Schwab’s De St. Paer On Delivering Scalability Through Core Products

Jonathan de St. Paer, President, Charles Schwab Investment Management met with Julie Cooling, Founder & CEO, RIA Channel to discuss their core-focused strategies and the importance of understanding advisor needs. “We try and see the world through our client’s eyes,” says De St. Paer.  As apart of this initiative, Schwab recently conducted a survey to over 400 RIAs.  The results revealed that on average, core holdings make up 60% of an RIA’s portfolio, by assets.  “That really resonated with us,” says De St. Paer on the statistic. The Schwab investment branch aims to manage a limited number of strategies, that fit the greatest need, in order to create scale. Schwab offers a variety of low-cost, transparent options, including a 10-year track record in strategic beta ETFs. Additionally, the survey measured the top advisor considerations when selecting core products. The number one factor was cost, closely followed by performance and the ability to support advisors. Managing over $360 billion in assets, the investment branch of Charles Schwab runs mutual funds, ETFs and collective investment trusts aimed at registered investment advisors and retail investors.