Overview
Vanguard said on Monday it is reducing fees on 53 of its index-based mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, in what the firm described as a continuation of its push to keep product costs low. These reductions represent Vanguard's second large-scale set of fee cuts within the past 12 months and are intended to maintain the firm's position as a low-cost provider.
Scale and examples of the cuts
The fee changes are modest on a per-fund basis, ranging from reductions of 0.01% to 0.10% of assets under management. Two examples cited by the firm illustrate the scale: the fee on Vanguard's Large Cap ETF will decline to 0.03% from 0.04%, and the International High Dividend Yield ETF's fee will drop from 0.17% to 0.07%.
Investor savings and context
Daniel Reyes, global head of investment product at Vanguard, said the set of fee reductions will save investors approximately $250 million each year. This follows a prior round of cuts announced a year earlier, when Vanguard lowered fees on 87 funds and estimated the annual savings from that action at $350 million.
Industry perspective on fee competition
Analysts point to competitive pressure across the asset management industry as a key driver of continued fee compression. "Low fees have been a powerful marketing and behavioral hook," said Jeff DeMaso, editor at the Independent Vanguard Adviser, who monitors Vanguard and its product lineup. Zachary Evans, an analyst who follows fee trends at Morningstar, noted that while the cuts tend to be small relative to existing fees, they signal that the firm is actively seeking ways to reduce costs.
Where Vanguard sits on cost metrics
Data cited in industry analyses provide context for Vanguard's pricing position. Morningstar reported that the average ETF fee hovered around 0.53% in 2025, a figure that includes higher-cost active products, while the average mutual fund fee was 0.99%. Cerulli Associates calculated that 75% of Vanguard's mutual funds and 85% of its ETFs are priced in the lowest-cost decile for their categories, and that the average Vanguard fund charges a fee that is 84% below the average of competitors in its peer group.
Trade-offs and operational spending
Some analysts caution there can be trade-offs associated with a strategy focused on being the low-cost leader. "If you're going to be the low-cost leader, it has to come from somewhere," DeMaso said. "At Vanguard, for better or worse, that's often meant its service and technology have fallen short." In response to those operational concerns, Vanguard's Reyes said the company is taking steps to address service and technology, and that it expects to increase spending in those areas by as much as 55% this year compared with 2025.
Implications
The fee reductions reinforce an industry trend toward lower passive product costs and reflect ongoing competition among major asset managers to preserve market share on price. While the immediate dollar savings for investors are quantifiable, the broader effect on service levels and product support will depend in part on how effectively Vanguard implements its planned increases in spending on technology and client services.
Reporting in this piece is based on statements from Vanguard executives and commentary by industry analysts. Where specific figures have been cited, they reflect information provided by those sources.