Vanguard Adds Ariel Investments as Outside Advisor

Ariel Investments will work on oversight of the Vanguard Explorer Value Fund with two other firms.

Vanguard says it has added Ariel Investments to its list of active managers. Ariel Investments will work on oversight of the Vanguard Explorer Value Fund with Cardinal Capital Management and Frontier Capital Management.

Ariel’s initial target allocation will be 10% of the fund, which has $1.2 billion in assets, according to Vanguard. Overall, Vanguard’s actively managed portfolios have over $1.8 trillion in assets. 

Founded in 1983 as a small- and mid-cap value manager, Ariel was the first Black-owned mutual fund company in the United States. The firm received multiple LUMINARIES awards from ThinkAdvisor in 2021 for its 20-plus years of work on the Ariel-Schwab Black Investor Survey.

“Vanguard continuously seeks out leading investment firms that demonstrate the expertise, diversity of thought, and accountability needed to drive successful outcomes for investors,” said Dan Reyes, head of Vanguard Portfolio Review Department, in a statement. “We believe that Ariel’s talented portfolio management team and patient approach to investing complements the fund’s strategy and existing advisors.” 

(Image: Shutterstock)