoing wires are free or not depends on asset level. While there has certainly been a gradual de-emphasizing or even nominal erasure of the tiers, there are still some small perks at certain thresholds. Wires are $10 for each holding, or free above $1 million in qualifying Vanguard assets. Access to otherwise closed actively managed mutual funds is another one. Free trades on Transaction Fee mutual funds also start at $1 million in qualifying assets. You get up to 25 free trades per year at this level, and up to 100 free trades per year above $5 million. I can't imagine many people using this, except possibly unwinding inherited portfolios or something.
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yankees60
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by yankees60 »

Feldman wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2025 3:14 pm
ObiQuiet wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 6:37 pm

It's not free (edit: and only to a previously linked account) but from the Portfolio page, I see "Transfer Money" at the right under each account.
In the popup menu, I see "Send Me Money"

Then, I get to the "Sell Vanguard Funds" page.

For "Where is the Money Going?" I choose my linked checking account. Then I have the two options:
( ) Electronic Bank Transfer
( ) Wire (fee)

This is for a taxable, "migrated" brokerage account.
I believe that whether outgoing wires are free or not depends on asset level. While there has certainly been a gradual de-emphasizing or even nominal erasure of the tiers, there are still some small perks at certain thresholds. Wires are $10 for each holding, or free above $1 million in qualifying Vanguard assets. Access to otherwise closed actively managed mutual funds is another one. Free trades on Transaction Fee mutual funds also start at $1 million in qualifying assets. You get up to 25 free trades per year at this level, and up to 100 free trades per year above $5 million. I can't imagine many people using this, except possibly unwinding inherited portfolios or something.
I trust all you have above. However, do you have a URL for Vanguard where they give all the above details? Thanks!
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Feldman
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by Feldman »

yankees60 wrote: Wed Feb 05, 2025 12:31 pm
Feldman wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2025 3:14 pm

I believe that whether outgoing wires are free or not depends on asset level. While there has certainly been a gradual de-emphasizing or even nominal erasure of the tiers, there are still some small perks at certain thresholds. Wires are $10 for each holding, or free above $1 million in qualifying Vanguard assets. Access to otherwise closed actively managed mutual funds is another one. Free trades on Transaction Fee mutual funds also start at $1 million in qualifying assets. You get up to 25 free trades per year at this level, and up to 100 free trades per year above $5 million. I can't imagine many people using this, except possibly unwinding inherited portfolios or something.
I trust all you have above. However, do you have a URL for Vanguard where they give all the above details? Thanks!
Yes, mostly:

https://investor.vanguard.com/client-be ... ommissions

Expand the fee groupings to see when there are cut-offs at which the fee reduces or goes away.
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yankees60
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by yankees60 »

Feldman wrote: Wed Feb 05, 2025 7:57 pm
yankees60 wrote: Wed Feb 05, 2025 12:31 pm

I trust all you have above. However, do you have a URL for Vanguard where they give all the above details? Thanks!
Yes, mostly:

https://investor.vanguard.com/client-be ... ommissions

Expand the fee groupings to see when there are cut-offs at which the fee reduces or goes away.
Thanks!
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

Post by JackoC »

zaboomafoozarg wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2025 9:14 am $1M invested used to be pretty rare but now everyone and their mom has $1M, so I can see why they'd get rid of it.

It's been 10 years since our last net worth poll but I think the average net worth then was around $2M.

I bet the average net worth on this forum is well over $5M now, maybe closer to $10M.
Average v median is highly skewed for net worth, more than for income. The *average* household net worth in the US (though including illiquid, ie houses) is ~$1mil. The *median* is ~$200k. Probably a large difference in those measures here too, though I don't know if even the avg would be $5mil. Some people's comebacks indicate they are thinking of median. On forums there's also the issue of weighting by posts or not, would a multi-billionaire whose 'people' set up a log on ID in case they wanted it but never posts count (would affect the average though not the median)? It's clearly well above US average/median here though I agree, the active posters.

On Vanguard you do still get special treatment based on asset level, without signing up for services that charge a fee. Quick phone answering though rarely by the person whose picture appears when you log in. I don't know what the level is specifically or whether it applies to new clients. They don't use the term 'Flagship' anymore AFAICT. Like some others I far prefer online communication to talking to somebody and I rarely call Vanguard. But I don't want to be able to send a wire from any account without phone verification.
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