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I always look forward to seeing the latest issue of On Investing in my mailbox, and the Summer 2011 edition is no exception.
On the cover, there’s a great photo of John Cardosa of Phoenix, one of four Schwab clients featured in an article about “How Traders Think.” After working in investment banking, at a hedge fund and in corporate development, John quit his “day job” about a year ago and began to trade his own account.
In addition to client stories, this edition features articles by Schwab experts including Liz Ann Sonders, Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, Greg Forsythe, Rande Spiegelman – oh, and a guy named Charles Schwab.
The quarterly On Investing magazine is mailed to Schwab clients but can also be downloaded for the iPad™ from Apple’s App StoreSM. Check it out!
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Earnings season is the time of year when most publicly traded companies issue financial results for the prior quarter. For companies operating on a calendar year, that means an earnings release during January, April, July and October, usually in the second or third week of the month.
So this is a busy week, filled with second-quarter earnings news.
To help investors learn to understand common financial statements... [Read more]
Gold has received a lot of attention from investors and the media recently. Amidst a volatile month for the markets, gold reached a new high in August and zoomed past $1900 at one point as many investors fled equities for safe haven assets. But what’s really behind gold’s rising value and is it sustainable? To learn more about what’s driving the value of gold, we sat down with Stephen Cucchiaro, CIO of Windhaven Investment Management, a subsidiary of The Charles Schwab Corporation, whose three portfolio solutions became available to our retail investors in March.
Q: How do you value gold?
CUCCHIARO: The first thing that’s important to know is that people don’t understand gold well as an investment...
Given some of the challenges of today’s markets and economy, many people are left confused and nervous about what it all means for them. To help sort through all the noise, we recently held a webcast with Schwab Chief Investment Strategist Liz Ann Sonders on weathering difficult markets and economic environments and how people should be approaching their investment philosophy and strategy. The webcast was broadcast live to more than 2,000 people online and in 115 Schwab branches around the country ...
Answering Your Top Questions about 529 Plans
Guest post by Rande SpiegelmanQ: When looking to save for my kids' education should I fund a Coverdell first then a 529 or is it the other way around? When withdrawing funds to pay for education which plan should I draw down first Coverdell or 529? –Tom M.
My preference would be to fund the Coverdell first, up to the limit insofar as you’re eligible. Then, if you can save more go ahead and fund the 529 to the extent you’re able (you can contribute to both in the same year). With a Coverdell, you’ll generally have more flexibility with respect to investment choices and can withdraw the money tax-free for qualified K-12 expenses as well as college. Otherwise, the two accounts are very similar...
Aiming for the Green
Posted by Mike CianfroccaSchwab recently launched a new website at www.SchwabFilms.com designed for people with a passion for all things golf and investing that underscores the similarities between the two...(Read More)
You might have noticed that Schwab’s advertising has a new look these days. A couple weeks ago, we launched the latest evolution in our “Talk to Chuck” advertising campaign with new ads now running on TV, in print and online...(Read More)
The equity markets have had a pretty strong run to start the year, and while that’s a nice change, investors shouldn’t assume they can now place their portfolios on autopilot or stray from their long-term investment strategy. In fact, whenever the market experiences significant positive (or negative) moves, we encourage people to take action in several ways...(Read More)
Throughout May, Schwab is putting the spotlight on Financial Life Planning for Women, with special workshops at our retail branches and special stories here on our Schwab Talk blog.
To kick off this focus on women and money, we sat down with two of the thousands of women who work at Schwab – Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, senior vice president of Schwab Community Services, and Naureen Hassan, senior vice president of Schwab Advisor Services. We thought you’d like to listen in on their conversation...(Read More)
“I grew up here in Atlanta and have been here all my life, with the exception of a couple of years when I lived I Germany. Initially, when I went to college, I majored in liberal arts, which is, you know, worth a cup of coffee today. But anyway, I went to work at my church in the food service department. I wanted insurance and didn’t have any. It was a safe place for my young children. So I worked, and goodness – I loved it from the first day I walked in the door. I was food service director for 25 years, and then the last 10 years, wedding director and events planner. It was a wonderful, wonderful experience. I wouldn’t take anything for it, but 35 years of anything is enough.”
Meet Carolyn Clayton – a tiny dynamo and natural-born storyteller. In fact, she turned her years of food service experience into a book...
When Clients Speak, We Listen!
Posted by Joan Cusick
Many people have asked, “How did you find clients to tell their Schwab stories?” With Wanda Starks, the answer was as close as Schwab.com. Wanda is one of the thousands of clients who have taken the time to submit ratings of Schwab accounts through Clients Speak™.
Then I met Wanda. From the minute she answered the door of her Atlanta-area home, I realized she’s one of those people...
Think back – if you can – to the 1970s. Before the Internet. Before e-mail. Before texting. That's when Charles Kenmore (the executive) and Charles Schwab (the business) got started.
“When I joined the telecom industry, an adage was shared with me, and I think it's still applicable today: If you've got two phones, that's a limited advantage. But if you have a million people connected, that is more than a million times more valuable than having two people connected,” Kenmore said in an interview... (Read More)
While 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)
An Invitation to Meet Schwab’s Branch Managers
Guest post by
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)
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Charles Schwab is going global with the new Schwab Global Account, and SchwabTalk is taking its global investing passport on the road to check out the twelve countries accessible via Schwab’s expanded global offering.
