Broker profile
The Vanguard Group · US · since 1975
Vanguard, with an AI that reads every fund you hold.
What Vanguard is, what its own AI tools do, what it costs, and how Walnut reads every Vanguard account you hold, puts each fund against the S&P 500 and answers questions about all of it.
- Reads every account
- Each fund vs the S&P 500
- Login stays at Vanguard
Your Vanguard, in Walnut
ConnectedWhat is my biggest position across Vanguard?
VTSAX, at 46% of everything you hold. Anything over a quarter of the portfolio gets flagged, so it is the first one to look at.
Pricing and fees, checked October 2026
How much does Vanguard cost?
- Online stock and ETF commission
- $0
- Minimum to open a brokerage account
- $0
- Yearly account fee, $0 with e-delivery
- $25
- Smallest buy of a Vanguard ETF
- $1
- Admiral Shares minimum, most index funds
- $3,000
- Minimum to start Digital Advisor
- $100
AI features
What Vanguard's own AI does
Most of Vanguard's AI is built for financial advisors. One tool reaches investors, inside Digital Advisor.
Digital Advisor Chat
A generative AI chat inside Digital Advisor that explains your plan and how the service runs it. It cannot rebalance or trade, and access is limited.
Expert Insights
An AI portfolio analysis tool for financial advisors, in pilot with select advisors. Vanguard plans to add it to Portfolio Analytics later in 2026.
Client-Ready Article Summaries
Generative AI summaries of Vanguard's market commentary that advisors tailor and send to clients, with the disclosures written for them.
Where Walnut fits
Vanguard's chat sees a Digital Advisor plan. Walnut reads every Vanguard account next to Fidelity, Robinhood or any other broker you connect, puts each holding against the S&P 500, and lets you ask about all of it.
Pricing
What Vanguard costs
Vanguard's published prices, checked October 2026. Walnut charges nothing extra to connect Vanguard.
With Walnut
What you can do with Vanguard here
- Read every Vanguard accountBrokerage and IRAs, with live prices
- Each holding against the S&P 500As a one-year price return, with momentum
- A keep, trim or exit readPlus a flag on any holding over a quarter
- Vanguard next to your other brokersFidelity, Robinhood, Public and more, in one view
- See inside a fundEach fund reads as one holding, not its contents
- Place orders from WalnutNot at Vanguard. You place them at Vanguard
Everything else people ask about Vanguard, answered plainly.
Short answer
Yes, for long-term saving in index funds and ETFs. Vanguard has no minimum to open a brokerage account, charges no commission on online stock and ETF trades, and sells Vanguard ETFs from $1. It is built around buying and holding funds more than frequent trading.
Vanguard's mutual funds carry their own minimums: $3,000 for Admiral Shares in most index funds and $1,000 for Target Retirement Funds. A beginner with less than that can start with the ETF version of the same fund, such as VTI for the total US market.
What Vanguard does not show is how the pieces fit. A brokerage account, a Roth IRA and an old 401(k) rollover each report on their own, so a heavy tilt to one fund or one sector across all three is easy to miss.
Read the full guide: Which brokerage is best for beginnersShort answer
Vanguard Brokerage Services is a SIPC member, so securities in your account are protected up to $500,000, including $250,000 for cash, if the firm fails. SIPC does not cover market losses, and Vanguard has run funds since 1975.
Connecting Vanguard to Walnut uses a secure connection, and you sign in at Vanguard. Walnut never sees or stores the password, never holds or moves money, and you can disconnect from Walnut's Brokerage screen at any time.
$500K
SIPC protection per customer
$250K
Of that, the limit for cash
1975
The year Vanguard was founded
Short answer
Vanguard has no official connector for ChatGPT or Claude as of October 2026; its own AI chat lives inside Digital Advisor. Walnut links a Vanguard account through a secure connection, read only, and its connector brings those holdings into Claude and ChatGPT.
Through Walnut the assistant sees your Vanguard funds and ETFs at live prices, next to anything you hold at other brokers. It reads and explains; orders for a Vanguard account are still placed at Vanguard.
