I've worked with Vanguard, Schwab, Fidelity and E*Trade over the years. I'm a DIY cheapskate when it comes to costs and fees, and I don't expect a lot in terms of customer service. I'm not a very profitable brokerage customer. Still, I agree with the comments above on how badly Vanguard's customer service has deteriorated over the years. Long gone are the days when we had a dedicated Flagship rep who got to know me and my family. All told, I think there are only minor differences among these four brokerages. All are reasonable choices. As mentioned above, one annoying hidden cost with Schwab is how cash balances pay almost nothing. So if you want to write checks on your account at Schwab, you either have to leave a lot of money in cash making barely any interest, or you can constantly shift funds between cash and a MMF. At Vanguard, you can leave all of your cash in a MMF that pays top dollar in interest, and also write checks on the account.
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$20,000 x .04 = $800. That's not peanuts to me.
Post: Schwab or Vanguard?
Link to comment from January 18, 2026
I've worked with Vanguard, Schwab, Fidelity and E*Trade over the years. I'm a DIY cheapskate when it comes to costs and fees, and I don't expect a lot in terms of customer service. I'm not a very profitable brokerage customer. Still, I agree with the comments above on how badly Vanguard's customer service has deteriorated over the years. Long gone are the days when we had a dedicated Flagship rep who got to know me and my family. All told, I think there are only minor differences among these four brokerages. All are reasonable choices. As mentioned above, one annoying hidden cost with Schwab is how cash balances pay almost nothing. So if you want to write checks on your account at Schwab, you either have to leave a lot of money in cash making barely any interest, or you can constantly shift funds between cash and a MMF. At Vanguard, you can leave all of your cash in a MMF that pays top dollar in interest, and also write checks on the account.
Post: Schwab or Vanguard?
Link to comment from January 17, 2026