First stop on the global tour: Japan. With GDP of approximately $5.869 trillion, Japan has the 3rd largest economy in the world . Its benchmark index, the Nikkei 225 (NKY), currently sits at 9,232.21ii. In Schwab’s recent study on global investing , one in five investors said they considered Japan an attractive market for investing in equities. Here are a few fast facts about Japan and its equities markets:....(Read More)
As a first-time workshop participant, I felt a little anxious as I entered Schwab’s Sacramento branch. I had talked my husband into going with me, but I wasn’t sure what to expect from the free workshop.
As soon as we walked into the lobby, Associate Financial Consultant James Swift was there to greet us by name. So far, so good.
The next stop on the journey was a cozy conference room... (Read More)
In Schwab’s recent study on global investing, Australia was one of the top three countries where investors see opportunities, with 46 percent of investors saying they consider Australia an attractive market for investing in equitiesi.
With GDP of approximately $1.488 trillion, Australia has the 13th largest economy in the world. And something else you might not know about the land down under: at an estimated 67.7 million, Australia’s sheep population is more than three times greater than its human population (22 million)ii. Here are a few fast facts about Australia and its equities markets:...(Read More)
Canada holds the world record for most gold medals won at a single Winter Olympics competition, with 14 at the 2010 Games in Vancouver. And that’s not the only place where Canada has come in at the top. In a recent survey on global investing, we asked investors which non-U.S. markets were most attractive for investing in equities, and Canada was number onei. With GDP of approximately $1.737 trillion, Canada has the 10th largest economy in the worldii. Here are a few more fast facts about Canada and its equities markets...(Read More)
The UK – home to the world’s oldest public zoo – is the next stop on our global tour. More notable, with a GDP of approximately $2.418 trillion, the UK has...
Charles Schwab goes global in the land of the midnight sun. This week’s stop? Norway!
Posted by Erin MontgomeryNext stop on the global tour is the country where filming for scenes from the ice planet Hoth in the second Star Wars film, The Empire Strikes Back, took placei. You guessed it - Norway. With GDP of approximately $483.7 billion, Norway has the 25th-largest economy in the worldii. Its benchmark index, the OBX, currently sits at 421.59, up +17.89% for the yeariii. Here are a few fast facts about Norway and its equities markets:...(Read More)
In Schwab’s recent study on global investing, nearly 30 percent of investors said they considered Hong Kong an attractive market for investing in equitiesi. With GDP of approximately $243.3 billion, Hong Kong has the 39th-largest economy in the worldii. What’s more, according to Forbes, it is also the 8th richest country in the world with a GDP per capita of $45,944iii. And something else you might not know: Hong Kong holds the title of the most Rolls Royce cars per capita of any city around the globeiv. Here are a few fast facts about Hong Kong and its equities markets....(Read More)
In Schwab’s recent study on global investing, 47 percent of investors said they considered Germany an attractive market for investing in equities. With a GDP of approximately $3.577 trillion, Germany has the fourth largest economy in the world. Its benchmark index, the DAX Performance Index (DAX), currently sits at 7284.40, which is up 24.17% for the year. And here’s something you might not realize: in 1916, Germany became the first country in the world to adopt daylight savings time.
Here are a few fast facts about Germany and its equities markets:...(Read More)
It’s hard to believe that Schwab ETFsTM have only been around for three years. Since their launch, they haven’t slowed down either in the assets or the attention they attract. So while it feels like we’ve been talking about Schwab ETFs forever...
Investors Sweet on Vanilla ETFs
Guest post by Marie A. ChandohaWhen asked to choose an ice cream flavor, I have to admit that I’ll usually opt for decadent combinations of textures and ingredients. Mocha Almond Fudge? Yes, please. White chocolate cheesecake? Pass me a spoon. Chocolate Caramel Crunch or Mint Chocolate Chip? I’ll take a scoop of each.
Everybody loves a good story. Starting today, we’re featuring 11 new stories about how people manage their money – and how Schwab helps.
These Schwab Stories reflect the lifecycle of investing: From young, on-the-go savers… to mid-career investors balancing current needs with future retirement plans… to retirees who are personally invested in their families and communities.
We’ve got a lot to be proud of these days at Charles Schwab Investment Management. Thanks to advisors and retail investors like you, Schwab’s index mutual funds have more than $30 billion in assets under management.
“An educated consumer is our best customer.” That long-running slogan for Sy Syms’ New York-based retail chain made an impression on Alex Tokar as he was growing up in the Northeast. Now an insurance broker in San Francisco, Alex still considers himself to be an educated consumer – and not just when it comes to men’s suits.
Chick Hodge opens the door to his Mercer Island home, and while I’m making fast friends with his golden retriever Bingo, the phone rings. Chick checks the caller ID and says, “It’s my Schwab branch. I’d better take it.”
Schwabbies Wax Poetic
Posted by Lindsay TilesIn honor of National Poetry Month, we’ve been tweeting a few haikus through our @charlesschwab Twitter handle. The idea started with a few haikus penned by the public relations team, but when word spread, our colleagues in community services, recruiting and other departments chimed in with their 17 syllables. Enjoy them all, and add your own investing haiku!
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