Vanguard Engages Clients Through “My Life Ticker” Campaign to Emphasize Long-Term Investing

VALLEY FORGE, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Uncertainty in worldwide economies set against new highs in the U.S. stock market have left investors anxious about their portfolios and goals. As a result, many individuals could benefit from stepping back and asking themselves: What am I really investing for?

“My Life Ticker is a creative, cost-effective, and compelling way to introduce individuals to the Vanguard way of investing.”

Vanguard is posing this very question in a new, user-generated content phase of the Vanguarding® campaign—My Life Ticker™—aimed at engaging investors in a conversation about why they invest and the key factors in their investment success.

Real-time electronic stock tickers scroll incessantly on television and financial websites, enticing investors to track minute-by-minute fluctuations in security prices. Conversely, Vanguard encourages investors to ignore short-term market movements and focus on what really matters to them by creating visual representations of their personal “ups” and “downs.” During a pilot period, hundreds of investors have posted life tickers with representations of hobbies, activities, sentiments, philosophies, and interests.

“We hope to engage investors with a new social media site that brings to life the benefit of maintaining perspective and long-term discipline, which will enable them to focus on more important aspects of life,” said Paul Heller, managing director and head of Vanguard’s Retail Investor Group. “My Life Ticker is a creative, cost-effective, and compelling way to introduce individuals to the Vanguard way of investing.”

Investors can visit mylifeticker.com to create their life tickers, leveraging Facebook to personalize their presentations with photos and graphics. Life tickers may be shared with friends and family via Google+, Facebook, Twitter, and email.

In addition, the site features videos of real Vanguard clients depicting the My Life Ticker concept. The unscripted videos also appear on YouTube.

Ricardo Guerra, a Vanguard client since 2004, speaks in one of the videos about how his long-term plan helps him live better today. “It’s easy to use the tools that are given to you by Vanguard to create your strategy and move forward,” said Dr. Guerra. “And not have to get into the ebb and flow of the market, the worry about what’s happening today, or tomorrow. You’re thinking long-term. Your horizon is well beyond the moment.”

Vanguard plans to promote My Life Ticker via online ads on financial, business, and general interest sites.

Vanguard introduced the Vanguarding campaign in March 2010 to highlight the company’s uniqueness as a client-owned, at-cost firm and to promote the sound and simple investment principles it has advocated since its founding in 1975.

The second phase of the Vanguarding campaign, launched in March 2012, focused on raising awareness of the considerable impact of investment costs. Vanguard employed blog content, online ads, Facebook, Twitter, and the At-Cost Café truck to educate investors about how they could realize significant savings simply by paying attention to the price tag of their investments. One of the most popular elements of the campaign was the At-Cost Café, which visited four cities (New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Boston) in seven days to drive home one simple message: “When you pay less, you keep more.”

About Vanguard

Vanguard, headquartered in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, is one of the world’s largest investment management companies and a leading provider of company-sponsored retirement plan services. Vanguard manages nearly $2.1 trillion in U.S. mutual fund assets, including $265 billion in ETF assets. The firm offers more than 170 funds to U.S. investors and more than 70 additional funds in non-U.S. markets.

All asset figures are as of February 28, 2013.

Vanguard provides its services to the Vanguard funds and ETFs at cost. Vanguard is client-owned. As a client owner, you own the funds that own Vanguard.

Mutual funds are subject to risks, including possible loss of principal. Investments in bond funds are subject to interest rate, credit, and inflation risk.

For more information about Vanguard funds, visit vanguard.com or call 800-662-7447, to obtain a prospectus. Investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other important information about a fund are contained in the prospectus; read and consider it carefully before investing. Vanguard provides its services to the Vanguard funds and ETFs at cost.

Vanguard Marketing Corporation, Distributor.