[Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

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anon_investor
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Re: Does Vanguard allow you to email them or send them a secure message?

Post by anon_investor »

gubernaculum wrote: Mon Sep 20, 2021 9:44 pm The message was that they dont allow leveraged funds to be traded. Rep corroborated it, and when I asked, can you send me a list of funds that I cant buy via Vanguard, he couldnt provide me with that information.

In response to Vanguard announcement about cutting internal messaging, their rep on the phone claimed that I still have access to compose my message. So clearly, they are not on the same page at Vanguard about what is still available in terms of services. Very disappointing.
Just move to Fidelity, better CS and you can trade leveraged ETFs. I have been with Vanguard for many years and their CS has gone down hill the last 5 years. I have started moving money to other brokerages.
jhawktx
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Re: Does Vanguard allow you to email them or send them a secure message?

Post by jhawktx »

I can send secure message. No problem at all. I think the last time I did was maybe 2 years ago.
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beyou
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Re: Does Vanguard allow you to email them or send them a secure message?

Post by beyou »

Vanguard is the wrong broker for someone looking to trade leveraged ETFs. Not just their restriction, if that wasn’t enough, but also there are just many brokers out there who have primarily been in the brokerage business for decades. Vanguard’s long history they have served fund-only long term investors. They are a relative newbie in brokerage compared to Schwab or even etrade. Fidelity made the same transition as Vanguard is doing, but started long ago and committed to do it right.

Vanguard can still be fine for more buy and hold investors who need little support and have simple needs. I still have secured messaging but hope to rarely use it.
Da5id
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Re: Does Vanguard allow you to email them or send them a secure message?

Post by Da5id »

I still have messages. But they are only useful for questions for which a slow response is OK, can take days, or weeks if back and forth is needed. There is no general email contact, but sometimes if you are working on a specific issue someone will give you their email - I've gotten emails a few times.

Range of communications modes is clearly a weak point of Vanguard, and getting worse it seems.
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Nate79
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Re: Does Vanguard allow you to email them or send them a secure message?

Post by Nate79 »

You are making a good choice to leave Vanguard regardless of your desire to trade leveraged products. The grass is greener on the other side (Fidelity, Schwab, etc).
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SmileyFace
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Re: Does Vanguard allow you to email them or send them a secure message?

Post by SmileyFace »

Vanguard had made it clear that they want me to move to PAS or aren't really interested in being my brokerage or mutual fund holder. All my new investments with Fidelity (haven't taken the time to shift old investments yet).
Want service (including modern apps and messaging options)? Then go with Fidelity or Schwab.
Chris K Jones
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Re: Does Vanguard allow you to email them or send them a secure message?

Post by Chris K Jones »

I checked after seeing your post. I still have it. I don't use it often, maybe once a year on average. I am satisfied with Vanguard. I don't have any elaborate needs and just buy and hold Vanguard funds. I have been a customer at Vanguard for more than 30 years. If they drop my ability to send messages, I will transfer my assets to Schwab and/or Fidelity. Best wishes.
MrJedi
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Re: Does Vanguard allow you to email them or send them a secure message?

Post by MrJedi »

I think this is what you are looking for. Vanguard stopped accepting new purchases of leveraged funds in January 2019.

https://investor.vanguard.com/investing ... se-etf-etn
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runninginvestor
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Re: Does Vanguard allow you to email them or send them a secure message?

Post by runninginvestor »

They stopped allowing buy orders or leveraged/inverse products in January 2019 or so. There's not really a list per se, other than just the exclusion of those products. Here's a list that may help you identify them:

https://stockmarketmba.com/listofleveragedetfs.php
UpperNwGuy
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Re: Does Vanguard allow you to email them or send them a secure message?

Post by UpperNwGuy »

SmileyFace wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 7:34 am Vanguard had made it clear that they want me to move to PAS or aren't really interested in being my brokerage or mutual fund holder. All my new investments with Fidelity (haven't taken the time to shift old investments yet).
Want service (including modern apps and messaging options)? Then go with Fidelity or Schwab.
Same here. My largest holdings are at Vanguard, but all I'm doing there is reinvesting dividends and distributions. My new money is going to Schwab and Fidelity.
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by LadyGeek »

I merged gubernaculum's thread into the ongoing discussion.

When moving out of Vanguard, be sure to check your taxable accounts. The transfer may create a taxable event.
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Kookaburra
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by Kookaburra »

What is Vanguard’s end game with its obvious downgrades in customer service and communications? Is there a risk that eventually, they will force all customers into PAS?
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Cheez-It Guy
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by Cheez-It Guy »

Kookaburra wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:27 am What is Vanguard’s end game with its obvious downgrades in customer service and communications? Is there a risk that eventually, they will force all customers into PAS?
That doesn't seem plausible and would seem to be suicidal.
Da5id
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by Da5id »

Kookaburra wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:27 am What is Vanguard’s end game with its obvious downgrades in customer service and communications? Is there a risk that eventually, they will force all customers into PAS?
No risk of forcing IMO. Unless your consider declining level of service forcing. But buying only ETFs in taxable at Vanguard makes leaving easier if you think the time may come for you.
gubernaculum
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by gubernaculum »

I used the upload document feature to send them a complaint about lack of secure messaging. This is the response I got:

Re: customer service


Dear Mr. X:

Thank you for taking the time to contact us and I sincerely apologize for
any difficulty you have experienced trying to send us a message.

