Schwab plan to cut costs, add advice points to changing 401(k) market
Posted on 09 June 2011
By Mark Miller
Permanent URL of this article: http://retirementrevised.com/money/schwab-plan-to-cut-costs-add-advice-points-to-changing-401k-market
Charles Schwab has long been a leader in low-cost retail investing. Now, it’s gearing up for a run at the 401(k) market by hitching its wagon to two ideas whose time may have come: low-cost passive investing and investment advice for plan participants.
Schwab has never been a major player in administering 401(k) plans for employers. The market is dominated by companies like Fidelity Investments, Vanguard and Aon Hewitt. But Schwab is preparing to roll out a new platform for 401(k) plans that it hopes will help it to crack the code.
The idea is to slash investment costs through exclusive use of passive investment vehicles – index funds and Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs). Then, Schwab intends to plow some of the savings into investment advice for workplace retirement savers that would be built into the platform.
