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Vanguard Referral Code (Refer a Friend Bonus)
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Vanguard Friend Referral Bonus
You can recommend your friends or family to open an account with Vanguard using the firm's "Tell a Friend Tool". Information on how to do it is located
under this link.
Unfortunately, at Vanguard neither you nor your recommended friend or family member will receive any referral
bonus or any other perks.
If you want to be rewarded with $50 for referring a customer to a brokerage, use
Charles Schwab's referral program instead.
Charles Schwab Website
Vanguard Complaints Introduction
Vanguard has received a lot of praise over the years for some of its policies, but the firm still receives complaints from a few clients. This article will explore these criticisms and see which brokers perform better.
Vanguard Complaints List
Vanguard traders have complained about the broker's website. It is harder to navigate than the Merrill Edge site. Vanguard's menus produce pages that require further navigation. It's oftentimes difficult to find what you're looking for on the Vanguard site. A search field in the upper-right corner of the site does help locate information, although the firm's website definitely needs an overhaul.
Vanguard receives a lot of complaints about its customer service. First of all, it's not available 24/7. E*Trade, by comparison, has agents on the phone around the clock. Vanguard also doesn't offer on-line chat, nor does it have a network of local branches. Some Vanguard customers have simply given up and switched to Fidelity, where they feel they receive more competent service.
Vanguard customers have access only to securities. The firm does not offer trading in futures or forex, which Charles Schwab does offer.
The major Vanguard complaint is trading tools at the broker are rather simple. A chart on the Vanguard website cannot be detached to form its own window. There are just a handful of technical studies available, and a graph also cannot be displayed the width of the screen. E*Trade provides much better charting capability. There is also no trade bar on Vanguard's site, and the broker fails to offer a desktop platform.
The Vanguard mobile app has several deficiencies compared to some of its rivals' apps. For example, the Vanguard platform does not offer live streaming of financial news, which Schwab does offer. There is no funds transfer capability, nor can users pay bills. Surprisingly, there is no charting for securities on the mobile app.
The Vanguard site doesn't have a community forum where traders can talk about investment ideas and
seek help from a company representative. Such a forum does exist on the Webull website, by contrast.
Although Vanguard does offer a debit card and checks, they come with very steep account requirements. Specifically, accounts must have half a million dollars to qualify for cash management features. Even then, the broker still charges a $30 annual fee. Clients with more than a $1,000,000 in assets don't have to pay the fee. Accounts with less than this amount must pay for check re-orders and bill pay. Schwab checking has none of these drawbacks.
Vanguard's commission schedule for options is quite a bit higher than the fees charged by other firms. Option contracts at Vanguard cost $1.
This pricing schedule is much higher than Webull, where options cost 0¢.
Vanguard only offers market, limit, stop, and stop limit orders. Trailing stop and other advanced orders are not available at the broker.
Charles Schwab, by contrast, has no less than 16 order types.
Recap
Complaints have been raised by Vanguard clients, but those who can invest at least $50,000 in Vanguard funds will receive
competitive rates most of the time. Bargain seekers will be pleased with
Charles Schwab.
Updated on 2/14/2026.
Chad Morris is a financial writer with more than 20 years experience
as both an English teacher and an avid trader. When he isn’t writing
expert content for Brokerage-Review.com, Chad can usually be found
managing his portfolio or building a new home computer.
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