Schwab [see profile], officials on Tuesday said ETF assets held by its individual investor and independent advisor clients have gone over the $100 billion mark.
Of that number, more than $2 billion are in Schwab's proprietary ETFs. Executives also said that Schwab Managed Portfolios ETFs have attracted $1.7 billion year-to-date.
Company Press Release
SCHWAB CLIENTS EMBRACE ETFS
Total ETF Assets at Schwab Exceed $100 Billion
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 9, 2010 — Charles Schwab announced today that exchange-traded fund (ETF) assets held by its individual investor and independent advisor clients have exceeded $100 billion1. This significant milestone was achieved in part because of the early success of Schwab’s own ETF products. Assets under management in Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. (CSIM) Schwab ETFs™ now exceed $2 billion2, and Schwab Managed Portfolios™ Exchange-Traded Funds (SMP-ETFs), which debuted in January through Charles Schwab Investment Advisory Inc., has garnered $1.7 billion to-date3.
"ETFs have skyrocketed in popularity, and the success of our ETF program shows that Schwab is the destination for investors seeking ETFs," said Peter Crawford, senior vice president of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. "Whether they are long-term buy and hold investors who are looking for great value in terms of operating expenses, or more active investors whose focus is low-cost trades, we are the place for investors seeking ETFs."
At its "ETF HQ," Schwab provides a full range of resources to help individuals and advisors. The Schwab ETF Learning Center offers educational materials and insights from Schwab experts in the form of FAQs, articles and videos. The content ranges from the basics of ETFs and how they fit into a portfolio to sophisticated trading strategies. Schwab’s ETF resources also include an array of tools to help investors choose ETFs that may best fit their investment needs, including a robust ETF Screener to search for ETFs that offer exposure to various markets, industries and sectors; a comparison tool to view side-by-side snapshots of multiple ETFs; and research and ratings from third parties.
The first Schwab ETFs were launched just one year ago in a bold move that allowed Schwab clients to trade the ETF shares with no commissions online through a Schwab account*. With some of the lowest OERs in their categories, the now 11 Schwab ETFs have experienced widespread adoption among Schwab individual investor clients and advisors who custody with Schwab. Schwab ETFs follow broad indexes of domestic stocks, international stocks, and bonds, which can make them excellent building blocks for a well-diversified portfolio. In addition, Schwab ETFs are marginable immediately at Schwab and have no required minimum holding period.
"Schwab ETFs have had significant traction this first year," said Crawford, "Our clients find these low-cost indexed vehicles enormously appealing in general, and as some of the lowest-cost products in each of their categories, the Schwab ETFs are especially attractive. Our straightforward approach to pricing and focus on core categories have really helped Schwab ETFs take off, as evidenced by them crossing the $2B threshold one year to the day since they debuted."
Schwab's comprehensive offering to investors also includes the new SMP-ETF product launched in January. This product offers diversification across multiple asset and sub-asset classes, sophisticated management and monitoring and low operating costs.
1 As of October 5, 2010
2 As of November 2, 2010
3 As of October 29, 2010
"Our clients can expect to continue to see more leadership and innovation from us in this area. We'll continue to build on this success and remain the place for individual investors who want to take advantage of the benefits of ETF investing," emphasized Crawford.
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