The Vanguard Group Inc. has more than quintupled the assets in its human-augmented online advice platform this year, despite the program not yet being made widely available. Assets in Vanguard Personal Advisor Services grew to $4.2 billion at the end of the third quarter, spokeswoman Katie Henderson said Monday. At the end of 2013, the pilot program managed $755 million. The program's fast growth leapfrogs asset-gathering efforts by its competitors, including a raft of start-ups favored by venture capitalists, some of which have partnered with broker-dealers and custodians that work with financial advisers. Wealthfront, a top online offering, manages more than $1.7 billion.

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