Programmer's Investing Notebook         :: Investing notes from a software developer :: | About Me |

I like Vanguard as a company. I have been with them for a couple of years now. I like what they offer: both, in terms of fund selection, and in terms of the services they offer.

Why would I want to invest in Vanguard funds? First, they give you a good selection. And second, you can put your investments on auto pilot: you can actually do dollar-cost averaging at no cost!

So far, I have invested in 2 funds at Vanguard (NJ Tax-Free Fund; and S&P Index Fund). Every month, $50 gets automatically invested into each of them from my bank account. I really like that.

The downside? There is usually a $3K minimum investment for each of the funds. (It would be great if it was $1K.)

I am planning to shift some of my money from my brokerage account into Vanguard. Like I said, having an auto pilot is a very good benefit for me.

Here are some of the funds at Vanguard that I find interesting (besides the 2 I own). You can take a look at all of them at https://flagship.vanguard.com/VGApp/hnw/FundsByTypeSec

Taxable Short-Term Bond
Vanguard Short-Term Investment-Grade Fund Investor Shares (VFSTX)
Average annual return: 4.96% (1 year) 3.68% (5 year) 5.13% (10 year)

Balanced
Vanguard STAR Fund (VGSTX)
Average annual return: 9.79% (1 year) 8.63% (5 year) 8.94% (10 year)

Vanguard Wellesley Income Fund Investor Shares (VWINX)
60% bonds; 40% stocks
Average annual return: 10.69% (1 year) 7.26% (5 year) 8.51% (10 year)

Vanguard Wellington Fund Investor Shares (VWELX)
32% bonds; 65% stocks
Average annual return: 12.85% (1 year) 9.04% (5 year) 9.52% (10 year)
Negative: 10K initial investment required

Domestic Stock - General
Vanguard Dividend Growth Fund (VDIGX)
Average annual return: 17.84% (1 year) 7.56% (5 year) 6.84% (10 year)

Vanguard Windsor II Fund Investor Shares (VWNFX)
Average annual return: 17.19% (1 year) 10.90% (5 year) 9.89% (10 year)

International/Global Stock
Vanguard International Value Fund (VTRIX)
Average annual return: 18.94% (1 year) 18.05% (5 year) 9.67% (10 year)

Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund (VGTSX)
Average annual return: 19.64% (1 year) 17.41% (5 year) 8.15% (10 year)

Vanguard Global Equity Fund (VHGEX)
Average annual return: 19.12% (1 year) 17.94% (5 year) 12.50% (10 year)