I have submitted a request to our Technology Team so they can further
investigate the issue you described
. In the meantime, feel free to upload
any questions via the upload document portal or you can call us.

Again, I apologize for any inconvenience you have experienced and
appreciate your patience as we look further into it.

If you have additional questions, we are happy to assist. Please contact us
at 877-662-7447. Our representatives are available business days 8 a.m. to
8 p.m., Eastern time.

Best regards,

Registered Representative
Vanguard Retail Investor Group
Last edited by gubernaculum on Tue Sep 21, 2021 4:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
eucalyptus
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Re: Does Vanguard allow you to email them or send them a secure message?

Post by eucalyptus »

Nate79 wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 7:27 am You are making a good choice to leave Vanguard regardless of your desire to trade leveraged products. The grass is greener on the other side (Fidelity, Schwab, etc).
Yes. I think the world just passed them by. They can no longer compete. We'll be closing our multi decade Flagship
account and moving the investments to Fidelity. The reminder about creating a taxable event is helpful.
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Cheez-It Guy
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by Cheez-It Guy »

Just as the pendulum swings one way, so it may swing back the other.
bondsr4me
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Re: Does Vanguard allow you to email them or send them a secure message?

Post by bondsr4me »

eucalyptus wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 11:28 am
Nate79 wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 7:27 am You are making a good choice to leave Vanguard regardless of your desire to trade leveraged products. The grass is greener on the other side (Fidelity, Schwab, etc).
Yes. I think the world just passed them by. They can no longer compete. We'll be closing our multi decade Flagship
account and moving the investments to Fidelity. The reminder about creating a taxable event is helpful.
+1
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zaplunken
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by zaplunken »

Yesterday was one of those rare times I wanted to talk with a Vanguard rep. Remember what happened yesterday on Wall Street? It was about 4:05 PM ET. If there was ever a day they would be slammed with calls, wouldn't it have been yesterday? I thought "Oh God, I'll be on hold for an hour". I called, I was on hold for maybe 90 seconds. My questions were answered. :sharebeer
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zaplunken
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by zaplunken »

I thought I would relay my experience today with Vanguard relative to sending them a message via their website's messaging service.

I sent Vanguard a message by going to "My Accounts" and then "Messages", I don't see anywhere that indicates a secure message. At 11 am ET I sent a message asking why it is taking so long to upgrade me from Voyager Select to Flagship, I qualified the last Friday in August and have called 3 times already. I just received a reply at 4:15 pm ET. This is the reply:

Dear Mr. X:

Thank you for your email.

We appreciate your long-standing support of Vanguard, and we certainly
understand your frustration with our enrollment process. I have submitted a
request on your behalf to expedite your enrollment into Flagship Services.
I have also alerted my manager so he can provide support.

Once enrolled, you will receive a Welcome email.

If you have additional questions, we are happy to assist. Please contact us
at 877-662-7447. Our representatives are available business days 8 a.m. to
8 p.m., Eastern time.

Best regards,

Leticia Vasquez
Registered Representative
Vanguard Retail Investor Group


Now I don't know how long this will take but I was surprised at how fast they responded. Honestly, after reading this thread for weeks I was hoping to hear something in a week and at the worst in 2 weeks. Heck, they even included a phone number and in their reply! The email that came to my email client telling me I had a reply included several links and phone numbers for contacting them. Seems like decent service.
nalor511
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by nalor511 »

zaplunken wrote: Fri Oct 01, 2021 3:36 pm I thought I would relay my experience today with Vanguard relative to sending them a message via their website's messaging service.
...
Seems like decent service.
What about it was good service? They didn't upgrade you when they were supposed to. All I can see they did was reply to your question. With the status that they passed the issue to someone else and is not resolved.

Also there really isn't a tangible benefit to being Flagship anymore, FYI.
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Doom&Gloom
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by Doom&Gloom »

zaplunken wrote: Fri Oct 01, 2021 3:36 pm I thought I would relay my experience today with Vanguard relative to sending them a message via their website's messaging service.

I sent Vanguard a message by going to "My Accounts" and then "Messages", I don't see anywhere that indicates a secure message. At 11 am ET I sent a message asking why it is taking so long to upgrade me from Voyager Select to Flagship, I qualified the last Friday in August and have called 3 times already. I just received a reply at 4:15 pm ET. This is the reply:

Dear Mr. X:

Thank you for your email.

We appreciate your long-standing support of Vanguard, and we certainly
understand your frustration with our enrollment process. I have submitted a
request on your behalf to expedite your enrollment into Flagship Services.
I have also alerted my manager so he can provide support.

