Vanguard’s guide to financial wellness

Vanguard

Paulo Costa, Clifford Felton

Research

52 Pages

Vanguard lays out a practical three step roadmap to improve household financial wellness, from budgeting and debt control to protection and long term saving. It emphasizes high impact moves like capturing employer matches, building emergency buffers, right sizing insurance, and using tax advantaged accounts to keep progress steady.

Key Takeaways

Start with control: Build a workable budget, meet all minimum payments, and attack high interest debt first.
Protect the downside: Maintain emergency reserves and align insurance and legal documents with household risks.
Use smart accounts: Favor employer matches, HSAs and IRAs before taxable, then automate incremental increases.
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