Anyone a customer of Vanguard? Got an email welcoming me to.. 2021 tax season

[question everything]

and to sign for e-delivery of 2020 tax forms..

And, no, this email is not five years old but from this morning.

I should watch, however, that when the forms are ready that they are for 2025.

Oh well..

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Are the crooks running them too?

That sounds like phishing ... trying to get you to click.

[question everything]

4. Interesting. Did not click on anything only replied that I've done my 2020 returns five years ago..

I suppose if this is a scam they got confirmation that my address is live..

[Fiendish Thingy]

2. Sounds like a scam

Most folks, myself included, hold Vanguard funds within a portfolio managed by an investment firm or financial advisor (in my case, Ameriprise). The tax forms (usually 1099’s) are handled by the investment firm, not the individual funds.

I think it is extremely uncommon for private individuals to invest directly in a fund rather than have a managed portfolio.

[Yonnie3]

5. I have for more that 25 years and many acquaintances do as well.

I have a self-managed portfolio and an IRA at Vanguard. Vanguard brokerage provides a full spectrum of investments from brokered CDs, Treasuries, stocks, mutual funds (both Vanguard funds and others) as well as money market accounts.

Vanguard does have an investment management group and I could avail myself of their help but choose not to.

Vanguard and Fidelity both seek such individual investors.

[progree]

6. I echo what Yonnie3 in #5 says. I too directly own Vanguard funds as well as Fidelity and Schwab ones

I don't work well with financial advisers, used to have about 3 of them (at different times), and they acted like the financial assets were theirs, not mine. I'm paying for that aggravation? It was back in the day when they happily sold limited partnerships and load funds.

Informally, since then for decades, my long-time tax-preparer filled the role.

[Yonnie3]

8. Mine were hung up on tax avoidance and short-term performance

I had some very lean years for taxable income when I could have taken profits nearly tax free. I showed them my spread sheets calculating this and they still argued against such action. They got fired.

I cashed in assets and some of my IRA and paid little tax each year until my income was better. I think that they thought I spent every dollar when I got it like they did. I reinvested it and did very well.

There comes a time in an investor's life when it is time to spend down that portfolio and I found the transition difficult.

[Yonnie3]

3. I got the same

I suspect that someone edited the 2020 email for 2025 use and then mistakenly sent the original unedited version.

[progree]

7. No, I don't have any such email from Vanguard. But grrr, I maintain a consolidated summary at Vanguard

of my Vanguard, Fidelity, and Schwab holdings, It uses Yodlee for that. And it has not updated the Fidelity holdings since December 11, though I did a "Refresh" many times over the past 2 weeks, and dug into it at both Vanguard and Fidelity I haven't called yet..