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Schwab Makes Expanded 24-Hour Trading Available to All Clients

The pioneering of 24/5 trading, started by Ameritrade which was acquired by Schwab in 2020, continues with the launch of an expanded range of securities in the overnight trading session. These overnight session orders (EXTO) are continuous orders that expire at 8pm ET each market day. Now, all of Schwab’s retail clients can trade an expanded list of securities including the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 stocks and hundreds of additional exchange-traded funds (ETFs) 24 hours a day, five days a week (24/5), via the thinkorswim® platform suite.

Young woman looking at her phone at night

Executive Perspectives on What's Ahead

James Kostulias, Head of Trading Services at Schwab
Jon Beatty, Managing Director, Head of Schwab Advisor Services

What’s next for the fiduciary advice model?

Jonathan S. Beatty
August 29, 2024
Lisa Kidd Hunt, Managing Director, Head of International Services, Charles Schwab
President and Chief Executive Officer, The Charles Schwab Corporation

Talk to Rick, the Next CEO of Charles Schwab

Rick Wurster, Schwab’s president since 2021, will be tasked with steering the brokerage through a transition.

Company Announcements

CNBC Squawk on the Street with Schwab CEO Rick Wurster, April 17, 2025
 

Sara Eisen: Charles Schwab, a mover today, up more than 3% after beating earnings estimates. The bank cited market volatility as a catalyst for volume. Charles Schwab CEO and President Rick Wurster, joins us exclusively now. Rick, it's good to have you. Welcome back. 

Rick Wurster: Morning, Sarah. 

Sara Eisen: So give us a little color, if you could, about what you saw as far as new customers and engagement during what's been a pretty rocky period for the market. 

Rick Wurster: Well, we saw record levels of engagement throughout the quarter. Whether it was clients logging on, we did 500 million log-ons in the quarter, an all-time record. We saw call volumes hundreds of thousands a day, you know, really high levels of client engagement, 7.4 million trades a day. So, our clients really wanted to hear from us. And in that period, we felt good about how we showed up for them and how we delivered for them. And as a result, we saw really strong levels of organic growth. $138 billion of net new assets in the quarter, 1.2 million new brokerage accounts that we brought on. So it was a quarter of robust growth, and when you're there for clients and you grow, the financial results follow. And it was a strong financial quarter as well. 

Sara Eisen: What about what customers are doing with cash? I remember during the drama of the regional bank crisis, the SVB collapse, that there were concerns that, you know, clients were moving out of cash, and that was happening with higher interest rates and to higher-yielding products. Feels like the opposite is happening now. And that's more profitable for you guys. Is that right? 

Rick Wurster: Well, Sara, we've got 44 million client accounts that we support on a day-to-day basis, and clients are taking a range of different activities. On balance, yes. In the last few weeks, we have seen our cash levels build a little bit. We've seen some net equity selling, and we've seen a slight decrease in margin on average. That said, we have a range of different types of clients. We have very active traders who are buying the dip. And we have long-term investors who are sitting still, but want to engage and talk to a professional and talk about their plan and what to do. 

Sara Eisen: So where do you think it goes from here? Is it, higher volatility equals better business for Schwab? What's your projection about whether this growth can continue? 

Rick Wurster: Well, we try to take the long-term view of where markets will grow. And we try to focus on what we can, which is nailing it every single day for our clients. We know that with 44 million client accounts and roughly 10 trillion of assets, that if we show up every day and nail the basics for clients, that they will thrive in their financial life and that we will do well as a company so that that's our focus. We'll see what market volatility brings. It tends to be an environment where clients come to us more in a storm than they might go other places. And I think you saw that in our robust growth that we saw in these kinds of periods are a hallmark of why we've been successful for 50 years, because we really champion our clients' goals and we stand by them in periods like this. So we'll be ready to support our clients regardless of what the market may bring. 

Sara Eisen: What about wealth management? How much are you leaning in there, and what are you seeing as far as new clients?

Rick Wurster: I think there is a bull market for convenience in our country and a bull market for advice in our country. And you see that, what with the developments we've seen in wealth management, pretty much every quarter, quarter, over quarter, we're setting a new record for the level of engagement in our wealth management business, amongst our retail clients and our advisors that we support. They're growing and setting records each quarter. And I think what that's driven by is the desire to have someone sit alongside you in your financial life, help champion your goals, help you get to where you need to be. And so I think there is a bull market for convenience across every industry. And we see it in our industry as it relates to getting that advice and guidance. 

