Founded in 1975, the Pennsylvania-based and U.S.-registered investment advisor, the Vanguard Group, has grown to manage assets worth roughly 8.6 trillion U.S. dollars. The Vanguard Group has operated many leading investment funds worldwide, while also maintaining steady levels of revenue per employee throughout recent years. Successful business practices have enabled the total assets under management (AUM) of the Vanguard Group to have increased by more than eight times in value since 2005.
What services does the Vanguard Group offer?
Vanguard offers investment and advice services relating to retirement plans and financial insights for retail and institutional clients. An essential part of Vanguard's success is the number of investment funds Vanguard operates. Many of Vanguard's index mutual funds, such as the S&P 500 index fund (VOO), have corresponding ETFs listed under a similar title. These financial securities allow clients' pooled funds to be invested in a basket of securities via one financial product. Investing in a basket of securities allows for simple portfolio diversification, spreading risk of annualized average volatility rates among U.S. and global equities.Who are Vanguards' main competitors?
The investment management industry is a competitive market with many established players each offering similar core products, including mutual funds and financial advice. Similar to the Vanguard Group, Fidelity has operated some of the markets' top investment funds. However, despite rigid competition, the Vanguard Group has been ahead of many leading asset management firms worldwide in terms of AUM. New York-based Blackrock is the largest competitor of the Vanguard Group, and held the title of the largest investment management firm globally by AUM. Recently, Blackrock managed assets of almost two billion U.S. dollars more than the Vanguard Group.The Vanguard Group has remained one of the most relevant investment companies worldwide, staying competitive in the fast-paced industry of financial services.