Charles Schwab Reviews

The one sentence title comes from our family experience with Schwab.

I have had only positive experiences with Schwab.

They are professional and courteous and always treat people right even if they don't have a lot of money. I think Schwab has a huge potential among lower income people who would not usually think of investing. My own encounters with them are proof of this.

There is a family story about Schwab that shows just how good our experience has been:

We are a blue collar family and my mother wanted to open an IRA. She expected to be treated poorly and was nervous about the whole process....

Charles Schwab has been a great bank and investment house to work with.  I use all aspects of the website and have been very pleased.  Their stock trading page is easy to use and tells you exactly the status of all orders.  The brokerage account overview lets me know exactly how much I have gained or lost for the day and sends notices to my e mail about the companies that I am invested in.  I can get all of my statements and notices through my e mail so I cut down on the use of trees and also the possibility of identity theft.  The bill pay option has saved me a bundle in stamps.  It also...

Schwab is not recommended for investors that maintain margin balances, but is recommended for all others.

Schwab offers good research tools, quality charts and acceptable commissions and fees. Schwab loses some points for a mediocre registration process and excessive margin rates. The trading experience is also very average, making Schwab a decent but not top tier broker. Schwab offers excellent Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRIP) investing. Those who upgrade to the StreetSmart active trader application receive an improved trading engine and charts.

Registration ..............................................

My aunt helped me set up my new IRA at Schwab several years ago.  Being a new college student and part time employee I was unsure of everything and anything to do with retirement savings.  I have never actually gone in to see anyone at Schwab, but every email I have written has come back within two or three days, usually within 24 hours.  The responses I get are accurate and friendly and give me the information I was looking for.  The phone operators are also as polite and friendly as the email people.  I would definitely reccommend Schwab to people starting out, or having years of investing...