Once enrolled, you will receive a Welcome email.

If you have additional questions, we are happy to assist. Please contact us
at 877-662-7447. Our representatives are available business days 8 a.m. to
8 p.m., Eastern time.

Best regards,

Leticia Vasquez
Registered Representative
Vanguard Retail Investor Group


Now I don't know how long this will take but I was surprised at how fast they responded. Honestly, after reading this thread for weeks I was hoping to hear something in a week and at the worst in 2 weeks. Heck, they even included a phone number and in their reply! The email that came to my email client telling me I had a reply included several links and phone numbers for contacting them. Seems like decent service.
You probably got a speedy reply because Vanguard finally worked through their backlog of messages that BHs sent them just to see if they still had that capability :wink:

In that vein when I logged into my account today to see if my statements were available, I saw a notification that I had a message. When I went to my messages, I noticed I still had the "Compose" button present. Out of curiosity I clicked it and a window opened for me to write a message. I canceled it at that point. Voyager Select status FWIW.
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zaplunken
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by zaplunken »

nalor511 wrote: Fri Oct 01, 2021 4:02 pm
zaplunken wrote: Fri Oct 01, 2021 3:36 pm I thought I would relay my experience today with Vanguard relative to sending them a message via their website's messaging service.
...
Seems like decent service.
What about it was good service? They didn't upgrade you when they were supposed to. All I can see they did was reply to your question. With the status that they passed the issue to someone else and is not resolved.

Also there really isn't a tangible benefit to being Flagship anymore, FYI.
The reply was fast vs all the complaining in this thread about how Vanguard's communication sucks. We'll see how much time it takes to upgrade, I will report back. I'd be surprised if it happens any time soon considering it's a month over due. :(

For me, the benefits of Flagship won't mean anything as I wouldn't use any of them. It's more of a thrill to see it cuz I never thought I'd have this much in investments plus there's a chunk in my 401k that is staying there.
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Tubes
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by Tubes »

Anecdotally, it currently *seems* like response time is better right now.

However, call volume goes up near the end of the year. [Comment mentioning proposed legislation removed by moderator oldcomputerguy]
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Cheez-It Guy
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by Cheez-It Guy »

zaplunken wrote: Sat Oct 02, 2021 7:53 am
nalor511 wrote: Fri Oct 01, 2021 4:02 pm
zaplunken wrote: Fri Oct 01, 2021 3:36 pm I thought I would relay my experience today with Vanguard relative to sending them a message via their website's messaging service.
...
Seems like decent service.
What about it was good service? They didn't upgrade you when they were supposed to. All I can see they did was reply to your question. With the status that they passed the issue to someone else and is not resolved.

Also there really isn't a tangible benefit to being Flagship anymore, FYI.
The reply was fast vs all the complaining in this thread about how Vanguard's communication sucks. We'll see how much time it takes to upgrade, I will report back. I'd be surprised if it happens any time soon considering it's a month over due. :(

For me, the benefits of Flagship won't mean anything as I wouldn't use any of them. It's more of a thrill to see it cuz I never thought I'd have this much in investments plus there's a chunk in my 401k that is staying there.
It has been previously stated that their expectation is you reach the asset threshold and maintain it for at least 30 days. So when you say you qualified the last Friday in August, was that the day you closed above the threshold or 30 days afterward? Perhaps not quite as overdue as it seems.
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zaplunken
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by zaplunken »

Cheez-It Guy wrote: Sat Oct 02, 2021 8:49 am
zaplunken wrote: Sat Oct 02, 2021 7:53 am
nalor511 wrote: Fri Oct 01, 2021 4:02 pm
zaplunken wrote: Fri Oct 01, 2021 3:36 pm I thought I would relay my experience today with Vanguard relative to sending them a message via their website's messaging service.
...
Seems like decent service.
What about it was good service? They didn't upgrade you when they were supposed to. All I can see they did was reply to your question. With the status that they passed the issue to someone else and is not resolved.

Also there really isn't a tangible benefit to being Flagship anymore, FYI.
The reply was fast vs all the complaining in this thread about how Vanguard's communication sucks. We'll see how much time it takes to upgrade, I will report back. I'd be surprised if it happens any time soon considering it's a month over due. :(

For me, the benefits of Flagship won't mean anything as I wouldn't use any of them. It's more of a thrill to see it cuz I never thought I'd have this much in investments plus there's a chunk in my 401k that is staying there.
It has been previously stated that their expectation is you reach the asset threshold and maintain it for at least 30 days. So when you say you qualified the last Friday in August, was that the day you closed above the threshold or 30 days afterward? Perhaps not quite as overdue as it seems.
Pretty sure I explained this in prior post - I have been over $1M FOUR FULL CONSECTUTIVE MONTHS, they told me in mid June (when I hit $1M+) I had to maintain the $1M for 3 consecutive months and they check on the last Friday of each month. I made the grade at the end of August. It should have happened after 8/27.
nalor511
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by nalor511 »

zaplunken wrote: Sat Oct 02, 2021 7:21 pm
Cheez-It Guy wrote: Sat Oct 02, 2021 8:49 am
zaplunken wrote: Sat Oct 02, 2021 7:53 am
nalor511 wrote: Fri Oct 01, 2021 4:02 pm
zaplunken wrote: Fri Oct 01, 2021 3:36 pm I thought I would relay my experience today with Vanguard relative to sending them a message via their website's messaging service.
...
Seems like decent service.
What about it was good service? They didn't upgrade you when they were supposed to. All I can see they did was reply to your question. With the status that they passed the issue to someone else and is not resolved.