Sara Eisen: I know you said that some retail clients are buying the dip, some are staying pat, some are spooked. How would you characterize overall the mood of retail across your platform right now? Are they spooked by what's happening here with tariffs and growth or what? 

Rick Wurster: The overwhelming mood is one of engagement. We've just seen record levels of activity and engagement in every metric that we track, whether it's new assets coming to the firm, calls coming in, retail logins. It's all defined as engagement, and we're here for them. I was just talking with one of our top financial consultants in California earlier in the week, and I said, how are clients doing? And she responded, and I could barely hear her because her voice was gone. And it was a reflection of how much clients are wanting to hear from us here, what our point of view is. And we're seeing that across every dimension, including a 40 times increase in our market commentary and how much people are relying upon that. And they're streaming more news. And so I'm sure it's been a good period for your channel as well. 

Sara Eisen: Absolutely. Yes, we hope so. Thank you Rick, we appreciate the color on the corner. 

Rick Wurster: Great to see you Sara, thanks for having me on. 



Important disclosures:

Forward-Looking Statements

This contains forward-looking statements, which reflect management’s expectations as of the date hereof. Achievement of these expectations and objectives is subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Important factors that may cause such differences are described in the company’s most recent reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, which have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are available on the company’s website (https://www.aboutschwab.com/financial-reports) and on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website (https://www.sec.gov). The company makes no commitment to update any forward-looking statements.

The information here is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered an individualized recommendation or personalized investment advice. All expressions of opinion are subject to change without notice in reaction to shifting market conditions.

All names and market data shown above are for illustrative purposes only and are not a recommendation, offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security.

Investing involves risk, including loss of principal. Diversification strategies do not ensure a profit and cannot protect against losses in a declining market.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

 

0425-KM26

Video Transcript

Watch Rick Wurster

CNBC Squawk on the Street with Schwab CEO Rick Wurster, April 17, 2025
 

Sara Eisen: Charles Schwab, a mover today, up more than 3% after beating earnings estimates. The bank cited market volatility as a catalyst for volume. Charles Schwab CEO and President Rick Wurster, joins us exclusively now. Rick, it's good to have you. Welcome back. 

Rick Wurster: Morning, Sarah. 

Sara Eisen: So give us a little color, if you could, about what you saw as far as new customers and engagement during what's been a pretty rocky period for the market. 

Rick Wurster: Well, we saw record levels of engagement throughout the quarter. Whether it was clients logging on, we did 500 million log-ons in the quarter, an all-time record. We saw call volumes hundreds of thousands a day, you know, really high levels of client engagement, 7.4 million trades a day. So, our clients really wanted to hear from us. And in that period, we felt good about how we showed up for them and how we delivered for them. And as a result, we saw really strong levels of organic growth. $138 billion of net new assets in the quarter, 1.2 million new brokerage accounts that we brought on. So it was a quarter of robust growth, and when you're there for clients and you grow, the financial results follow. And it was a strong financial quarter as well. 

Sara Eisen: What about what customers are doing with cash? I remember during the drama of the regional bank crisis, the SVB collapse, that there were concerns that, you know, clients were moving out of cash, and that was happening with higher interest rates and to higher-yielding products. Feels like the opposite is happening now. And that's more profitable for you guys. Is that right? 

Rick Wurster: Well, Sara, we've got 44 million client accounts that we support on a day-to-day basis, and clients are taking a range of different activities. On balance, yes. In the last few weeks, we have seen our cash levels build a little bit. We've seen some net equity selling, and we've seen a slight decrease in margin on average. That said, we have a range of different types of clients. We have very active traders who are buying the dip. And we have long-term investors who are sitting still, but want to engage and talk to a professional and talk about their plan and what to do. 

Sara Eisen: So where do you think it goes from here? Is it, higher volatility equals better business for Schwab? What's your projection about whether this growth can continue? 

