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Vanguard CEO Tim Buckley’s shock choice to retire by year-end, with no successor named, has left trade watchers questioning what’s subsequent for the world’s second-largest asset supervisor.

Vanguard critics and supporters alike level to actual or perceived points that the low-fee funding big faces, together with customer support complaints, evolving enterprise priorities and, within the close to time period, the seek for a brand new CEO.

On the similar time, advocates laud Buckley’s position in contributing to Vanguard’s success as an funding powerhouse with greater than 50 million prospects globally and $9 trillion in belongings below administration, second solely to BlackRock.

The retirement announcement appeared to catch Vanguard watchers without warning. Barry Ritholtz, Ritholtz Wealth Administration founder, chairman and chief funding officer, famous in a publish on X, previously Twitter, that it was surprising.

The information was a bit stunning as a result of “Vanguard’s simply doing so properly,” Eric Balchunas, Bloomberg senior ETF analyst, stated on Bloomberg TV following the announcement.

Buckley has spent 33 years on the low-fee asset supervisor, together with greater than six as CEO. In asserting his retirement plans late final month, Vanguard famous that below his tenure, the agency’s world consumer base expanded by tens of tens of millions and AUM grew by 80%.

Vanguard has launched a complete CEO choice course of wherein it’s each inner and exterior candidates. When it revealed Buckley’s plans, it additionally introduced it had appointed Greg Davis, its chief funding officer, to a further position as Vanguard president.

Buckley’s Legacy

“Underneath Buckley, Vanguard has taken in virtually $1 billion a day, $3.6 trillion in asset development,” Balchunas stated on Bloomberg TV. “Their asset development below him is greater than like two or three whole asset managers have in belongings.” 

Balchunas, who wrote a guide on Vanguard and founder John Bogle, “The Bogle Impact,” additionally famous that the corporate has taken in over half of exchange-traded funds’ internet flows this yr. Bogle was famously skeptical of ETFs, and each successor since, together with Buckley, has pushed Vanguard additional into ETFs, which “are clearly the car of alternative over the mutual fund.”

Furthermore, Balchunas famous, Buckley has constructed Vanguard’s private advisory service, which had practically $300 billion in AUM at year-end 2023.

“That is Vanguard turning into a wealth supervisor,” he stated. “That is essential as a result of a few of their shoppers are getting older, they want extra assist with their funds.” 

Buyer Service Woes

Nonetheless, customer support has change into a priority for a lot of prospects in addition to trade consultants. Balchunas referred to as it Vanguard’s “one Achilles heel” and stated Buckley’s yet-unnamed successor might want to concentrate on it. Monetary advisor Rick Ferri, who hosts the “Bogleheads on Investing” podcast, agreed that tending to customer support is vital.

“The largest problem going through the following CEO is consumer service. The notion, proper or flawed, is that consumer service slipped below Tim Buckley and that every thing wants an replace together with the web site,” Ferri informed ThinkAdvisor by e-mail.

Jon Luskin, a fee-only, advice-only planner and John C. Bogle Middle for Monetary Literacy board member, steered that it will not be simple to eradicate consumer service complaints — and that the difficulty isn’t essentially particular to Vanguard.