Vanguard Vs Fidelity Premium Services?

[marc515]

Can anyone outline the differences if any, between Vanguard and Fidelity Premium Services?

Thank you

[LOL!]

Are you interested in premium services that are useful or premium services that are fluff?

We have accounts at both places. There are no premium services at either one that are useful.

For premium services, Vanguard gives out free TurboTax if one has a million dollars invested in Vanguard funds with them. That's about it. Free trades do not count as premium services anymore since everybody gives free trades and Vanguard gives free trades to folks with very little money with them.

As for non-premium services, Fidelity has better tools such as the Retirement Income Planner and the Guided Portfolio Summary (portfolio analysis). Fidelity has walk-in offices, too.

Vanguard gives out free CFP consults, but the answer is almost invariably "Total Stock Market, Total International Stock Market, Total Bond Market. Thank you for your business."

Vanguard is a good shop, but one can purchase Vanguard products without commission at WellsTrade. Vanguard ETFs are no commission at Vanguard, WellsTrade, and TDAmeritrade. Vanguard ETFs are a small commission at Fidelity. iShares ETFs are no-commission at WellsTrade, TDAmeritrade, and Fidelity.

[travelover]

My local Fidelity office has a candy dish in the lobby. I've never gotten free candy from Vanguard.

[T-bird]

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelover My local Fidelity office has a candy dish in the lobby. I've never gotten free candy from Vanguard.

That's a real perk. My FIL used to take me to his Merrill Lynch advisor and all we ever got was some less then great coffee. Fido wins out on that match.

T-bird
Class of 2013
DW Class os 2012 (May, a done deal)

[Lsbcal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marc515 Can anyone outline the differences if any, between Vanguard and Fidelity Premium Services? Thank you

I look for good cheap investments i.e. safety, low ER, no loads, etc. What you do not want is a lot of human contact in investing because that leads to emotional dependency. I don't even want to buy into the idea that you must buy-hold because that means you have to marry some investment -- I already have a marriage partner.

So I like VG because you don't even have to talk to the same rep. Fidelity may be good too but very little experience with them.

My 2 cents (at the expense of years of occasionally learning the hard way).

[youbet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lsbcal So I like VG because you don't even have to talk to the same rep. Fidelity may be good too but very little experience with them.

Vanguard is a good outfit and you can't go wrong with your choice there. But, so there's no confusion and since you say you're not very familar with Fidelity, you don't have to talk to the same rep at Fidelity either. Ditto with Schwab.

[pb4uski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelover My local Fidelity office has a candy dish in the lobby. I've never gotten free candy from Vanguard.

Compare ER and you may find out that the candy is not free like you think.

[travelover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pb4uski Compare ER and you may find out that the candy is not free like you think.

I did, their Spartan funds are cheaper.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marc515 Can anyone outline the differences if any, between Vanguard and Fidelity Premium Services?

In general, Fidelity seems more likely to spend more effort on customer service (they own the company, not the shareholders) and is willing to consider "exceptions" to some "rules". Vanguard seems more likely to say "No, we don't do that, it costs the shareholders too much."

In the few months that I handled my Dad's account at Vanguard, its website seemed to offer much less than Fidelity.

Fidelity appears to be rightfully afraid of Vanguard taking away their business, and has recently lowered the expense ratio of some of their Spartan funds. They also offer some no-fee trades on some of their ETFs.

Fidelity also "assigns" you a personal representative. I used to talk with mine maybe once a year, and it turned out that he was really part of team #354 of "personal" reps. He left soon after that and was replaced by a new personal rep, who I've never even spoken to yet.