move to vanguard

[skylog]

i have my roth accounts with t rowe price and have been happy, but i am thinking about a move to vanguard. i am basically looking for any and all general advice people have about vanguard. the pros/cons and any insight from vanguard boggleheads here.

has anyone transferred accounts to them? how was the process?
customer service for a small fish like myself?
how is the website?
active versus index management?
favorite funds?


basically, anything....
thank you in advance for your time

[disneysteve]

i have my roth accounts with t rowe price and have been happy

So why do you want to move?

Tell us what you don't like about T. Rowe and those of us with Vanguard might be able to tell you how those issues are handled at Vanguard.

We have the bulk of our investments with Vanguard and have been very happy with them. Statements are clean and easy to read. The website is excellent and very easy to use to make investments and trades. Customer service is great. Anytime I've called, they have answered my question clearly and efficiently. I have a mix of their index and active funds.

[Broken Arrow]

I know I champion Vanguard most of the time, but they're not the only reputable investment company out there. T Rowe Price is one such example.

The main issue this typically boils down to is index funds vs. actively managed funds. It's a rather controversial topic that is still being debated by those who are far more educated and experienced than I am. Here's an example site that goes into some details regarding the subject matter. edit: Found a related, working white paper (PDF).

But for the typical individual investors, so long as we stick with reputable companies that sell decent investment products and services that don't cost too much, you're basically good to go. Unless you just have a massive amount of money invested (say, more than a million dollars), all this academic hair-splitting is negligible to your bottom line.

In your case, I would also not recommend moving your money until you have established the following:

1. What is it that Vanguard has that T. Rowe Price doesn't.

and

2. Why you need or really want what you currently don't have.

If you're satisfied with T Rowe Price and you sleep well enough at night, I say just stay with them.

[jpg7n16]

Vanguard's probably awesome, but I don't know why you need to change. Are there stocks you can't buy at T Rowe? Owning a mutual fund at T Rowe is no different than owning the same fund at Vanguard. You'll likely end up paying a commission to do the transfer and gain nothing out of the deal.

Much success can be attributed to inactivity. Most investors cannot resist the temptation to constantly buy and sell.
-Warren Buffet

[skylog]

sorry for the delay, been a busy few days. i'll get back to everyone at some point tomorrow.

[skylog]

so, yet again, been a rather tough week. let's see if i can hit on all the points.

i suppose i should have stated i am "mostly" happy with trp. i am more than happy with the customer service, statements are great and i find the website ok to deal with. i am mainly having trouble with my international exposure and the thought of active versus passive management and the associated fees.

there are some nice trp international funds, but i am having trouble finding a "broad" fund that i want to invest in. along with this, i am wondering if it would not be worth it to move everything to vanguard and take advantage of the lower fees for the long haul. i have been internally debating the active/passve argument for some time now, and the time may be right. i am just curious if the process is painful or smooth and quick.

i hope this helps