Also there really isn't a tangible benefit to being Flagship anymore, FYI.
The reply was fast vs all the complaining in this thread about how Vanguard's communication sucks. We'll see how much time it takes to upgrade, I will report back. I'd be surprised if it happens any time soon considering it's a month over due. :(

For me, the benefits of Flagship won't mean anything as I wouldn't use any of them. It's more of a thrill to see it cuz I never thought I'd have this much in investments plus there's a chunk in my 401k that is staying there.
It has been previously stated that their expectation is you reach the asset threshold and maintain it for at least 30 days. So when you say you qualified the last Friday in August, was that the day you closed above the threshold or 30 days afterward? Perhaps not quite as overdue as it seems.
Pretty sure I explained this in prior post - I have been over $1M FOUR FULL CONSECTUTIVE MONTHS, they told me in mid June (when I hit $1M+) I had to maintain the $1M for 3 consecutive months and they check on the last Friday of each month. I made the grade at the end of August. It should have happened after 8/27.
Much Ado about nothing. Flagship does not matter. Wasting your CAPS :oops:
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Cheez-It Guy
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by Cheez-It Guy »

zaplunken wrote: Sat Oct 02, 2021 7:21 pm
Cheez-It Guy wrote: Sat Oct 02, 2021 8:49 am
zaplunken wrote: Sat Oct 02, 2021 7:53 am
nalor511 wrote: Fri Oct 01, 2021 4:02 pm
zaplunken wrote: Fri Oct 01, 2021 3:36 pm I thought I would relay my experience today with Vanguard relative to sending them a message via their website's messaging service.
...
Seems like decent service.
What about it was good service? They didn't upgrade you when they were supposed to. All I can see they did was reply to your question. With the status that they passed the issue to someone else and is not resolved.

Also there really isn't a tangible benefit to being Flagship anymore, FYI.
The reply was fast vs all the complaining in this thread about how Vanguard's communication sucks. We'll see how much time it takes to upgrade, I will report back. I'd be surprised if it happens any time soon considering it's a month over due. :(

For me, the benefits of Flagship won't mean anything as I wouldn't use any of them. It's more of a thrill to see it cuz I never thought I'd have this much in investments plus there's a chunk in my 401k that is staying there.
It has been previously stated that their expectation is you reach the asset threshold and maintain it for at least 30 days. So when you say you qualified the last Friday in August, was that the day you closed above the threshold or 30 days afterward? Perhaps not quite as overdue as it seems.
Pretty sure I explained this in prior post - I have been over $1M FOUR FULL CONSECTUTIVE MONTHS, they told me in mid June (when I hit $1M+) I had to maintain the $1M for 3 consecutive months and they check on the last Friday of each month. I made the grade at the end of August. It should have happened after 8/27.
I see. Sorry, I had read the previous posts, but it had been a while.
KarenC
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by KarenC »

zaplunken wrote: Sat Oct 02, 2021 7:21 pm […]

Pretty sure I explained this in prior post - I have been over $1M FOUR FULL CONSECTUTIVE MONTHS, they told me in mid June (when I hit $1M+) I had to maintain the $1M for 3 consecutive months and they check on the last Friday of each month. I made the grade at the end of August. It should have happened after 8/27.
Interesting. When this thread started, I had been over the $1M mark for over a year but I hadn't been granted Flagship status. I wasn't worried overly much about that given the diminished incremental benefits of Flagship. Since there was some discussion about Flagship at least conferring continued ability to initiate secure messages, however, I sent a secure message :happy requesting an upgrade to Flagship. The reply was consistent with the 3 consecutive months metric you describe; I was a bit irritated since I had easily already met that metric in prior months but let it pass.

After seeing your message, I visited the secure message area to see when I specifically made my request (I recall sometime in August); unfortunately, I couldn't find my request nor the reply from Vanguard. Perhaps they were automatically archived or deleted?