Rick Wurster: Well, we try to take the long-term view of where markets will grow. And we try to focus on what we can, which is nailing it every single day for our clients. We know that with 44 million client accounts and roughly 10 trillion of assets, that if we show up every day and nail the basics for clients, that they will thrive in their financial life and that we will do well as a company so that that's our focus. We'll see what market volatility brings. It tends to be an environment where clients come to us more in a storm than they might go other places. And I think you saw that in our robust growth that we saw in these kinds of periods are a hallmark of why we've been successful for 50 years, because we really champion our clients' goals and we stand by them in periods like this. So we'll be ready to support our clients regardless of what the market may bring. 

Sara Eisen: What about wealth management? How much are you leaning in there, and what are you seeing as far as new clients?

Rick Wurster: I think there is a bull market for convenience in our country and a bull market for advice in our country. And you see that, what with the developments we've seen in wealth management, pretty much every quarter, quarter, over quarter, we're setting a new record for the level of engagement in our wealth management business, amongst our retail clients and our advisors that we support. They're growing and setting records each quarter. And I think what that's driven by is the desire to have someone sit alongside you in your financial life, help champion your goals, help you get to where you need to be. And so I think there is a bull market for convenience across every industry. And we see it in our industry as it relates to getting that advice and guidance. 

Sara Eisen: I know you said that some retail clients are buying the dip, some are staying pat, some are spooked. How would you characterize overall the mood of retail across your platform right now? Are they spooked by what's happening here with tariffs and growth or what? 

Rick Wurster: The overwhelming mood is one of engagement. We've just seen record levels of activity and engagement in every metric that we track, whether it's new assets coming to the firm, calls coming in, retail logins. It's all defined as engagement, and we're here for them. I was just talking with one of our top financial consultants in California earlier in the week, and I said, how are clients doing? And she responded, and I could barely hear her because her voice was gone. And it was a reflection of how much clients are wanting to hear from us here, what our point of view is. And we're seeing that across every dimension, including a 40 times increase in our market commentary and how much people are relying upon that. And they're streaming more news. And so I'm sure it's been a good period for your channel as well. 

Sara Eisen: Absolutely. Yes, we hope so. Thank you Rick, we appreciate the color on the corner. 

Rick Wurster: Great to see you Sara, thanks for having me on. 



Important disclosures:

Forward-Looking Statements

This contains forward-looking statements, which reflect management’s expectations as of the date hereof. Achievement of these expectations and objectives is subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Important factors that may cause such differences are described in the company’s most recent reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, which have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are available on the company’s website (https://www.aboutschwab.com/financial-reports) and on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website (https://www.sec.gov). The company makes no commitment to update any forward-looking statements.

The information here is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered an individualized recommendation or personalized investment advice. All expressions of opinion are subject to change without notice in reaction to shifting market conditions.

All names and market data shown above are for illustrative purposes only and are not a recommendation, offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security.

Investing involves risk, including loss of principal. Diversification strategies do not ensure a profit and cannot protect against losses in a declining market.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

 

0425-KM26

President and CEO Rick Wurster on CNBC

Charles Schwab President & CEO Rick Wurster joined CNBC to discuss Schwab's first-quarter earnings and clients' strong engagement with the firm through recent swings in the markets.

Charles Schwab President & CEO Rick Wurster on Yahoo Finance - March 12, 2025

 

Madison Mills: Joining us now, we've got Rick Wurster: Worcester, Charles Schwab president and CEO, and Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi is still with us, bringing us the conversation. Rick Wurster, thank you for making time for us. We really appreciate you coming in. 

 

Rick Wurster: Thanks so much for having me on. It's my pleasure. 

 

Madison Mills: So I know that you have seen a lot of activity from the brokerage and that that activity has increased this year. But talk to me about what you're seeing in terms of investor positioning amid the market volatility.

 

Rick Wurster: Well, I think investors are taking a range of activity based on what their financial plan is, what they're trying to accomplish. In general, we see a range of emotions among our clients, from nervousness to a focus on the long term. If we look specifically at what our clients are doing, we look at things like margin activity is a good pulse for what our more active traders are doing. And our margin, our level of margin, has stayed roughly the same over the last month, and our margin clients have actually bought equities in the last week. So I think clients are generally hanging in there at the moment. And the benefit of being a part of Charles Schwab is that we have the opportunity to talk with them and help them understand where they are with their plan and what they're trying to accomplish. 

 

Brian Sozzi: What are some of their biggest concerns at this moment? 

