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Investments Account - Charles Schwab

"I want to invest."

Retirements Account - Charles Schwab

"I want to save for retirement."

  • Traditional IRA

    Gives you immediate tax benefits but you pay taxes when you take money out in retirement.

  • Roth IRA

    Gives you tax benefits later when you take your retirement savings out tax-free.

  • Rollover IRA

    Gives you control of retirement savings by moving funds from your former employer's plan.

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What retirement account may be right for me? Get started >

Automated Investing Account - Charles Schwab

"I want to automate investing and make retirement saving easier."

Schwab Intelligent Portfolios®

Gives you a robo-advisor that builds, monitors, and automatically rebalances a portfolio based on your goals.

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College Savings Account - Charles Schwab

"I want to invest for my kids’ futures."

  • College savings account

    Lets you establish an education fund for a family member, a friend, or yourself with tax benefits.

  • Custodial investing account

    Allows you to make a financial gift to a minor with no contribution limits and no gift tax for contributions up to $18,000 in a single year.

  • Education savings account (ESA)

    Lets you pay for education expenses with withdrawals that are tax-free when used for qualified education expenses.

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Charitable Accounts - Charles Schwab

"I want to protect my legacy and give back to others."

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Account FAQs

An Individual Retirement Account (IRA) is a type of savings account that lets you take advantage of tax-free growth while saving for retirement. Different IRAs offer different kinds of tax benefits—and unlike a 401(k), IRAs are maintained by individuals, not employers or companies. 
Learn more about IRAs

While both Roth IRAs and Traditional IRAs offer good investment options, the main difference between them is that Roth IRAs offer tax-free benefits in the future, while Traditional IRAs take advantage of tax benefits today.
Compare Roth vs. Traditional IRAs

A Rollover IRA lets you move funds from your prior employer-sponsored retirement plan into another IRA, while preserving the tax-deferred status of your retirement assets. That means you won't have to pay current taxes or early withdrawal penalties at the time of the transfer.

You can roll over employer-sponsored retirement plans that you receive qualifying distributions from, including 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, profit-sharing plans, money purchase plans, and Keoghs/Qualified Retirement Plans (QRPs). You may also be able to roll over after-tax dollars and governmental 457(b) qualifying distributions. Contact your plan administrator(s) to find out if your particular plan is eligible for rollover. Please note that employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) and defined benefit plans may not be eligible.

An investor savings account is similar to a traditional savings account. The biggest difference is that the APY of an investor savings account is higher than that of a traditional savings account.
Learn more about Schwab's investor savings accounts.

You can start investing in securities by opening a Schwab brokerage account. You'll also get 24/7 support and a $0 account minimum.

A brokerage account is an arrangement between you and a licensed brokerage firm that lets you deposit funds, start investing in stocks, and place investment orders through the brokerage account. You can invest in whatever you choose—stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and more.

Brokerage accounts are often used to begin saving for retirement—but since they're flexible and allow you to withdraw at any time, you can also use your funds for shorter-term goals, like buying a new house, going on vacation, or planning a wedding.

Robo-advisors vary from firm to firm but are generally online services that provide automated portfolios based on your preferences. Robo-advisors weigh personal preferences against unpredictable forces to automatically recommend and build a diversified portfolio of funds that fit an investor's specific needs. Experts regularly monitor market activity and every underlying investment to ensure your portfolio is rebalanced appropriately by a sophisticated algorithm—all so you don't have to.

With a college savings account, you can make tax-benefited contributions that will give you more financial flexibility in paying your child's college expenses. These funds—including 529 education savings plans, custodial accounts, and education savings accounts—offer either tax-deferment or tax benefits, along with high contribution limits.

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The Schwab Bank Investor Checking account is available only as a linked account with a Schwab One® brokerage account. The Schwab One brokerage account has no minimum balance requirements, no minimum balance charges, no minimum trade requirements, and there is no requirement to fund this account when opened with a linked Investor Checking account. To learn more about other Schwab Bank checking accounts, please contact Schwab Bank at 1(800) 258-0044.

There is no advisory fee or commissions charged for Schwab Intelligent Portfolios. For Schwab Intelligent Portfolios Premium, there is an initial planning fee of $300 upon enrollment and a $30-per-month advisory fee charged on a quarterly basis as detailed in the Schwab Intelligent Portfolios Solutions™ disclosure brochures. Investors in Schwab Intelligent Portfolios and Schwab Intelligent Portfolios Premium (collectively, "Schwab Intelligent Portfolios Solutions") do pay direct and indirect costs. These include ETF operating expenses which are the management and other fees the underlying ETFs charge all shareholders. Schwab does not charge an advisory fee for the SIP Program in part because of the revenue Schwab Bank generates from the cash allocation (an indirect cost of the Program). The portfolios include a cash allocation to FDIC‐insured Deposit Accounts at Charles Schwab Bank, SSB ("Schwab Bank"). Schwab Bank earns income on the deposits, and earns more the larger the cash allocation. The lower the interest rate Schwab Bank pays on the cash, the lower the yield. Some cash alternatives outside of Schwab Intelligent Portfolios Solutions pay a higher yield. Schwab Intelligent Portfolios Solutions invests in Schwab ETFs. A Schwab affiliate, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc., receives management fees on those ETFs. Schwab Intelligent Portfolios Solutions also invests in third-party ETFs. Schwab receives compensation from some of those ETFs for providing shareholder services, and also from market centers where ETF trade orders are routed for execution. Fees and expenses will lower performance, and investors should consider all program requirements and costs before investing. Expenses and their impact on performance, conflicts of interest, and compensation that Schwab and its affiliates receive are detailed in the Schwab Intelligent Portfolios Solutions disclosure brochures.

For important information on the Schwab Teen Investor™ account, including restrictions and limitations, go to schwab.com/teen-account.