I did notice that, though, that I now see "Flagship Services" in the upper left-hand corner of the page when I log in. The worth of that is unclear, but if it'll help preserve the ability to initiate secure messages I'll be happy.
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool." — Richard P. Feynman
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Cheez-It Guy
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by Cheez-It Guy »

^Vanguard secure messages auto-expire after a time. This has been standard functionality for quite some time. If you have an important one you want to save for an extended period, better do your own archiving with screen captures or other methods.
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zaplunken
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by zaplunken »

KarenC wrote: Sun Oct 03, 2021 7:27 am
zaplunken wrote: Sat Oct 02, 2021 7:21 pm […]

Pretty sure I explained this in prior post - I have been over $1M FOUR FULL CONSECTUTIVE MONTHS, they told me in mid June (when I hit $1M+) I had to maintain the $1M for 3 consecutive months and they check on the last Friday of each month. I made the grade at the end of August. It should have happened after 8/27.
Interesting. When this thread started, I had been over the $1M mark for over a year but I hadn't been granted Flagship status. I wasn't worried overly much about that given the diminished incremental benefits of Flagship. Since there was some discussion about Flagship at least conferring continued ability to initiate secure messages, however, I sent a secure message :happy requesting an upgrade to Flagship. The reply was consistent with the 3 consecutive months metric you describe; I was a bit irritated since I had easily already met that metric in prior months but let it pass.

After seeing your message, I visited the secure message area to see when I specifically made my request (I recall sometime in August); unfortunately, I couldn't find my request nor the reply from Vanguard. Perhaps they were automatically archived or deleted?

I did notice that, though, that I now see "Flagship Services" in the upper left-hand corner of the page when I log in. The worth of that is unclear, but if it'll help preserve the ability to initiate secure messages I'll be happy.
Congrats! I realize Flagship status really doesn't mean much but it would be nice to see it on the statements. I would think they run a program on the last Friday of each month to do a Flagship status monitoring, being from IT it would make sense, so this should be an automatic system change not something some person in a back room is doing manually.
drzzzzz
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by drzzzzz »

I am glad whoever is concerned about being Flagship is Flagship. However, I still don't see any benefit from it any longer - Vanguard has just made it less and less valuable. Congrats
Cara
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by Cara »

Maybe I'm way off, or being lied to but, the last time I spoke to Vanguard (within the last 2 weeks) I mentioned this thread and the loss of secure messaging (which I still have, btw, and I'm Voyager level), and the rep told me that they're phasing out secure messaging in favor of a more real-time chat communication method.

No one else has been told this?
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jeffyscott
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by jeffyscott »

Cara wrote: Sun Oct 03, 2021 9:17 pm Maybe I'm way off, or being lied to but, the last time I spoke to Vanguard (within the last 2 weeks) I mentioned this thread and the loss of secure messaging (which I still have, btw, and I'm Voyager level), and the rep told me that they're phasing out secure messaging in favor of a more real-time chat communication method.

No one else has been told this?
Well, they told several of us (via secure message) something that could have been a more cryptic way of saying that, telling us something like: We will be introducing new ways to communicate with Vanguard, digitally, in the future.
gubernaculum
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by gubernaculum »

Three weeks later, there is still no response to my question if Vanguard communicates by email. Its been 3 weeks since they are "researching the issue":

Re: customer service


Dear Mr. X,

Thank you for your email. I hope this finds you well.

I checked with our Technology Team and they are still researching the
issue
. I apologize for the time it is taking to find a resolution, but
please know we are working diligently to find one.

We will follow up with you as soon as we hear back from them.

Best regards,

XX
Registered Representative
Vanguard Retail Investor Group
nalor511
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Re: Does Vanguard allow you to email them or send them a secure message?

Post by nalor511 »

anon_investor wrote: Mon Sep 20, 2021 11:16 pm
gubernaculum wrote: Mon Sep 20, 2021 9:44 pm The message was that they dont allow leveraged funds to be traded. Rep corroborated it, and when I asked, can you send me a list of funds that I cant buy via Vanguard, he couldnt provide me with that information.

In response to Vanguard announcement about cutting internal messaging, their rep on the phone claimed that I still have access to compose my message. So clearly, they are not on the same page at Vanguard about what is still available in terms of services. Very disappointing.
Just move to Fidelity, better CS and you can trade leveraged ETFs. I have been with Vanguard for many years and their CS has gone down hill the last 5 years. I have started moving money to other brokerages.
This. Again.
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Re: Does Vanguard allow you to email them or send them a secure message?

Post by anon_investor »

nalor511 wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 2:42 pm
anon_investor wrote: Mon Sep 20, 2021 11:16 pm
gubernaculum wrote: Mon Sep 20, 2021 9:44 pm The message was that they dont allow leveraged funds to be traded. Rep corroborated it, and when I asked, can you send me a list of funds that I cant buy via Vanguard, he couldnt provide me with that information.

In response to Vanguard announcement about cutting internal messaging, their rep on the phone claimed that I still have access to compose my message. So clearly, they are not on the same page at Vanguard about what is still available in terms of services. Very disappointing.
Just move to Fidelity, better CS and you can trade leveraged ETFs. I have been with Vanguard for many years and their CS has gone down hill the last 5 years. I have started moving money to other brokerages.
This. Again.
The circumstances have not improved... so yes. Other brokerages offer bonuses as well.
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Re: Does Vanguard allow you to email them or send them a secure message?

