We're Invested in Access to Investing

We believe in creating a better, more accessible investing experience to help turn earners into owners.

Two men in a discussion.

Chuck quote

 

“I created this company because I believed investors deserved better. They still do.”

Chuck Schwab
Founder and Co-Chairman of the Board

Intro - Access to Investing

50 years ago, Chuck Schwab helped spark a revolution that made investing more accessible and more affordable for Main Street investors. He defied conventional wisdom by lowering costs, lifting barriers, and leveling the playing field so all investors could participate in the markets.

Since day one, we’ve set out to challenge the status quo, looking for ways to offer investors more value and a better experience through our industry-leading products, services, advice, and education. Because we believe investing has the power to transform lives.

Milestones

  • icon-building

    1975

    Opened a "discount brokerage" to give average Americans lower-cost access to capital markets.

  • icon-24/7

    1982

    Pioneered 24/7 order entry and quote service—a new level of customer access in the industry.

  • icon-shopping cart

    1984

    Introduced Mutual Fund MarketPlace®offering no-load, no-transaction-fee funds. Today there are more than 3,000 funds on the platform.

  • icon-online test

    1995

    Launched Schwab.com to give investors greater access to their accounts, timely information, and tools to manage their money.

  • icon-account performance

    1996

    Developed the SchwabPlan—a bundled 401(k) plan product of more than 1,300 mutual funds for corporate plan sponsors and their employees.

  • icon-advisor service

    2002

    Unveiled Schwab Advisor Network®a referral service for clients seeking local independent investment advisors to help with their complex wealth management needs.

  • icon-suitcase

    2012

    Debuted Schwab Index Advantage®a 401(k) plan that uses a lineup of index funds to simplify, personalize, and lower the costs of the retirement process.

  • icon-trades

    2013

    Created Schwab ETF OneSource™—a platform with commission-free online trades on ETFs from most of the major ETF providers.

  • icon-mobile

    2014

    Released Schwab OpenView Mobile®—an app enabling independent advisors to create a custom, turnkey mobile presence for their firms.

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    2014-ETF

    Became first to support ETFs in 401(k)s and expanded Schwab Index Advantage to offer low-cost ETFs as fully integrated core investments.

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    2015

    Launched Schwab Intelligent Portfolios®—a low-minimum, no-fee automated advisory service that builds, monitors, and rebalances investment portfolios based on investors' unique goals.

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    2016

    Introduced Schwab Target Index Funds—a low-cost series of index-based target date mutual funds constructed with low-cost Schwab ETFs™ as underlying investments.

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    2017

    Established client Satisfaction Guarantee—a breakthrough policy to refund fees and commissions if a Schwab client is unsatisfied for any reason.

  • icon-cash

    2017-Low costs

    Made low costs available to all by lowering commissions for standard online equity and ETF trades, reducing expenses, and eliminating investment fees on Schwab market cap-weighted index mutual funds.

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    2017-SIA

    Created Schwab Intelligent Advisory®—a hybrid service combining live credentialed professionals and algorithm-driven technology to make financial investment planning even more accessible.

  • 2019

    Reduced Commissions on Online Stock, ETF, and Options Trades to $0—made the industry-leading move that eliminated a barrier to making investing more accessible to everyone.

  • 2020

    Introduced Schwab Stock Slices™—enables investors to own any of America’s leading companies from the S&P 500 for as little as $5 each.