 

Rick Wurster: I think there's a variety of concerns. I think you've seen the market turn or worry about growth. You've seen in bond yields. You see it in break evens, you see it in the sectors that are outperforming. So when you look at investors broadly, I think the biggest concern on their mind is just a softer growth picture. And I think that's that's part of what's weighing on weighing on investors. 

 

Brian Sozzi: You just took over. Did you pass the 100-day mark? You just took over as CEO? 

 

Rick Wurster: I don't think I'm at 100 days yet. I still have a little ways to go. 

 

Brian Sozzi: Right. Okay. Is it hard to obviously your CEO? Is it hard to plan your business in this environment where one moment we have tariffs, next we don't? Then they're back on, then they're back off and then something else is coming. Like, what has this meant for your job? 

 

Rick Wurster: It's not hard at all to plan our business because we focus on the long run. We focus on our clients' outcomes and making sure we can get them to where they need to be in their financial life. We've been in business for 50 years, and for 50 years, we have relentlessly stood by our clients and helped them get to where they need to be. And over that time, we've seen up markets, we've seen down markets, we've seen good economic times and bad economic times. But through it all, we stand there with the client and work with them in a variety of ways. And that's what we're doing today. And this year, I call it a liftoff year for us because we're coming out of the integration we did with Ameritrade. And it's all systems go for us. And we're growing faster than we were last year. And off to a really strong start. 

 

Brian Sozzi: Have you stemmed the I guess, you know last time we talked to you. You know those customers were a little upset on that integration process with with Ameritrade. Has that stopped. Are you keeping customers on the platform now. That's over and done with. 

 

Rick Wurster: Our Ameritrade clients are as happy with us as they've ever been. Every quarter that goes by, their satisfaction scores go up. The net flows that they're bringing us, in terms of new money that they're bringing us keep rising every month. So we're in a really good a really good path with our legacy Ameritrade clients. And we're so delighted to be able to serve them. And I was in five branches yesterday in North Carolina. And what I keep hearing from those clients and our professionals who serve them is how much they value the breadth of what we can bring to the former Ameritrade client. We still have the same thinkorswim platform that we think is the best platform in the industry. 

 

Brian Sozzi: The first place I bought a stock, full disclosure and I know thats no BS.

 

Rick Wurster: That’s great, I know, and hopefully the last place you buy a stock too. And in addition to that at Schwab, they get access to all of our wealth management capabilities, all of our research, a lot more capabilities to help them get to where they need to be in their life. 

 

Madison Mills: It sounds like a pretty picture, given the uncertainty that is obviously taking place in the market. But also, so many CEOs have talked with us about just in terms of the policy backdrop. I know that you have spoken with and worked with the president specifically on the launch of their DJT fintech brand, TruthFi. Have you had any conversations with him about getting policy clarity from the White House moving forward? 

 

Rick Wurster: You know, we for 50 years have tried to work with administrators with with regulators to help them get to a place that's the best possible environment for retail investors and advisors that serve them. So we're always in active discussions with regulators and politicians, and that that won't change. 

 

Brian Sozzi: We've gotten a big uhh, I was actually talking to one of your competitors this morning on my on my podcast, and I asked them their view on cryptocurrency. And that particular CEO said, we don't view it as an asset, and they may not be getting bigger into the crypto space. What is your crypto operations look like? We've got ETFs. We've clearly passed a moment with the Bitcoin Reserve. It's been validated. How are you going to play in that space? 

 

Rick Wurster: Well, we're active in the cryptocurrency space today. We had a 400% increase in the number of visits to our cryptocurrency site in the fourth quarter of 2024, and 70% of those visits were from prospects. So what that says to us is that investors that are interested in investing in crypto they want to do it at a place that they trust, a place where they feel like their assets are going to be safe. So they're coming to Schwab, and they're investing in ETFs and getting access. At some point, we'll be in spot cryptocurrencies, and we'll make that available. Today, we're not, we have ETFs. And that's where we're seeing the most of the volume. But we are in cryptocurrencies, and our clients are interested in it. 

 

Brian Sozzi: Is the spot, Bitcoin ETF, is that is that a this year thing for your company? 

