Start Elsewhere - Anonymous employee Vanguard Employee Review

3.0
May 29, 2018
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Benefits PTO Fantastic Leaders Work/Life Balance Student Loan Repayment Assistance ($100 per month)

Cons

Vanguard has done an incredible job of addressing clients concerns about hold times. They beefed up hiring into entry level role (client relationship associate, or Personal Investor), but in the process, have forced these hires to stay in this role for longer than anyone would like, because there is no where for them to go. This is all despite dramatic promises during training that there is an abundance of jobs to move to after you complete your 12 months in the entry level role. I'm here to tell you, there is NOT. My advice, at this time, is to start your finance career somewhere other than Vanguard. If you genuinely want to work for them, put in some time at another firm, and post to a position higher than entry level as an external hire. Moving out of the entry level job to something with decent pay (IC5 or higher, $50k-$70k ish) will take you 3-4 years at this point in time. I have peers with YEARS of applicable work experience prior to Vanguard who are getting turned down for interviews for higher grade level roles because they are currently too low of a grade level.

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5.0
Jul 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
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Pros

Benefits are amazing, good culture mostly

Cons

Middle management can focus too much on politics vs. improvements

3.0
Jun 3, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Awesome coworkers for young professionals. Paid licensing for a few months.

Cons

Micromanagement is out of control. Incompetent team leaders who are obsessed with power and metrics. Back to back calls, limited support, and nearly impossible effective communication between departments. Zero time to cultivate culture because you are taking calls every second of the day except for 30min/1hr lunch and two 15 minute breaks. You’re locked into your role for over a year (apprenticeship for around 60 days, then a year after promotion to associate) and your team leaders will not approve internal applications unless you are “eligible”.

4
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