Did anyone notice Vanguard quietly lowered fees on 53 ETFs?

The average fee cut is 23%.

Vanguard has lowered the expense ratios on a bunch of their ETFs, but they haven’t made an official announcement yet. Their press page here still doesn’t mention it.

Some of the biggest reductions include the Total International Stock ETF (VXUS), which dropped from 0.08% to 0.05%—a 37.5% cut. Lower fees mean more of your money stays invested, which is always a good thing.

If you already own any of these ETFs, the lower fees apply automatically. Here’s the full list of changes:

Name Ticker Old Expense Ratio New Expense Ratio Change (bps)
Communication Services ETF VOX 0.10% 0.09% -1
Consumer Discretionary ETF VCR 0.10% 0.09% -1
Consumer Staples ETF VDC 0.10% 0.09% -1
Dividend Appreciation ETF VIG 0.06% 0.05% -1
Emerging Markets Government Bond ETF VWOB 0.20% 0.15% -5
Energy ETF VDE 0.10% 0.09% -1
ESG International Stock ETF VSGX 0.12% 0.10% -2
Extended Duration Treasury ETF EDV 0.06% 0.05% -1
FTSE All-World ex-US ETF VEU 0.07% 0.04% -3
FTSE Developed Markets ETF VEA 0.06% 0.03% -3
FTSE Emerging Markets ETF VWO 0.08% 0.07% -1
FTSE Europe ETF VGK 0.09% 0.06% -3
FTSE Pacific ETF VPL 0.08% 0.07% -1
Health Care ETF VHT 0.10% 0.09% -1
Intermediate-Term Bond ETF BIV 0.04% 0.03% -1
International Dividend Appreciation ETF VIGI 0.15% 0.10% -5
International High Dividend Yield ETF VYMI 0.22% 0.17% -5
Total International Stock ETF VXUS 0.08% 0.05% -3
Total World Stock ETF VT 0.07% 0.06% -1

And plenty more…

What do you guys think? Surprised by any of these changes?

Looks like everything but VOO got a fee cut.

Blaine said:
Looks like everything but VOO got a fee cut.

VXUS and VGT got cuts, but no change for VTI :cry:

Blaine said:
Looks like everything but VOO got a fee cut.

VOO is so popular, they can probably afford to cut everything else and still make bank.

Blaine said:
Looks like everything but VOO got a fee cut.

VOO’s fee is already at 0.03%—cutting even 1 basis point would be a huge drop percentage-wise.

Blaine said:
Looks like everything but VOO got a fee cut.

VOO is already super cheap. It does the same as SPY but for way less money. Gotta keep the lights on somehow.

Teagan said:

Blaine said:
Looks like everything but VOO got a fee cut.

VOO is already super cheap. It does the same as SPY but for way less money. Gotta keep the lights on somehow.

Yeah, in a taxable account, dividend yield matters more anyway.

Where did you find this info if Vanguard didn’t announce it?

Hadley said:
Where did you find this info if Vanguard didn’t announce it?

Vanguard lists expense ratios on their website. Someone probably checked old vs. new numbers and caught the changes.

@Wylie
Here’s a link confirming it: Vanguard’s fee cut announcement

Hadley said:
Where did you find this info if Vanguard didn’t announce it?

I saw the new lower numbers and checked an older snapshot using Wayback Machine. Put them into a spreadsheet to compare. Boom, fee cuts confirmed.

Kinda funny that they’re lowering fees in the US but just increased them for UK customers.

Milo said:
Kinda funny that they’re lowering fees in the US but just increased them for UK customers.

UK fees are way higher, it’s frustrating.

Is there a catch? Are they making less on cash balances or something?

Eli said:
Is there a catch? Are they making less on cash balances or something?

Not really. Keeping fees low is their whole thing. The more money they attract, the more total revenue they make even with lower fees.

They should be shouting this from the rooftops, not doing it quietly.

Is this just ETFs, or did mutual funds get a cut too?

Lex said:
Is this just ETFs, or did mutual funds get a cut too?

Some mutual funds got cuts too. Example: VTWAX dropped from 0.10% to 0.09%.

Vanguard sucks.

Dana said:
Vanguard sucks.

Why? What happened? Would love to hear your experience.