 

Rick Wurster: We hope it will be this year's thing. The regulatory environment has shifted as it relates to banks being able to offer crypto directly to clients. And because of the changing regulations, we do think it's possible that this year we would be able to offer that directly to clients. 

 

Madison Mills: And more broadly, where do you see the most growth moving forward? Obviously, you've got the Sozzi’s of the world getting ready to get into the brokerage, you know, at two years old. But beyond those initial those initial investors. Right, right. Of course, where is the most growth going to come for the business moving forward? First-time investors, retail, futures traders, options traders, crypto bros like who is the growth story? 

 

Brian Sozzi: Wait why do you point to me for crypto bro? What's up with that? 

 

Madison Mills: Because you asked. The crypto question where's where's the growth? 

 

Rick Wurster: That's that's funny. Well we do like to start young by the way. And we are winning with young clients. We had roughly a third of our client. New clients last year were under the age of 30. 60% were under the age of 40, which still seems young to me. So we are doing well with young investors, but we're really winning across the board. And the reason we're winning at all age levels, at all wealth levels, is because we put the client first and we bring everything that we have, whether it's our trading platform, our wealth management capabilities, the way we support our 16,000 advisors that are on our platform and in communities across our country. The way we serve all of them puts them first. And when you put clients first, I think you're going to have a successful business. And that's been the case for us for 50 years. 

 

Brian Sozzi: Rick, I've gotten to know Vlad and the Robinhood team really well. And, you know, over the past two years, they just seem increasingly aggressive to get into wealth management, launching new products. Their pace has picked up. Are they a nuisance to you? Are they a real competitor to what Charles Schwab has done in the past 50 years? 

 

Rick Wurster: We don't we don't see it that way. We're focused on our clients. We've got 44 million client accounts today that that have never been more satisfied than they are today with Schwab. We are focused on delivering wealth management capabilities to them and we don't see those clients interested in in other what others can do. And the reason we see that is because we can do so much for our clients. Clients can call us so last week it's been a volatile week. We had 600,000 clients call or chat us in the last week, and we pick up the phone in less than 30 seconds. 

 

Brian Sozzi: You still have humans picking up the phone?

 

Rick Wurster: We have humans picking up the phone. I was in five branches yesterday in North Carolina. We've got all kinds of clients walking in the door. It's hard for most companies to be able to match the breadth of what we can do for a client, so we worry less about competitors. I'm sure they're doing a great job for their clients. We're more focused on our clients and making sure we nail it for them every single day. 

 

Madison Mills: What's the single biggest obstacle you want to tackle in your next 100 days? 

 

Rick Wurster: The next 100 days? You know, it's about accelerating the growth of our business, deepening the relationships we have with clients, nailing the basics every day when we pick up the phones quickly, when we help remind clients why they're invested. Those basics, when our technology works incredibly well, those matter a lot to clients. And then scaling our business. The more efficient we can be with our clients time, the more they're going to enjoy their experience, and also the more efficient we can be so that we can free up money to invest in our growth initiatives. So those are the things we're focused on in the next 100 days, and maybe we'll get a little more peaceful markets in the next 100 days. We'll see. 

 

Brian Sozzi: We can hope for we can hope for that. 

 

Madison Mills: You’ll have to come back and talk to us when markets and when markets do finally recover. Rick, thank you so much for making time. 

 

Rick Wurster: Thanks for having me on,

 

Madison Mills: I appreciate it. 

 

Rick Wurster: Nice to see you both. 

 

Madison Mills: Thank you for bringing us the conversation. Really appreciate it. Markets action ahead right here on Yahoo Finance to stick around for more.

 

++

 

Important Disclosures

This interview contains forward-looking statements relating to the company's products, growth and success with clients; investor engagement; and all-weather business model. These forward-looking statements and other comments reflect management’s expectations as of the date hereof. Achievement of these expectations and objectives is subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Important factors that may cause such differences are described in the company’s most recent reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, which have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are available on the company’s website (https://www.aboutschwab.com/financial-reports) and on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website (https://www.sec.gov). The company makes no commitment to update any forward-looking statements.

The information here is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered an individualized recommendation or personalized investment advice. All expressions of opinion are subject to change without notice in reaction to shifting market conditions.

All names and market data shown above are for illustrative purposes only and are not a recommendation, offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security.