Read the full guide: How to connect Vanguard to an AI assistantShort answer
Online stock, ETF and Vanguard mutual fund trades are $0. The yearly account service fee is $25, waived when you choose e-delivery. Options cost $1 a contract, and a full transfer to another firm costs $100.
Each Vanguard fund also has an expense ratio, charged inside the fund rather than as a line on your statement. Digital Advisor adds an advisory fee of no more than $20 per $10,000 a year on top of fund costs.
Read the full guide: How much brokers charge, fee by feeWalnut suggests Public or Robinhood when you want to buy through it, and eight other brokers including E*Trade, tastytrade and Webull also take orders you approve. Vanguard and Fidelity read in full and stay view-only.
Quick answers
- Does Vanguard charge fees?
- No commission on online stock and ETF trades. The $25 yearly account fee is waived with e-delivery, and a full transfer out costs $100.
- What is Vanguard Digital Advisor?
- Vanguard's robo-advice service. It starts at $100 and costs no more than $20 per $10,000 a year, plus fund costs.
- Does Vanguard have an AI assistant?
- A beta chat inside Digital Advisor, added in September 2026, with limited access. It explains your plan and cannot rebalance or trade.
- Can Walnut trade in my Vanguard account?
- No. Walnut reads Vanguard accounts in full, and you place orders at Vanguard. Walnut buys through Public and Robinhood, and through eight other brokers including E*Trade, tastytrade and Webull.
- Does Walnut see my Vanguard password?
- No. You sign in at Vanguard through a secure connection, and Walnut gets read access to your accounts, never your login.
- Is connecting Vanguard to Walnut free?
- Yes. Connecting is free, and so is the assistant up to a per-session allowance. Walnut Unlimited, $9.99 a month on the web, lifts that limit.
Everything we have written about Vanguard
- ArticleBest Vanguard ETFs
- ArticleBest Vanguard ETFs for a Roth IRA
- ArticleBest Vanguard ETFs for long-term growth
- ArticleCan you connect Gemini to Vanguard?
- ArticleCan you connect Perplexity to Vanguard?
- ArticleConnect Vanguard to an AI assistant
- ArticleConnecting Fidelity, Vanguard or Schwab to an AI assistant
- ArticleHow Much Does Vanguard Digital Advisor Cost? Pricing and Fees (2026)
- ArticleHow Much Does Vanguard Personal Advisor Cost? Pricing and Fees (2026)
- ArticleHow to connect ChatGPT to Vanguard
- ArticleHow to connect Claude to Vanguard
- ArticleVanguard Digital Advisor alternatives
- ArticleVanguard Digital Advisor Review (2026): Cost, Features, and Who It Suits
- ArticleVanguard Personal Advisor Review (2026): Cost, Features, and Who It Suits
- ArticleWhat is Vanguard?
- ComparisonFidelity vs Vanguard
- ComparisonSchwab vs Vanguard
Keep reading
Sources, checked October 2026
- Vanguard brokerage commission and fee schedules
- Vanguard brokerage accounts ($0 minimum, SIPC coverage)
- Vanguard mutual fund fees and minimums
- What are ETFs? (Vanguard ETFs from $1)
- Vanguard Digital Advisor (fee and $100 minimum)
- Digital Advisor brochure: Beta AI Chat Assistant (Sept 2026)
- Vanguard launches Expert Insights (April 2026)
- Vanguard unveils Client-Ready Article Summaries (May 2025)
- Vanguard history (founded 1975)
- Fidelity commissions ($0 online stock and ETF trades, no minimum)
- Fidelity fractional shares ($1 minimum)
- Public fractional shares disclosure ($5 minimum)
- Public fee schedule ($0 stock and ETF trades)
Walnut is an AI financial advisor app; it is not a registered investment adviser. Nothing here is a recommendation to buy or sell a security. Broker fees, products and availability change, so check the current terms with the broker.
See your Vanguard the way an analyst would.
Connect in about a minute. Your login stays at Vanguard.