Vanguard has announced the functionality of its recently launched Personal Investor offer and will now includes SMSFS on the list of investors with direct access to the group’s managed funds and exchange-traded funds.
The fund manager said the newly-added Vanguard Personal Investor SMSF Account would provide SMSF investors the same access as current Personal Investor clients to an interest-earning Vanguard cash account and allow them to trade Australian Securities Exchange shares by market capitalisation at $19.95 or 0.15 per cent (whichever is greater) per trade.
“We recognise that many Australians want full control of their retirement journey and superannuation is a vital component of that process. The launch of our Personal Investor SMSF account is about giving Australian investors the best chance of investment success,” Vanguard noted.
The addition of SMSF account access, which is open to funds operated through individual or corporate trustee structures, is part of the second phase of the fund manager’s Personal Investor offer rollout, launched in April. Joint accounts and financial adviser access would be added in the future, the company said.
“As a global fund manager with a deeply rooted commitment to advocating for the end investor, Vanguard Personal Investor represents our pledge to challenging the status quo and providing Australian investors with more low-cost investment options,” it added.
“We decided to proceed with the launch of the Personal Investor offer amid the COVID-19 health pandemic and resulting share market volatility because we wanted to give Australian investors the ability to benefit from lower investment costs, irrespective of the prevailing market conditions. Since that initial launch, we have seen Australian investors respond positively to the offer despite the challenging market conditions.”
In February, Vanguard investment strategy group senior research analyst Cyndy Pagliaro said financial advisers had to acknowledge the value they provided for their clients was multidimensional and that emotional value played a critical part in order to accurately recognise the true worth of their services.
Last year, Vanguard head of corporate affairs Robin Bowerman said investors without an SMSF could benefit from studying the investment strategies of SMSF trustees
