2025 Independent Advisor Outlook Study

Schwab Advisor Services’ 2025 Independent Advisor Outlook Study offers a snapshot of an industry in motion.

Key findings

Registered investment advisors report that visionary leadership, emotional intelligence, and technology fluency are central to their playbook for the future.
Firms continue to adopt artificial intelligence, expand capabilities, and invest in people to strengthen the model of independence.
Advisors are gauging their progress in terms of more than just AUM, they are also looking at number of clients and AUM per household as indicators of growth.

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About the study

Schwab’s Independent Advisor Outlook Study (IAOS) is conducted for Charles Schwab by Logica Research. Logica Research is neither affiliated with, nor employed by, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.

The study consists of a quantitative online survey, which was conducted from July 21 through August 1, 2025, polling 912 independent investment advisors who custody assets with Schwab Advisor Services, representing a total of $359 billion in assets under management (AUM). Participation was voluntary, participants were not incentivized, and the typical (median) survey length was 15 minutes.

Media Contact: Mike Peterson

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