Investing involves risk, including loss of principal. Diversification strategies do not ensure a profit and cannot protect against losses in a declining market.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

Cryptocurrency-related products carry a substantial level of risk and are not suitable for all investors. Investments in cryptocurrencies are relatively new, highly speculative, and may be subject to extreme price volatility, illiquidity, and increased risk of loss, including your entire investment in the fund. Spot markets on which cryptocurrencies trade are relatively new and largely unregulated, and therefore, may be more exposed to fraud and security breaches than established, regulated exchanges for other financial assets or instruments. Some cryptocurrency-related products use futures contracts to attempt to duplicate the performance of an investment in cryptocurrency, which may result in unpredictable pricing, higher transaction costs, and performance that fails to track the price of the reference cryptocurrency as intended. Please read more about risks of trading cryptocurrency futures here.

Investment and Insurance Products Are: Not FDIC Insured • Not Insured by Any Federal Government Agency • Not a Deposit or Other Obligation of, or Guaranteed by, the Bank or any of its Affiliates • Subject to Investment Risks, Including Possible Loss of Principal Amount Invested

 

 

 

Video Transcript

Watch Rick Wurster

Charles Schwab President & CEO Rick Wurster on Yahoo Finance - March 12, 2025

 

Madison Mills: Joining us now, we've got Rick Wurster: Worcester, Charles Schwab president and CEO, and Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi is still with us, bringing us the conversation. Rick Wurster, thank you for making time for us. We really appreciate you coming in. 

 

Rick Wurster: Thanks so much for having me on. It's my pleasure. 

 

Madison Mills: So I know that you have seen a lot of activity from the brokerage and that that activity has increased this year. But talk to me about what you're seeing in terms of investor positioning amid the market volatility.

 

Rick Wurster: Well, I think investors are taking a range of activity based on what their financial plan is, what they're trying to accomplish. In general, we see a range of emotions among our clients, from nervousness to a focus on the long term. If we look specifically at what our clients are doing, we look at things like margin activity is a good pulse for what our more active traders are doing. And our margin, our level of margin, has stayed roughly the same over the last month, and our margin clients have actually bought equities in the last week. So I think clients are generally hanging in there at the moment. And the benefit of being a part of Charles Schwab is that we have the opportunity to talk with them and help them understand where they are with their plan and what they're trying to accomplish. 

 

Brian Sozzi: What are some of their biggest concerns at this moment? 

 

Rick Wurster: I think there's a variety of concerns. I think you've seen the market turn or worry about growth. You've seen in bond yields. You see it in break evens, you see it in the sectors that are outperforming. So when you look at investors broadly, I think the biggest concern on their mind is just a softer growth picture. And I think that's that's part of what's weighing on weighing on investors. 

 

Brian Sozzi: You just took over. Did you pass the 100-day mark? You just took over as CEO? 

 

Rick Wurster: I don't think I'm at 100 days yet. I still have a little ways to go. 

 

Brian Sozzi: Right. Okay. Is it hard to obviously your CEO? Is it hard to plan your business in this environment where one moment we have tariffs, next we don't? Then they're back on, then they're back off and then something else is coming. Like, what has this meant for your job? 

 

Rick Wurster: It's not hard at all to plan our business because we focus on the long run. We focus on our clients' outcomes and making sure we can get them to where they need to be in their financial life. We've been in business for 50 years, and for 50 years, we have relentlessly stood by our clients and helped them get to where they need to be. And over that time, we've seen up markets, we've seen down markets, we've seen good economic times and bad economic times. But through it all, we stand there with the client and work with them in a variety of ways. And that's what we're doing today. And this year, I call it a liftoff year for us because we're coming out of the integration we did with Ameritrade. And it's all systems go for us. And we're growing faster than we were last year. And off to a really strong start. 

 

Brian Sozzi: Have you stemmed the I guess, you know last time we talked to you. You know those customers were a little upset on that integration process with with Ameritrade. Has that stopped. Are you keeping customers on the platform now. That's over and done with. 

 

Rick Wurster: Our Ameritrade clients are as happy with us as they've ever been. Every quarter that goes by, their satisfaction scores go up. The net flows that they're bringing us, in terms of new money that they're bringing us keep rising every month. So we're in a really good a really good path with our legacy Ameritrade clients. And we're so delighted to be able to serve them. And I was in five branches yesterday in North Carolina. And what I keep hearing from those clients and our professionals who serve them is how much they value the breadth of what we can bring to the former Ameritrade client. We still have the same thinkorswim platform that we think is the best platform in the industry. 

