*Data as of 31 January 2025.
**The Vanguard Group, Inc. is owned by Vanguard's US-domiciled funds and ETFs. Those funds in turn are owned by their investors.
***The number of employees is updated annually (figures as of 31.12.2023).
We are a little different from other asset managers: Vanguard has cooperative roots in the US and is not listed on the stock exchange, putting the interests of our around 50 million customers worldwide are at the heart of everything we do.
We don't chase trends, but do everything we can to help investors achieve their long-term goals.
Investing involves risks.
Over the past decades, Vanguard has grown to become one of the world’s largest investment management companies, with a presence in America, Europe and Australia.
In Europe, Vanguard has over 1,000 employees in offices in Amsterdam, Dublin, Frankfurt, London, Manchester, Milan, Paris and Zurich.
In Europe, Vanguard leverages the scale, experience and resources of our established global business.
"We want to give investors the best chance for success.”
Head of Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Managing Officer
Some people say investing is complicated. We don't think it has to be. In fact, we think successful investing rests on four simple principles.
For investment success and to avoid unnecessary risks, investors should start by defining clear goals and developing an appropriate plan based on realistic return expectations.
A robust investment strategy is based on a broadly diversified portfolio suitable for the investment objectives. Investors can manage risks and limit volatility by broadly diversifying their investments across markets, regions and sectors.
Investors have no control over the markets, but they can control how much they pay for their investments. They should make use of this leverage, because every Swiss Franc in costs and fees is detrimental to returns.
Don't lose sight of your goal
We are a little different from other asset managers: Vanguard has cooperative roots in the USA and is not listed on the stock exchange, putting the interests of our 50 million customers worldwide are at the heart of everything we do.
We don't chase trends, but do everything we can to help investors achieve their long-term goals. Investing involves risks.
At Vanguard, we work exclusively in the interests of our clients. Vanguard is not listed on the stock exchange and is not owned by external investors but by our fundholders in the US. Because Vanguard belongs to Vanguard investors themselves, our interests are clearly aligned and we can use profits to reduce costs for our clients.
While we cannot replicate this cooperative model outside the US, Vanguard clients in Europe still benefit from this structure through low costs and our company values.
ETF stands for ‘exchange-traded fund’. Thus, the difference between ETFs and traditional funds lies in their trading. Like individual shares, ETFs are traded on the stock exchange. Traditional funds, on the other hand, are traded via the fund provider or a bank.
ETFs are often equated with passive index investments, but in fact, both active and passive funds can be traded on a stock exchange or launched as traditional funds. Investing involves risks.
Our philosophy is that investing should be aligned with your goals. So think about your investment horizon and your attitude towards risk. Each fund and ETF is assigned a risk profile based on the securities in its portfolio and its investment strategy, which can help you make a decision. As a general rule, funds and ETFs with greater potential returns also tend to be more volatile, while products with lower volatility offer lower potential returns. Investing involves risks.
Index funds and ETFs that automatically reinvest any returns carry the term "Accumulating" in the fund name, while those that distribute dividends or interest are labeled as “Distributing". Further information on our funds can be found here.
