Overview of Charles Schwab IRA
Schwab advertises a lot and brings in many customers. But how does it perform in key areas? How does it compare to its top competitors? We dug into the details so you don’t have to.
Range of Products
Schwab lets you trade stocks, options, ETFs, and fixed-income products like STRIPS and CDs. You can also trade closed-end funds, mutual funds, IPOs, forex, and futures (including bitcoin futures and options). We didn’t see precious metals, CFDs, cryptocurrencies, or warrants.
Customer Service
Schwab cut many commissions but still offers 24/7 phone support. You can get help in Chinese at certain times, and international clients have special phone numbers.
There’s also 24/7 chat on the website. In our test, one answer was wrong, but you can also send messages through your account.
Schwab’s site has many self-service tools: submit a travel notice, switch to paperless statements, add a trusted contact, download forms, and more.
If you prefer in-person help, Schwab has over 300 branches in the U.S., plus locations in Puerto Rico, Hong Kong, and London.
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Learning Materials
Schwab’s website has tons of learning content for beginners and pros. We found guides on topics like investment taxes, marriage or divorce, retirement planning, job changes, and saving for college.
They offer many calculators, including a life insurance tool that uses your mortgage balance, income, and debts to suggest coverage levels.
You’ll find articles on trading Schwab products—how to read option chains, understand preferred shares, or explore closed-end funds—and lots of videos.
Screeners help you find stocks that may be undervalued. The equity tool has many filters: analyst ratings, PEG ratio, cash flow per share, 5-day stochastic, and more.
Stock profile pages include detailed info and free PDF reports from CFRA, Schwab, Thomson Reuters, and others.
Website
Schwab’s website is packed with tools. That can make it tricky to navigate, but it also means you have more features at your fingertips.
A trade bar at the bottom shows volume, high/low prices, pop-up charts, and news. You can’t place trades there—you use the order form on a page. Those forms support market, limit, trailing, and stop orders, plus timing options like day, GTC, fill-or-kill, and extended hours.
Charting has about 50 technical indicators, drawing tools, comparisons, eight styles, and event markers. One missing feature is full-width graph display.
thinkorswim is Schwab’s browser platform for futures trading, but you can trade stocks and other products there too. It adds full-screen charts and advanced order triggers.
Mobile App
Schwab’s app works on phones and tablets. You get ACH transfers, mobile check deposit, and bill pay for free. You can build a watchlist, view heat maps, and see market movers.
The app lets you trade stocks, ETFs, closed-end funds, options, and mutual funds. It lacks direct-access routing and Level II data, but you get multiple order types and durations.
App charts include events, comparisons, and indicators, with seven graph styles and up to 40 years of price history.
Other Trading Tools
If you don’t like the website or app, you can use thinkorswim desktop. It has no account minimums, free CNBC streams, Level II quotes, Recognia analysis, and multi-leg option ideas.
The thinkorswim desktop ticket has direct-access routing, custom layouts, and many order types. Its charting offers full-screen mode, technical studies, drawing tools, and right-click trading. You can view price data from tick-by-tick up to 20 years.
Schwab also offers an Alexa skill for Echo devices. You can get quotes, create a watchlist, and hear market updates.
The Apple Watch app shows a small graph, current price, volume, high/low, and bid-ask spread. You can also view your watchlist.
Exchange-traded Funds
At Schwab, all ETFs trade with no commission. The website offers useful tools for US-listed funds. The screener filters by assets, price, Morningstar rating, cash flow growth, 30-day yield, sector exposure, and more.
An ETF’s profile page shows detailed info. You’ll find a prospectus link, a Schwab report card, and extra analysis from Market Edge.
The Select List features handpicked ETFs chosen for low fees. We would have liked deeper analysis.
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Mutual Funds
Schwab’s mutual fund lineup is modest, with 5,867 funds—small by industry standards. Still, 3,456 funds have no transaction fee or load.
The screener lets you search by criteria like top ten holdings, strategy, Sharpe ratio, tax-equivalent yield, distribution frequency, and more. You can save scans or open them in a new window. Preset screens are available too.
Mutual fund profile pages include data on automatic-invest eligibility, expense ratio, top holdings, $10,000 growth, and manager info.
Schwab’s portfolio builder asks about taxes, risk level, and time frame, then suggests a mix of ETFs and mutual funds.
Retirement and Education Accounts
Schwab offers many accounts: self-employed 401(k), traditional, Roth, inherited, custodial, SIMPLE, and SEP IRAs. You can roll over employer plans and buy annuities.
For education savings, Schwab has 529 plans, Coverdell ESAs, and custodial accounts.
Schwab Fees, Commissions, and Account Policies
Online stock and ETF trades are free. Options cost $0.65 per contract. Buying mutual funds costs $49.95. Futures are $1.50 per contract per side; options on futures are the same.
Fixed-income trades cost $1 each, with a $10 min and $250 max. Preferred stocks use the $0 equity commission. Treasuries have no commissions but may carry markups.
Schwab has removed all account fees and minimums for most accounts. Only charitable trusts need a $5,000 minimum balance.
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Managed Accounts and Financial Advice
Schwab’s robo service is free (0.00%) thanks to holding client cash at Schwab Bank and using Schwab ETFs. There’s a $5,000 minimum.
The hybrid option adds a CFP® advisor with a $25,000 minimum, $30/month fee, and $300 one-time planning fee. It includes a plan, ongoing advisor access, and extra tools.
Traditional advisory plans start at 0.65%–1.35% fees, with $100,000 min for stock portfolios and $250,000 for balanced or bond portfolios. Compare rates to local CFPs: financial advisors in your area.
Cash Management
You can open checking or savings at Schwab Bank, automatically linked to your brokerage. Checking comes with free checks and a Visa debit card you can enable or disable online. Schwab refunds all ATM fees worldwide.
International Trading
Schwab’s Global Account gives access to 12 foreign markets in local currencies, or you can add global trading to your existing account. Markets include Australia, Finland, Japan, and the UK, with real-time quotes for retail clients.
Recommendations
Schwab is ideal for investors who want a single broker with broad services at fair prices. Beginners benefit from the learning resources. Small accounts gain from no fees. Its IRAs are a strong choice.
Charles Schwab IRA Review Summary
Charles Schwab delivers unbeatable value and many great services. While its mutual fund, options, and
forex offerings lag, most investors should open an account here.
Updated on 4/8/2025.
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