About Us
A leading custodian for independent investment advisorsA leader in providing institutional services
Commitment to advancing the industry
Committed to our continued financial health
For a high-level explanation of our approach and financial health, see Schwab’s Financial Strength, which highlights public information from the Charles Schwab Corporation’s regulatory filings and communications to provide transparency for you and your clients. For complete financial results and more information about Schwab’s business and financial condition, please visit aboutschwab.com.
Our people are the foundation of our business
When you work with Schwab Advisor Services, we make it easy to focus on what’s important to you:
- Offering great service to your clients
- Running your business as efficiently as possible
- Planning for and achieving growth
A leader in providing institutional services
Since we developed our platform for serving independent financial professionals in 1987, we’ve continued to invest in expanding our platform to include services for many types of independent financial professionals and businesses of all sizes looking for assistance with administration duties of their retirement plans.
- For advisors considering starting their own firms, we offer the support to help decide if becoming an independent RIA is the right decision, and the transition support at every step required to get up and running quickly and smoothly.
- We’re continually committed to providing the custodial services, products, technology, practice management support and consultation necessary to help independent RIAs run and grow their businesses.
- We specialize in delivering the behind-the-scenes support required for helping advisors who serve the ultra-affluent provide extraordinary service for their clients.
- We understand what wealth managers at banks and trust companies need to gain an advantage in an increasingly competitive environment, and we offer services that integrate custody, trading, clearing, settlement and investments to help manage and grow practices.
- We help companies deliver superior employee benefits services, whether that means offering enhanced retirement or equity compensation plan features, helping to find more investment alternatives or streamlining administrative functions to help reduce costs.
We custody 1.9 million client accounts, representing $624 billion in assets managed by investment advisors1. That gives our clients the advantage, because we continue to reinvest more in our business — and our clients’ businesses.
Total Assets: Schwab vs. Other Custodians
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Source: Cerulli RIA Service Agent Survey, Schwab Advisor Services estimates as of Dec 31, 2008
We offer extensive thought leadership resources
Keeping advisors ahead of industry trends means delivering the latest ideas and best practices to help you make better-informed business decisions. Our thought leadership resources include:
- Market Knowledge Tools (MKT) reports, a collection of white papers and best practices that provide relevant and timely information on a wide range of topics, from general business planning to human capital strategies to improving back-office efficiency.
- Compliance Review, our monthly publication featuring insights, best practices and tips to help you manage your compliance responsibilities.
- A library of live and on-demand webcasts, to enable you to learn any time about the benefits and challenges of going independent, the nuts and bolts of transitioning your assets and best practices for evaluating and implementing technology in your office.
- Once you get your business up and running, you can continue to gain insights from webcasts on topics including business strategy and planning, investment strategies and industry trends and compliance and legal issues.
As an organization, Charles Schwab began as an independent alternative to wirehouses. Today, both our retail and institutional businesses continue this commitment as industry leaders and we’re dedicated to honoring our heritage by promoting the industry and its advisors.
In honor of its 20th anniversary, Schwab Advisor Services, in conjunction with industry experts, historians and current and former Schwab employees, published The Age of Independent Advice, a book that chronicles the history, growth and evolution of the registered independent advisor (RIA) industry.
Chapter 1: Investing with a Difference, (
115K, PDF) Chapter 2: Birth of a Profession, (
119K, PDF) Chapter 3: Stirrings Beneath the Surface, (
132K, PDF) Chapter 4: Dark Clouds with a Silver Lining, (
129K,PDF) Chapter 5: An Industry Comes of Age, (
138K, PDF) Chapter 6: At the Crossroads, (
139K, PDF) We track trends shaping the RIA industry
Schwab Advisor Services conducts a semiannual Independent Advisor Outlook Study, measuring the views of independent investment advisors on topics including:
- Anxiety about retirement, even among the affluent
- The challenges of passing on a legacy of financial responsibility
- Advisor sentiment on the economic and political landscape in the United States
Part of being an advocate for the industry is drawing media attention to RIAs. Here are some of our recent and upcoming mentions online, in print and on TV.
- Wall Street Journal Brokers Flee Big Firms, Taking Investors With Them.
- Wall Street Journal says independent advisors are in demand.
- RIAbiz.com features California RIA firm that moved their book of business to Schwab.
- Financial Advisor Magazine survey gives Schwab top honors in support of independent advisors.
Charles Schwab Foundation has pledged $1.25 million in charitable contributions to support and promote financial planning education for the next generation of professionals.
- A $1 million pledge to the Division of Personal Financial Planning at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, will be used to build a modern teaching facility and support a PhD student or post-doctoral researcher.
- At UC Irvine, a $250,000 pledge will be used by the Center for Investment and Wealth Management at the Paul Merage School of Business to award two graduate student fellowships each year for five years beginning with the 2007–2008 academic year.
1. Numbers as of 3/31/2010.