Vanguard website problems

[Lusitan]

I've been a Vanguard client for about 10 years, never had a problem, and I'm a big fan of theirs. This isn't a complaint, just a question ...

Anybody else check their balances on Vanguard's website recently and see some strange stuff? I checked the "Asset Mix" tab, under My Portfolio-->Overview section, because I just wanted to check my asset allocation given the recent market changes. Instead of just my usual stock/bonds/short-term reserves category, there was a big chunk of the pie chart allocated to "Other".

So I looked in more detail at the issue, and saw that Vanguard is allocating my holdings in Total Int'l Stock Market Index Fund to "other" instead of to the "stock" category.

This was yesterday, and I called them up and reported it to them, and after a moment the customer service rep came back and said that they were working on it.

I checked again today and the same problem exists. I thought it was strange that they hadn't fixed it yet.

Anybody else see that problem in their account view on Vanguard's website? Just curious ...

 

[REWahoo]

My Vanguard pie chart looks OK. Shrinking, but otherwise fine.

 

[freebird5825]

thanks for the heads up.
i just went there and asset mix was correct. all accounts were as they should be, well except for the lower value.

 

[REWahoo]

I did note one thing: my 'short-term reserves' % is growing while my 'stocks' % of the pie is shrinking. Maybe I'll give Vanguard a call and ask them what's wrong with their website.

 

[Lusitan]

My Vanguard pie chart looks OK. Shrinking, but otherwise fine.

Uh-oh ... tell me it's just my shares of Vanguard Total Int'l Stock Index fund that were found to have been mistakenly invested in Amway products ...

Doh!

 

[Lusitan]

OK, question for you guys whose charts look normal - do any of you hold Vanguard Total Int'l Stock Index? Maybe it's just a problem with that fund ...

 

[REWahoo]

I don't have any Int'l Stock Index.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Yep, I have the same problem along with my performance tab not working, the web site being far slower than it used to be, and the new setup still being a pain in the ass without offering me any useful advantages.

About six months ago the asset mix was out of whack because it didnt interpret the managed payout funds properly. Then they fixed it and it worked fine for a few months. Then it broke again.

According to my flagship rep, its working just fine for everyone except me, they'll fix it 'soon' and no response to any queries as to what the problem is.

IMO the bloom is off the rose at vanguard. When you break stuff introducing "improvements" and cant fix it for 5 months or adequately respond to your customers, you've sunk to a fairly poor level. When you cant even show an accurate allocation of your own in-house funds on a pie chart, you suck.

I've had more important things to do, but when I feel more motivated I think I'll start unwinding myself from vanguard. Banking first, then taxable funds. I might leave the IRA's there in their current positions. Maybe not.

 

[Lusitan]

CFB - my Vanguard performance tab is working. What browser are you using? I'm using IE 7. I know sometimes that coding works for some versions but not all.

 

[73ss454]

I called yesterday and they said it was a problem with total international

 

[Achiever51]

I'm having the same problem as the OP. My Total International Stock Index fund assets are suddenly shown as "Other" rather than allocated in the "stock" category. Why? I dunno and VG hasn't been able to offer much in the way of an explanation.

I'm running Firefox 3, BTW.

 

[FIREd]

Yes the problem is with Vanguard Total International stock index. Right now it looks like it is classified as "other investments" in my "asset allocation details" page. Vanguard total stock market index is properly allocated. I am running Apple's safari. Performance tab working fine too, though I don't like what I see there (not VG's fault though)... The new website doesn't seem any slower than the old one (though I preferred the old web site's format better). I really don't use Vanguard's website that much other than for trading. I usually compute performance from Quicken and use Morningstar X-ray to check for asset allocation so those little bugs don't bother me at all.

 

[73ss454]

Something about the fund holds stocks now instead of funds.

 

[Achiever51]

From the Vanguard website:

August 5, 2008
Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund modifies investment policies

Vanguard announced today that it has modified the investment policies of Vanguard® Total International Stock Index Fund (VGTSX) to enable the fund to invest directly in common stocks of European, Pacific, and emerging markets companies. Since its introduction in 1996, the fund, with current assets of $27 billion, has been structured as a fund-of-funds, investing in three other Vanguard international index funds: Vanguard European Stock Index Fund, Vanguard Pacific Stock Index Fund, and Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund.
The fund's objective and risks will not change. The fund will continue to seek to track the performance of the Total International Composite Index, which comprises the MSCI® Europe Index, MSCI Pacific Index, and MSCI Emerging Markets Index. The change is also not expected to have any impact on the fund's 0.27% expense ratio (as of 10/31/2007) or on those of the underlying funds, and is not expected to result in capital gains distributions to shareholders.
Investing a portion of the fund directly in stocks affords Vanguard greater portfolio management flexibility and brings several benefits to shareholders, including the potential for greater tracking precision and tax-efficiency. For example, the fund may immediately invest incoming cash flows in securities, which will enhance tracking precision over time. (Funds-of-funds typically invest in the underlying funds at the closing net asset values, generally at 4 p.m., Eastern time.)
Vanguard is transitioning approximately 50% of the portfolio held in mutual fund shares to stocks. As market and other conditions dictate, Vanguard may designate additional cash flows for the purchase of individual securities. In time, the fund may have the ability to pass through foreign taxes paid on the directly held securities. This would enable investors to credit these taxes against their tax liability or to take a deduction against their taxable income, which is not possible in the current fund-of-funds configuration.
This new flexibility in Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund's investment policies was enabled by the Securities and Exchange Commission's adoption of Investment Company Act Rule 12d1-2, which permits funds-of-funds to own individual securities in addition to shares of other mutual funds.

 

[FIREd]

Something about the fund holds stocks now instead of funds.

Yep, it's right here:

https://personal.vanguard.com/us/Va..._Views/news_ALL_announcement_08042008_ALL.jsp

They must be transitioning right now...

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Maybe its so they can selectively not buy the gambling stocks they got in trouble over?

I wish that when they wanted a fund to do something possibly quite different than what current owners thought they'd bought, they'd just make a new fund.

Its quite possible that a lot of current TIM owners wanted to own those indexes in those quantities rather than what is starting to sound like a partially indexed, partially managed solution.

They ticked me off when they changed the content and timing strategies of all of the target retirement funds a few years ago, after people were already invested.