Post by nalor511 »

anon_investor wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 2:45 pm
nalor511 wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 2:42 pm
anon_investor wrote: Mon Sep 20, 2021 11:16 pm
gubernaculum wrote: Mon Sep 20, 2021 9:44 pm The message was that they dont allow leveraged funds to be traded. Rep corroborated it, and when I asked, can you send me a list of funds that I cant buy via Vanguard, he couldnt provide me with that information.

In response to Vanguard announcement about cutting internal messaging, their rep on the phone claimed that I still have access to compose my message. So clearly, they are not on the same page at Vanguard about what is still available in terms of services. Very disappointing.
Just move to Fidelity, better CS and you can trade leveraged ETFs. I have been with Vanguard for many years and their CS has gone down hill the last 5 years. I have started moving money to other brokerages.
This. Again.
The circumstances have not improved... so yes. Other brokerages offer bonuses as well.
Near the beginning of this thread I moved, split between F and S -- have not been disappointed. FWIW.
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goingup
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by goingup »

gubernaculum wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 2:37 pm Three weeks later, there is still no response to my question if Vanguard communicates by email. Its been 3 weeks since they are "researching the issue":

Re: customer service


Dear Mr. X,

Thank you for your email. I hope this finds you well.

I checked with our Technology Team and they are still researching the
issue
. I apologize for the time it is taking to find a resolution, but
please know we are working diligently to find one.

We will follow up with you as soon as we hear back from them.

Best regards,

XX
Registered Representative
Vanguard Retail Investor Group
To clarify, you asked via email for Vanguard to provide you with a list of funds that you can't buy at Vanguard?

I have to wonder if they would even consider that a serious question. Can you imagine any other company providing you with a list of products they can't sell you? I think they could have said, "No. We can't provide you with such a list." But in the absence of such a response, you might surmise that your query likely wasn't considered a legitimate question worthy of the effort it would take to gather such information.
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by zaplunken »

Well I just checked. It has been 10 days since the Vanguard rep replied to my question about why I haven't been upgraded to Flagship, I included her reply from 10 days ago in a post above. It's been a month and a half since I qualified for Flagship. I just replied back to her that I am dissatisfied with this and can move my tax privileged accounts to Fido or Schwab without tax consequences. I made it clear that RMDs start next year and I don't want to be adding more money into an taxable account whose MF already has a 50% LTCG! That left over RMD money can go to a different brokerage vs been stuck at Vanguard. At this point, I doubt anything I say is making any difference and while I don't relish moving these funds from 3 accounts I question whether having them at Vanguard is such a good idea. I never imagined I'd be saying that but this poor service sucks and if this is how something unimportant like an upgrade is handled what can I expect from them if something important is needed?
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by gubernaculum »

goingup wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 3:26 pm
gubernaculum wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 2:37 pm Three weeks later, there is still no response to my question if Vanguard communicates by email. Its been 3 weeks since they are "researching the issue":

Re: customer service


Dear Mr. X,

Thank you for your email. I hope this finds you well.

I checked with our Technology Team and they are still researching the
issue
. I apologize for the time it is taking to find a resolution, but
please know we are working diligently to find one.

We will follow up with you as soon as we hear back from them.

Best regards,

XX
Registered Representative
Vanguard Retail Investor Group
To clarify, you asked via email for Vanguard to provide you with a list of funds that you can't buy at Vanguard?

I have to wonder if they would even consider that a serious question. Can you imagine any other company providing you with a list of products they can't sell you? I think they could have said, "No. We can't provide you with such a list." But in the absence of such a response, you might surmise that your query likely wasn't considered a legitimate question worthy of the effort it would take to gather such information.
No. I asked why cant I use secure message function to communicate with Vanguard in general. I was initially trying to send them a message about why cant I buy TQQQ through Vanguard, and realized that my secure messaging was disabled. Three weeks later, I still dont know why it was disabled.
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by anon_investor »

zaplunken wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 3:43 pm Well I just checked. It has been 10 days since the Vanguard rep replied to my question about why I haven't been upgraded to Flagship, I included her reply from 10 days ago in a post above. It's been a month and a half since I qualified for Flagship. I just replied back to her that I am dissatisfied with this and can move my tax privileged accounts to Fido or Schwab without tax consequences. I made it clear that RMDs start next year and I don't want to be adding more money into an taxable account whose MF already has a 50% LTCG! That left over RMD money can go to a different brokerage vs been stuck at Vanguard. At this point, I doubt anything I say is making any difference and while I don't relish moving these funds from 3 accounts I question whether having them at Vanguard is such a good idea. I never imagined I'd be saying that but this poor service sucks and if this is how something unimportant like an upgrade is handled what can I expect from them if something important is needed?
What do you have in taxable? Maybe you can move some of it in-kind to Fido or Schwab.
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by zaplunken »

