FREE ESSAY ON CHARLES SCHWAB

CHARLES SCHWAB

Mission 
To provide customers with the most useful and ethical financial services in the world. 
Organization 
Founded in 1974 as one of the country's first discount brokerages, The Charles Schwab
Corporation through its subsidiaries today provides a broad array of financial services
to individual investors, independent investment managers, retirement plans and
institutions. The company through its U.S. broker-dealer serves over 6 million active
customer accounts both domestically and internationally through a network of over 300
branches, offices, telephone service centers, automated phone services and the Internet.
Today the company is headed by founder Charles R. Schwab (Chairman and Co-CEO), and David
S. Pottruck (President and Co-CEO). 
Products and Services 
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. is a full-service financial services company, offering
investment guidance, trading and brokerage services, and a full range of investment and
financial products. Schwab is dedicated to helping customers make their own informed
financial decisions with confidence. 
Schwab offers a range of investment planning services, including registered
representatives available via phone day and night, online asset allocation and retirement
planning tools, and more intensive programs like Core and Explore and the Schwab
AdvisorSource referral program. 
The Mutual Fund MarketPlace makes available over 3,000 funds from more than 350 fund
families, including 32 SchwabFunds. 
Schwab serves active traders with programs like the Signature Services, which offers
commission discounts and up-to-date research. 
Schwab provides multi-lingual services for non-English-speaking customers through its
Asia Pacific Services Center and its Latin American Center. 
With a presence on all major listed stock exchanges, including options markets, Schwab's
Capital Markets and Trading, a division of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., executes trades,
participates in IPOs and secondary offerings and provides fixed-income investments. 
Schwab Retirement Plan Services Inc. provides retirement planning guidance, products,
record-keeping and administrative services to sponsor companies, employees, and
individuals; in 1998, customer assets in retirement plan accounts totaled $20 billion. 
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