Robinhood vs Vanguard for investing in index funds

Walmart / R&D
serjorah

Go to company page Walmart R&D

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serjorah
Nov 3, 2019 11 Comments

Hi,

I am a new grad, & exploring a bit on investing in index funds.

I want to get started but Vanguard doesn’t let F1 Visa holders(Non resident aliens) open an account.
But I see that I can invest in Vanguard indexes using Robinhod.

Is there any difference in their offerings, or am I
missing something. Cant get around the fact that Vanguard thinks I am not eligible, while Robinhood allows me to do the same.

Looking to get started with the three fund approach. Any thoughts/suggestions appreciated.

TC :- 185k (0 yoe)

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TOP 11 Comments
  • TD Ameritrade
    tc_or_fo

    Go to company page TD Ameritrade

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    Boston Scientific, Accenture
    tc_or_fo
    TD Ameritrade. Only reason robinhood was good was because of zero fees. You actually are getting screwed on the potential best buy price because they don’t have direct lines to the exchanges.
    Nov 3, 2019 5
    • But but but you’re getting the Best Buy price. 👎😂
      Nov 3, 2019
    • Google
      quant.umm

      Go to company page Google

      quant.umm
      You’re losing like 1-2 cents. It matters almost 0 unless you trade a lot (which you shouldn’t). Whether that’s ethical or not is a different question, but there’s no reason one should not trade on a 0-commission platform like RH.
      Nov 3, 2019
  • Google
    McChickens

    Go to company page Google

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    Google
    McChickens
    There are some etf and mutf that you can’t buy anywhere else unless use your vanguard account, for example vtsax. But if you are fine with what’s on Robinhood then there’s not that much of a difference
    Nov 3, 2019 2
    • eBay
      Yeah Bruh

      Go to company page eBay

      Yeah Bruh
      I have VTSAX in etrade. Robinhood does not have any mutual funds though I believe
      Nov 3, 2019
    • Walmart / R&D
      serjorah

      Go to company page Walmart R&D

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      serjorah
      OP
      For now, I think I am mostly interested in ETFs. Going forward with RH. How frequently do you guys contribute to take advantage of the downs? Biweekly/monthly/...?
      Nov 4, 2019
  • Medtronic / R&D
    Entr0py

    Go to company page Medtronic R&D

    Entr0py
    There is a difference mainly in the available funds you can buy. Thru Robinhood, most are ETFs. Through Vanguard, you can do a lot more, especially the well known ones like the 500 index mutual fund. Those typically have a large fee if you buy them through other brokers, but through Vanguard the fee structure is better.

    Either way sounds like you’re stuck with Robinhood though
    Nov 3, 2019 0
  • How long are you planning to stay in the US?
    When will you be needing the investment?
    How much will you be able to put in a month?
    I may have some index funds (S&P500, EURO STOXX, HANG SENG) available that you can participate in base on your answer to those questions.
    Nov 7, 2019 0