 

Brian Sozzi: The first place I bought a stock, full disclosure and I know thats no BS.

 

Rick Wurster: That’s great, I know, and hopefully the last place you buy a stock too. And in addition to that at Schwab, they get access to all of our wealth management capabilities, all of our research, a lot more capabilities to help them get to where they need to be in their life. 

 

Madison Mills: It sounds like a pretty picture, given the uncertainty that is obviously taking place in the market. But also, so many CEOs have talked with us about just in terms of the policy backdrop. I know that you have spoken with and worked with the president specifically on the launch of their DJT fintech brand, TruthFi. Have you had any conversations with him about getting policy clarity from the White House moving forward? 

 

Rick Wurster: You know, we for 50 years have tried to work with administrators with with regulators to help them get to a place that's the best possible environment for retail investors and advisors that serve them. So we're always in active discussions with regulators and politicians, and that that won't change. 

 

Brian Sozzi: We've gotten a big uhh, I was actually talking to one of your competitors this morning on my on my podcast, and I asked them their view on cryptocurrency. And that particular CEO said, we don't view it as an asset, and they may not be getting bigger into the crypto space. What is your crypto operations look like? We've got ETFs. We've clearly passed a moment with the Bitcoin Reserve. It's been validated. How are you going to play in that space? 

 

Rick Wurster: Well, we're active in the cryptocurrency space today. We had a 400% increase in the number of visits to our cryptocurrency site in the fourth quarter of 2024, and 70% of those visits were from prospects. So what that says to us is that investors that are interested in investing in crypto they want to do it at a place that they trust, a place where they feel like their assets are going to be safe. So they're coming to Schwab, and they're investing in ETFs and getting access. At some point, we'll be in spot cryptocurrencies, and we'll make that available. Today, we're not, we have ETFs. And that's where we're seeing the most of the volume. But we are in cryptocurrencies, and our clients are interested in it. 

 

Brian Sozzi: Is the spot, Bitcoin ETF, is that is that a this year thing for your company? 

 

Rick Wurster: We hope it will be this year's thing. The regulatory environment has shifted as it relates to banks being able to offer crypto directly to clients. And because of the changing regulations, we do think it's possible that this year we would be able to offer that directly to clients. 

 

Madison Mills: And more broadly, where do you see the most growth moving forward? Obviously, you've got the Sozzi’s of the world getting ready to get into the brokerage, you know, at two years old. But beyond those initial those initial investors. Right, right. Of course, where is the most growth going to come for the business moving forward? First-time investors, retail, futures traders, options traders, crypto bros like who is the growth story? 

 

Brian Sozzi: Wait why do you point to me for crypto bro? What's up with that? 

 

Madison Mills: Because you asked. The crypto question where's where's the growth? 

 

Rick Wurster: That's that's funny. Well we do like to start young by the way. And we are winning with young clients. We had roughly a third of our client. New clients last year were under the age of 30. 60% were under the age of 40, which still seems young to me. So we are doing well with young investors, but we're really winning across the board. And the reason we're winning at all age levels, at all wealth levels, is because we put the client first and we bring everything that we have, whether it's our trading platform, our wealth management capabilities, the way we support our 16,000 advisors that are on our platform and in communities across our country. The way we serve all of them puts them first. And when you put clients first, I think you're going to have a successful business. And that's been the case for us for 50 years. 

 

Brian Sozzi: Rick, I've gotten to know Vlad and the Robinhood team really well. And, you know, over the past two years, they just seem increasingly aggressive to get into wealth management, launching new products. Their pace has picked up. Are they a nuisance to you? Are they a real competitor to what Charles Schwab has done in the past 50 years? 

 

Rick Wurster: We don't we don't see it that way. We're focused on our clients. We've got 44 million client accounts today that that have never been more satisfied than they are today with Schwab. We are focused on delivering wealth management capabilities to them and we don't see those clients interested in in other what others can do. And the reason we see that is because we can do so much for our clients. Clients can call us so last week it's been a volatile week. We had 600,000 clients call or chat us in the last week, and we pick up the phone in less than 30 seconds. 

