Share Trading comparison
SelfWealth vs Vanguard Personal Investor
The biggest practical difference between SelfWealth and Vanguard Personal Investor comes down to ownership structure. SelfWealth is a CHESS-sponsored broker that gives you a HIN and lets you hold ASX shares in your own name, while Vanguard Personal Investor is a custodian model — Vanguard holds the legal title, and you don't get a HIN. That distinction matters for control, corporate actions, and how you transfer out.
Choose
SelfWealth
if…
- ›You want CHESS sponsorship and your own HIN so ASX shares are held in your name, not a custodian
- ›You trade US stocks — SelfWealth supports US shares and ETFs with a USD account, Vanguard doesn't offer any international equities
- ›You need stop-loss or conditional orders for more control over trade execution
- ›You want dividend reinvestment (DRP) on ASX holdings — Vanguard Personal Investor doesn't offer DRP
- ›You plan to trade non-Vanguard ASX shares regularly; SelfWealth's $9.50 flat brokerage is cheaper than Vanguard's $9 each way on non-Vanguard ETFs/shares
Choose
Vanguard Personal Investor
if…
- ›You're building a portfolio around Vanguard ETFs and managed funds — Vanguard charges $0 brokerage on buys of its own ETFs and managed funds
- ›You want to dollar-cost average small amounts; Vanguard's minimum subsequent purchase is just $1, versus SelfWealth's $500 initial minimum
- ›You value a built-in CGT report — Vanguard includes a CGT calculator, SelfWealth does not
- ›You don't mind a custodian structure and prefer a lower minimum to start ($200 vs $500)
Where they differ
| Fact | SelfWealth | Vanguard Personal Investor |
|---|---|---|
| CHESS model | CHESS-sponsored (individual HIN) | Custodian (no HIN) |
| ASX brokerage (non-Vanguard) | $9.50 flat | $9 flat |
| US shares | Supported ($9.50 USD, 0.6% FX spread) | Not supported |
| Auto-invest / DCA | Yes (multiple level) | Yes (multiple level) |
| Off-market transfer fee | $27.50 | $0 |
Verdict
Pick SelfWealth for CHESS ownership and US stocks; pick Vanguard if you're all-in on Vanguard ETFs with zero-buy brokerage.
Cost calculator
What would SelfWealth vs Vanguard Personal Investor actually cost you?
Punch in your trade size and frequency. We'll do the full brokerage + FX + fees maths.
All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | SelfWealth | Vanguard Personal Investor |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | mixed | custodian |
| Individual HIN | Yes | No |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | Yes | Yes |
| Company account | Yes | Yes |
| Trust account | Yes | Yes |
| SMSF account | Yes | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | Yes | Yes |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | Yes | Yes |
| ASX ETFs supported | Yes | Yes |
| US shares supported | Yes | No |
| US ETFs supported | Yes | No |
| Other markets supported | HK | |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | No |
| Options trading | No | No |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | No | Yes |
| Bonds supported | No | No |
| IPO access | — | No |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 60% | — |
| Holds USD account | Yes | — |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $0 |
| Corporate action fees | — | Participation in voluntary corporate actions (rights issues, SPPs, takeovers) is NOT available through Vanguard Personal Investor for ETFs or direct shares - investors cannot participate. Mandatory corporate actions (e.g. dividends) flow through automatically. No corporate action fees disclosed. |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $9.5 | $0 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | — | 0% |
| ASX free trade conditions | Selfwealth Premium subscribers ($29/month or $240/year) receive 10 complimentary trades annually; otherwise no free-trade conditions. | $0 brokerage on all buys of Vanguard ETFs (Vanguard managed funds incur no brokerage at all). $0 brokerage on Vanguard ETFs/funds purchased via Auto Invest. Sells of Vanguard ETFs incur $9 flat. ASX direct (non-Vanguard) shares: $9 flat both ways. |
| US brokerage minimum | US$9.5 | — |
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | $0/year | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | $0 | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | $27.5 | $0 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | SelfWealth Pty Ltd | Vanguard Investments Australia Ltd |
| AFSL number | 421,789 | 227,263 |
| Year founded | 2,012 | 2,020 |
| Parent / ownership | Syfe (Svava Pte Ltd, Singapore) | The Vanguard Group, Inc. (US) - mutual structure owned by US-domiciled Vanguard fund investors |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | private | private |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $500 | $200 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $0 | $1 |
| Deposit methods | OSKO, BPAY, EFT/bank transfer | BPAY, Direct credit (EFT), Direct debit |
| Settlement period | T+2 | T+2 (ASX) |
| Withdrawal time | 1-2 business days | Up to 3 business days from processing date (processed same day if requested before 4pm AET) |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | No | No |
| Demo account | No | No |
| Free real-time market data | No | No |
| Free research reports | No | No |
| 2FA support | authenticator app | SMS |
| Customer support channels | live chat, email, phone | Phone, Secure message (in-app) |
| Support hours (AU time) | 10am-4pm AET, Monday-Friday (closed public holidays) | Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm AET (phone) |
| Education content | basic articles | structured |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | — | Yes |
| CGT calculator / report | No | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | Yes | Yes |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | No |
| Conditional orders | Yes | No |
| Auto-invest / DCA | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest sophistication | multiple | multiple |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | No |
| After-hours / overnight trading | Yes | No |