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Charles Schwab vs Betterment

Charles Schwab is a good choice for beginning and advanced investors looking to invest in ETFs and mutual funds or investors that require extensive research. How does it compare to Betterment? Read our comparison chart below.

Charles Schwab offers stock and ETF trades at $0 commission and options trading at $0 commission + $0.65 per contract. There is no minimum deposit, no maintenance fee, and no inactivity fee.

While Betterment offers automatic investing starting at $4/month for accounts with less than $20,000. There is no fee to open an account and no minimum deposit required. All balances get automatic rebalancing, tax loss harvesting, and access to financial experts.

Compare Charles Schwab with Betterment, side-by-side. Read on for an in-depth look, including ratings, reviews, pros and cons.

 

Charles Schwab

Betterment

SPECIAL OFFER
$0 Commissions on Online Stock, ETF, and Options Trades - Learn More

Read Charles Schwab Review

SPECIAL OFFER
Compare Pricing - Learn More

Read Betterment Review

 

Benefits and Features

Savings 
Check
Stock Trading$0 commission on U.S. stocks and ETFs 
Options Trading
$0 + $0.65 per contract
 
Annual Fee 
  • Digital: 0.25% annual fee for accounts with $20,000 or more or with monthly recurring deposits of $250 or more, $4/month for accounts with less than $20,000
  • Premium: 0.40% for accounts $100,000 or more
Minimum Deposit
$0
$0
Checking 
No-Fee Checking
Mutual Fund Trading$0 for no-transaction-fee funds $49.95 for all other funds 
Commission Free ETFs2,000+ across asset classes and fund companies, $0 commission through Schwab ETF OneSourceā„¢. 
Phone Support 
Yes
Live Chat Support 
No
Email Support 
Yes
Human Advisors 
Yes ($100k minimum)
Robo Advisor 
Check
Assets Under Management 
$40+ Billion
Tax Loss Harvesting 
Yes
Goal Tracker 
Yes
Automatic Deposits 
Yes
Broker Assisted Trades
$25.00 service charge
 
Inactivity Fee
None
 
Maintenance Fee
$0
 
Online Platform 
Yes
iPhone App 
Yes
Android App 
Yes
Banking
Yes
 
Mobile App
Yes
Yes
Desktop App
Yes
 
Futures Trading
$2.25 per contract
 
Customer Service
24/7
 
Locations
300 locations
 
Online Community
Yes
 
Seminars
Yes
 
Virtual Trading
Yes (thinkorswim platforms)
 
Single Stock Diversification 
No
Fractional Shares 
Yes
Taxable Accounts 
Yes
401k Plans 
Yes
IRA Accounts 
Yes
Roth IRA Accounts 
Yes
SEP IRA Accounts 
Yes
Trust Accounts 
Yes
529 Plans 
No
 

CreditDonkey® Reviews

Stock TradingStarStarStarStarHalf Star
Options TradingStarStarStarHalf StarEmpty Star
Mutual Fund TradingStarStarStarStarEmpty Star
Online PlatformStarStarStarStarStar
BankingStarStarStarStarStar
Mobile AppStarStarStarHalf StarEmpty Star
Commissions and FeesStarStarStarEmpty StarEmpty Star
Ease of UseStarStarStarStarEmpty Star
ResearchStarStarStarStarStar
Annual FeeStarStarStarStarHalf Star
Minimum DepositStarStarStarStarStar
Human AdvisorsStarStarStarEmpty StarEmpty Star
Customer ServiceStarStarStarStarEmpty Star
Pros & ConsPros:
  • Vast selection of commission-free ETFs and mutual funds
  • 2 platforms (one for beginners and one for advanced traders)
  • 24/7 customer service including online chat
Cons:
  • Commission costs on mutual funds outside of the commission-free funds
  • Robo-advisor option requires a minimum investment of $5,000
Pros:
  • No minimum investment
  • Customized portfolios
  • Automatically invest extra funds
Cons:
  • Limited investment options
  • High fees for large investors
Bottom LineGood choice for beginning and advanced investors looking to invest in ETFs and mutual funds or investors that require extensive research... Read full reviewGreat robo-advisor for beginners with low fees, good tools, and tax strategies... Read full review

Blank fields may indicate the information is not available, not applicable, or not known to CreditDonkey. Please visit the product website for details.

Charles Schwab: Pricing information from published websites as of 04/09/2024.

Betterment: Pricing information from published website as of 04/04/2018

Which is Better: Charles Schwab or Betterment?

Still need help deciding which investing is better? Read the in-depth reviews below. You may also be interested in comparing Charles Schwab or Robinhood.


Articles on Charles Schwab

Charles Schwab

Charles Schwab is one of the oldest names in the world of investing. With low fees, no account minimums, and robust research tools, it's a good brokerage for all levels of investors.

Articles on Betterment

Betterment Review

Betterment offers low fees and good returns. But there are risks you should NOT ignore. Read this review to see if Betterment is better.

Betterment Fees

Betterment offers no minimum deposit and good returns. But are the fees worth it? Read on to learn about this robo-advisor's costs.

Is Betterment Safe

Betterment offers low fees, no minimum balance and good returns. But is it a good idea? Find out if it's safe to invest your money with this robo-advisor.

Is Betterment Worth The Fee

Betterment will manage your investments, but they charge a fee. Is Betterment worth the fee? Read on to answer all your questions.

Betterment Roth IRA

Is Betterment a good way to invest for retirement? What about the fees and withdrawals? Read on to learn how Betterment's Roth IRA account works.

Betterment vs Wealthfront

Betterment and Wealthfront are two of the oldest and most popular robo-advisors. Is there a difference? Which is better for you? Read on to find out.

Which Do You Think is Best?





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