How do I buy a bond?

Step 1

Within the My Accounts tab, navigate to Buy & Sell. On the Buy & Sell landing page, choose the option Check Rates and Trade Bonds.

Step 2

If you have more than one account, you’ll need to select the account you want to use for your purchase. Click the button next to the account and click CONTINUE.

Step 3

Select the type of bond, maturity, and credit quality by selecting the appropriate yield from the Bonds section of the Quick search tab. Alternately, you can use the Agencies, Municipals, or Corporates tabs to find a bond that you are looking for.

Step 4

Review the search results displayed. Select the Buy link in the Action column next to the bond you’d like to purchase and product description page will populate. Review the details of the bond and select BUY to continue.

Step 5

Enter the quantity to indicate the number of bonds that you’d like to purchase. Then, hit the CALCULATE button to populate the trade details. Once you’ve reviewed the details, select CONTINUE.

Note that you’ll have to select the check box that acknowledges you have reviewed the details of the security you are purchasing before you are able to select CONTINUE.

You can view your current Holdings and Open Orders by selecting the respective link under Account information. You won’t lose any in-progress information on your current order if you select these links. You can also review your Funds available to trade in this section.

Step 6

Review the details of your order. When you’re ready to proceed with your purchase, click SUBMIT.

You’ll be taken to a Confirmation screen that shows a summary of your order. You’ll notice an order confirmation number at the top of the summary. The confirmation screen only confirms that your order has been placed. To check the status of your order, click on My orders and quotes.

This example is for illustrative purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell a particular security. Brokerage assets are held by Vanguard Brokerage Services, a division of Vanguard Marketing Corporation, member FINRA and SIPC.