anon_investor wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 6:22 pm
zaplunken wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 3:43 pm Well I just checked. It has been 10 days since the Vanguard rep replied to my question about why I haven't been upgraded to Flagship, I included her reply from 10 days ago in a post above. It's been a month and a half since I qualified for Flagship. I just replied back to her that I am dissatisfied with this and can move my tax privileged accounts to Fido or Schwab without tax consequences. I made it clear that RMDs start next year and I don't want to be adding more money into an taxable account whose MF already has a 50% LTCG! That left over RMD money can go to a different brokerage vs been stuck at Vanguard. At this point, I doubt anything I say is making any difference and while I don't relish moving these funds from 3 accounts I question whether having them at Vanguard is such a good idea. I never imagined I'd be saying that but this poor service sucks and if this is how something unimportant like an upgrade is handled what can I expect from them if something important is needed?
What do you have in taxable? Maybe you can move some of it in-kind to Fido or Schwab.
The fund I referred to is the Total Stock Market Index Mutual Fund Admiral shares. I had planned to add to it and start the Total International Stock Market Index Mutual Fund with the RMD money. Those 2 funds are very tax efficient and well diversified. I also hold the Vanguard Intermediate-Term Tax-Exempt Fund Admiral Shares and it's double the size of the TSMI but I've only been in that for 13 months and the CG aren't very high so I could sell it all.
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by anon_investor »

zaplunken wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 6:52 pm
anon_investor wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 6:22 pm
zaplunken wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 3:43 pm Well I just checked. It has been 10 days since the Vanguard rep replied to my question about why I haven't been upgraded to Flagship, I included her reply from 10 days ago in a post above. It's been a month and a half since I qualified for Flagship. I just replied back to her that I am dissatisfied with this and can move my tax privileged accounts to Fido or Schwab without tax consequences. I made it clear that RMDs start next year and I don't want to be adding more money into an taxable account whose MF already has a 50% LTCG! That left over RMD money can go to a different brokerage vs been stuck at Vanguard. At this point, I doubt anything I say is making any difference and while I don't relish moving these funds from 3 accounts I question whether having them at Vanguard is such a good idea. I never imagined I'd be saying that but this poor service sucks and if this is how something unimportant like an upgrade is handled what can I expect from them if something important is needed?
What do you have in taxable? Maybe you can move some of it in-kind to Fido or Schwab.
The fund I referred to is the Total Stock Market Index Mutual Fund Admiral shares. I had planned to add to it and start the Total International Stock Market Index Mutual Fund with the RMD money. Those 2 funds are very tax efficient and well diversified. I also hold the Vanguard Intermediate-Term Tax-Exempt Fund Admiral Shares and it's double the size of the TSMI but I've only been in that for 13 months and the CG aren't very high so I could sell it all.
You can do a tax free conversion of VTSAX to VTI at Vanguard and transfer to Schwab/Fidelity to avoid any taxable event, and add more VTI at Schwab/Fidelity (I would pick Fidelity since they have fractional ETF purchasing).
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by zaplunken »

anon_investor wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 6:55 pm
zaplunken wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 6:52 pm
anon_investor wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 6:22 pm
zaplunken wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 3:43 pm Well I just checked. It has been 10 days since the Vanguard rep replied to my question about why I haven't been upgraded to Flagship, I included her reply from 10 days ago in a post above. It's been a month and a half since I qualified for Flagship. I just replied back to her that I am dissatisfied with this and can move my tax privileged accounts to Fido or Schwab without tax consequences. I made it clear that RMDs start next year and I don't want to be adding more money into an taxable account whose MF already has a 50% LTCG! That left over RMD money can go to a different brokerage vs been stuck at Vanguard. At this point, I doubt anything I say is making any difference and while I don't relish moving these funds from 3 accounts I question whether having them at Vanguard is such a good idea. I never imagined I'd be saying that but this poor service sucks and if this is how something unimportant like an upgrade is handled what can I expect from them if something important is needed?
What do you have in taxable? Maybe you can move some of it in-kind to Fido or Schwab.
The fund I referred to is the Total Stock Market Index Mutual Fund Admiral shares. I had planned to add to it and start the Total International Stock Market Index Mutual Fund with the RMD money. Those 2 funds are very tax efficient and well diversified. I also hold the Vanguard Intermediate-Term Tax-Exempt Fund Admiral Shares and it's double the size of the TSMI but I've only been in that for 13 months and the CG aren't very high so I could sell it all.
You can do a tax free conversion of VTSAX to VTI at Vanguard and transfer to Schwab/Fidelity to avoid any taxable event, and add more VTI at Schwab/Fidelity (I would pick Fidelity since they have fractional ETF purchasing).
Thanks, that would save a lot of taxes!

