An Invitation to Meet Schwab’s Branch Managers

Guest post by
Aug 22 2012
 

When I joined Schwab earlier this year to lead the company’s retail branch network, I knew I was joining a company with a strong brand and great people. But it’s one thing to say Schwab has great people – let’s face it, companies say that all the time. It’s more difficult to prove it to someone who doesn’t interact with us regularly and experience our people first-hand...(Read More)

Tags: clients | investing

A Conversation with Jon Beatty about Schwab’s 2012 RIA Benchmarking Study

Posted by Anita Fox
Aug 15 2012
 

Schwab just released its annual RIA Benchmarking Study, and this year more than 1,000 firms, representing over $425 billion in assets under management (AUM) participated - a 25% increase over last year. While the number of participating firms accounts for less than 10% of the industry, the total AUM is equal to approximately 15% of industry assets.*

Schwab’s Jon Beatty sat down recently to talk about the key takeaways from the Study.   In particular, he was struck by how strongly advisors are prioritizing strategic planning as well as succession planning....(Read More)

Tags: RIA

Sending Your Teen Off to College? Make Sure They’ve Passed Money 101

Posted by Sarah Bulgatz
Aug 13 2012
 

A couple of weeks ago, I had the poignant experience of packing my 15-year-old son off for a month-long stay at a summer camp in the San Juan Islands, the first time in his life he’d be away from home for any period longer than a one-night sleepover at a friend’s house. Taking him to the airport and hugging him goodbye made me ruminate on how I’ll feel when I send him off to college in just a few years.

Setting aside some very mixed emotions about how quickly the years have passed and the inevitability of “empty-nesting,” I wondered about the things I could do to help make his first year on his own successful and our mutual transition as smooth as possible. Many of my colleagues at Schwab have college-age kids, so I thought I’d poll a few of them for their best tips on making the transition a successful one. After all, the new school year is almost here, and there are plenty of parents sending fledgling freshmen off for what will be their first time away from the nest...(Read More)

Tags: college | personal finance

Get a Sneak Peek at the Keynote Speaker Line-up for Schwab IMPACT® 2012

Posted by Jennifer Davis
Aug 09 2012
 

The full keynote speaker line-up for IMPACT won’t be released until tomorrow, but we’re breaking news today by announcing additional speakers for one of the industry’s largest and longest-running annual gathering of independent investment advisors.

We announced a partial keynote line-up back in June, but who else will appear on the main stage at McCormick Place in Chicago on November 13-16?...(Read More)

Tags: RIA | IMPACT

Thinking of Tapping That 401(k) for a Loan? Think Again!

Guest post by Catherine Golladay
Aug 06 2012
 

I know that many of you may be feeling the heat of increased financial pressures this summer, and you might be thinking about borrowing from your 401(k) to help make ends meet. Maybe you have a tuition bill due, or another cash flow challenge. Our research shows you are not alone. In fact, since we started tracking 401(k) loans in 2005, we consistently see more people borrowing from their 401(k) during the summer than at any other time of year.*

While borrowing from your 401(k) may seem like a quick cash fix, it’s almost never a good idea.  Here’s why...(Read More)

Tags: retirement | 401k

SOLUTIONS® 2012, New York City: Advisors Discuss Integrating Technology for Better Business Results

Posted by Jennifer Davis
Aug 03 2012
 

On July 24th, Schwab Advisor Service’s SOLUTIONS conference made its third stop in New York, NY.

What is SOLUTIONS?
Schwab SOLUTIONS®2012 is a multi-city conference tour that we host every year focused on helping independent investment advisors get the most out of the technology in their offices. Now in its 12th year, SOLUTIONS is a full day of workshops and seminars with Schwab subject matter experts, along with small roundtable conversations where advisors can share technology best practices with peers.

This year, the roundtables focused on an important topic for independent advisory firms: customer relationship management, or CRM....(Read More)

Tags: RIA

Is Your Investing Hindsight 20-20?

Posted by Joan Cusick
Aug 02 2012
 

Client Connection CommunityWhile Schwab Talk blog was reminiscing about 1992 – the year we established the Mutual Fund OneSource® service – members of our Client Connection online community were talking about how their personal investing style has changed in the past 20 years.

“It is the classic case of the turtle and the hare,” Joyce B. said. Other clients agreed that, when it comes to investing, slow and steady wins the race.

“In 1992 I was almost a day trader – maybe a week trader... (Read More)

Tags: investing | clients

What Does this RIA Do? ‘Serve as the Family CFO’

Posted by Joan Cusick
Aug 01 2012
 

Mike DeWittWhen I walked into Smith & Howard Wealth Management in Atlanta, I realized a “family office” looks like any other office. But in my conversation with Partner Mike DeWitt, I learned that what happens in a family office is distinctly different from many other registered investment advisor (RIA) firms – and it’s definitely different from a broker-dealer like Schwab.

“We serve as the family CFO for our clients, and in that capacity we handle really every aspect of their financial lives,” Mike said. “One of the things that differentiates us from a lot of other firms is we are part of a full service accounting firm... (Read More)

Tags: RIA | clients