 

Brian Sozzi: You still have humans picking up the phone?

 

Rick Wurster: We have humans picking up the phone. I was in five branches yesterday in North Carolina. We've got all kinds of clients walking in the door. It's hard for most companies to be able to match the breadth of what we can do for a client, so we worry less about competitors. I'm sure they're doing a great job for their clients. We're more focused on our clients and making sure we nail it for them every single day. 

 

Madison Mills: What's the single biggest obstacle you want to tackle in your next 100 days? 

 

Rick Wurster: The next 100 days? You know, it's about accelerating the growth of our business, deepening the relationships we have with clients, nailing the basics every day when we pick up the phones quickly, when we help remind clients why they're invested. Those basics, when our technology works incredibly well, those matter a lot to clients. And then scaling our business. The more efficient we can be with our clients time, the more they're going to enjoy their experience, and also the more efficient we can be so that we can free up money to invest in our growth initiatives. So those are the things we're focused on in the next 100 days, and maybe we'll get a little more peaceful markets in the next 100 days. We'll see. 

 

Brian Sozzi: We can hope for we can hope for that. 

 

Madison Mills: You’ll have to come back and talk to us when markets and when markets do finally recover. Rick, thank you so much for making time. 

 

Rick Wurster: Thanks for having me on,

 

Madison Mills: I appreciate it. 

 

Rick Wurster: Nice to see you both. 

 

Madison Mills: Thank you for bringing us the conversation. Really appreciate it. Markets action ahead right here on Yahoo Finance to stick around for more.

 

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Important Disclosures

This interview contains forward-looking statements relating to the company's products, growth and success with clients; investor engagement; and all-weather business model. These forward-looking statements and other comments reflect management’s expectations as of the date hereof. Achievement of these expectations and objectives is subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Important factors that may cause such differences are described in the company’s most recent reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, which have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are available on the company’s website (https://www.aboutschwab.com/financial-reports) and on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website (https://www.sec.gov). The company makes no commitment to update any forward-looking statements.

The information here is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered an individualized recommendation or personalized investment advice. All expressions of opinion are subject to change without notice in reaction to shifting market conditions.

All names and market data shown above are for illustrative purposes only and are not a recommendation, offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security.

Investing involves risk, including loss of principal. Diversification strategies do not ensure a profit and cannot protect against losses in a declining market.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

Cryptocurrency-related products carry a substantial level of risk and are not suitable for all investors. Investments in cryptocurrencies are relatively new, highly speculative, and may be subject to extreme price volatility, illiquidity, and increased risk of loss, including your entire investment in the fund. Spot markets on which cryptocurrencies trade are relatively new and largely unregulated, and therefore, may be more exposed to fraud and security breaches than established, regulated exchanges for other financial assets or instruments. Some cryptocurrency-related products use futures contracts to attempt to duplicate the performance of an investment in cryptocurrency, which may result in unpredictable pricing, higher transaction costs, and performance that fails to track the price of the reference cryptocurrency as intended. Please read more about risks of trading cryptocurrency futures here.

Investment and Insurance Products Are: Not FDIC Insured • Not Insured by Any Federal Government Agency • Not a Deposit or Other Obligation of, or Guaranteed by, the Bank or any of its Affiliates • Subject to Investment Risks, Including Possible Loss of Principal Amount Invested

 

 

 

President and CEO Rick Wurster on Yahoo!Finance

Charles Schwab President and CEO Rick Wurster joined Yahoo!Finance to address how investors are managing recent market movements and Schwab’s focus on growth.

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Forward-Looking Statements

This contains forward-looking statements, which reflect management’s expectations as of the date hereof. Achievement of these expectations and objectives is subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Important factors that may cause such differences are described in the company’s most recent reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, which have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are available on the company’s website (https://www.aboutschwab.com/financial-reports) and on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website (https://www.sec.gov). The company makes no commitment to update any forward-looking statements.

The information here is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered an individualized recommendation or personalized investment advice. All expressions of opinion are subject to change without notice in reaction to shifting market conditions.

All names and market data shown above are for illustrative purposes only and are not a recommendation, offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security.

Investing involves risk, including loss of principal. Diversification strategies do not ensure a profit and cannot protect against losses in a declining market.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results.