I have a question that has bugged me for some time. I hold only mutual funds in my 3 accounts. I don't like ETFs mainly because mid month and month end I check my AA in all 3 accounts. Mutual funds can be checked the following market day before 4 pm to know the balances but ETFs are constantly changing and I assume that's when the market is open. So if I didn't check before 9:30 am I can't get the actual balance for funds that are ETFs. So my question is does Vanguard have accurate balances for ETFs minutes after the market closes at 4 PM? I would think so. If yes I could check the balances that night vs waiting until the following day as I do for mutual funds. And if the answer was yes, then would Fido and Schwab also have accurate balances after 4 pm?
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by anon_investor »

zaplunken wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 7:03 pm
anon_investor wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 6:55 pm
zaplunken wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 6:52 pm
anon_investor wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 6:22 pm
zaplunken wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 3:43 pm Well I just checked. It has been 10 days since the Vanguard rep replied to my question about why I haven't been upgraded to Flagship, I included her reply from 10 days ago in a post above. It's been a month and a half since I qualified for Flagship. I just replied back to her that I am dissatisfied with this and can move my tax privileged accounts to Fido or Schwab without tax consequences. I made it clear that RMDs start next year and I don't want to be adding more money into an taxable account whose MF already has a 50% LTCG! That left over RMD money can go to a different brokerage vs been stuck at Vanguard. At this point, I doubt anything I say is making any difference and while I don't relish moving these funds from 3 accounts I question whether having them at Vanguard is such a good idea. I never imagined I'd be saying that but this poor service sucks and if this is how something unimportant like an upgrade is handled what can I expect from them if something important is needed?
What do you have in taxable? Maybe you can move some of it in-kind to Fido or Schwab.
The fund I referred to is the Total Stock Market Index Mutual Fund Admiral shares. I had planned to add to it and start the Total International Stock Market Index Mutual Fund with the RMD money. Those 2 funds are very tax efficient and well diversified. I also hold the Vanguard Intermediate-Term Tax-Exempt Fund Admiral Shares and it's double the size of the TSMI but I've only been in that for 13 months and the CG aren't very high so I could sell it all.
You can do a tax free conversion of VTSAX to VTI at Vanguard and transfer to Schwab/Fidelity to avoid any taxable event, and add more VTI at Schwab/Fidelity (I would pick Fidelity since they have fractional ETF purchasing).
Thanks, that would save a lot of taxes!

I have a question that has bugged me for some time. I hold only mutual funds in my 3 accounts. I don't like ETFs mainly because mid month and month end I check my AA in all 3 accounts. Mutual funds can be checked the following market day before 4 pm to know the balances but ETFs are constantly changing and I assume that's when the market is open. So if I didn't check before 9:30 am I can't get the actual balance for funds that are ETFs. So my question is does Vanguard have accurate balances for ETFs minutes after the market closes at 4 PM? I would think so. If yes I could check the balances that night vs waiting until the following day as I do for mutual funds. And if the answer was yes, then would Fido and Schwab also have accurate balances after 4 pm?
Mutual fund prices aren't usually updated until around 7-8pm ET on Vanguard's website. ETF prices are known shortly after market close, and certainly will be updated on the brokerage accounts by the time mutual fund prices are. Some people have mentioned being able to transfer VTSAX to Schwab and getting Schwab to waive commissions to buy more VTSAX going forward. Supposedly they will do this if you are bringing $250k+ to Schwab from another broker.
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by zaplunken »

Thanks.

What would worry me is not being able to do at Fido or Schwab what I just assumed I could do like hold mutual funds and reinvest dividends and cap gains into those funds. I've read in various threads things that surprised me, I just hate change! I know how to do what I want to do now, going elsewhere may have hidden landmines. For example, Fido has zero fee funds but there's some catch to them, whether they can't be transferred to another brokerage or can't reinvest dividends and/or cap gains. I forget exactly but it's that kind of thing that bugs me and I know Fido has equivalent funds with very low ERs that don't have that restriction the zero fee funds have.
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by anon_investor »

zaplunken wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 7:18 pm Thanks.

What would worry me is not being able to do at Fido or Schwab what I just assumed I could do like hold mutual funds and reinvest dividends and cap gains into those funds. I've read in various threads things that surprised me, I just hate change! I know how to do what I want to do now, going elsewhere may have hidden landmines. For example, Fido has zero fee funds but there's some catch to them, whether they can't be transferred to another brokerage or can't reinvest dividends and/or cap gains. I forget exactly but it's that kind of thing that bugs me and I know Fido has equivalent funds with very low ERs that don't have that restriction the zero fee funds have.
At Fido you can buy fractional ETF shares, so you can buy Vanguard ETFs in dollar amounts, and reinvest dividends.
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by zaplunken »

Thanks. If it comes to moving I need to check these things out, I hate surprises!
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Re: [Vanguard may remove secure messages, members transitioning out of Vanguard]

Post by sycamore »

zaplunken wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 7:18 pm For example, Fido has zero fee funds but there's some catch to them, whether they can't be transferred to another brokerage
That's the catch - you can only hold them at Fidelity.

If you hold them in a tax-advantaged account, no big deal: just sell and buy a fund that can be held elsewhere. No tax ramifications.

The problem occurs when you hold a ZERO fund in a taxable account: you'd have to sell and incur cap gains to get out of the fund and into something else.
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