Costs of Investing (2024)

Stocks and Options

Trading commissions are your primary costs when investing in stocks and options.1 Additional regulatory and exchange fees may apply.1

  • Understanding stock and options costs.
  • Stock and options costs at Schwab.
  • Trade Commissions

    >

  • Understanding stock and options costs.

    Every time you buy or sell a stock or option, your brokerage company may charge you a trade commission. This includes costs for routing, executing, and clearing the trade.

    >

  • Stock and options costs at Schwab.

    $0 for all online listed stock and options trades1

    +

    $0.65 per options contract2

    >

Get low-cost stock and options¹ investing at Schwab. Additional regulatory and exchange fees may apply¹

Explore trading

See disclosures on stocks and options

See disclosures on stocks and options

Mutual Funds

The three costs to consider when investing in mutual funds are operating expenses, loads, and transaction fees.

  • Understanding mutual fund costs.
  • Mutual fund costs at Schwab.
  • Operating Expense Ratio (OER)

    >

  • Understanding mutual fund costs.

    OERs are charged annually by the fund company, expressed as a percentage of a fund's average net assets. They cover the fund's management and other costs.

    Passively managed funds are designed to track a specific market index and typically have lower costs (OERs) than actively managed funds that pay fund managers or management teams to make ongoing decisions on where a fund's money is invested.

    >

  • Mutual fund costs at Schwab.

    Passively managed funds
    Schwab Funds®3
    OERs can range from 0.02%-0.39%*. Third-party passively managed mutual funds are also available. OERs vary from fund to fund.

    Actively managed funds
    Schwab Funds3OERs can range from 0.21%-1.09%*. Third-party actively managed mutual funds are also available. OERs vary from fund to fund.

    >

    Choose from 3,000+ no-load, no-transaction-fee mutual funds.

    Explore mutual fund options

    Mutual Fund Disclosure

    *Source: CSIM. As of January 12, 2024.

    View important information about mutual funds

    See disclosures on mutual funds

    Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs)

    The three costs to consider when investing in ETFs are operating expenses, commissions, and bid/ask spreads.

    • Understanding ETF costs.
    • ETF costs at Schwab.
    • Operating Expense Ratio (OER)

      >

    • Understanding ETF costs.

      OERs are charged annually by the fund company, expressed as a percentage of a fund's average net assets. They cover the fund's management and other costs. Passively managed funds are designed to track a specific market index and typically have lower costs (OERs) than actively managed funds that pay fund managers or management teams to make ongoing decisions on where a fund's money is invested.

      >

    • ETF costs at Schwab.

      Passively managed ETFs

      Schwab ETFs5

      Expenses can range from 0.03%-0.39%*. Third-party passively managed ETFs traded on US exchanges are also available. OERs vary from fund to fund.

      Actively managed ETFs

      Schwab offers third-party actively managed ETFs traded on US exchanges. OERs vary from fund to fund.

      >

      • Trade Commission (online)

        >

      • Understanding ETF costs.

        Your broker may charge you a trade commission each time you buy or sell an ETF.

        >

      • ETF costs at Schwab.

        $0for all online listed ETFs6, including Schwab ETFs.

        >

        • Other Costs

          >

        • Understanding ETF costs.

          Bid/Ask spreads and changes in discounts and premiums can also factor into your trade costs.

          >

        • ETF costs at Schwab.

          Costs vary from fund to fund.

          >

      Save on ETFs with over 2,000 commission-free ETF choices.

      Explore ETFs

      ETF disclosure

      *Source: CSIM. As of January 12, 2024.

      ETFs disclosure

      See disclosures on ETFs

      Bonds

      Your primary cost when investing in bonds is the price markup.

      • Understanding bond costs.
      • Bond costs at Schwab.
      • Price Markup

        >

      • Understanding bond costs.

        Generally, this is the difference between the market price of the bond and the price at which it's sold to you, including transaction fees.

        >

      • Bond costs at Schwab.

        $1 per-bond transaction fee for most secondary market bonds traded online ($10 minimum/$250 maximum)7.

        >

    Get the best bond prices available to Schwab.

    Explore bonds

    Bonds disclosure

    See disclosures on bonds

    Portfolio Management Fees

    Consider the annual fees when choosing a managed offer.

    • Understanding portfolio management fees.
    • Portfolio management fees at Schwab.
    • Annual Fees

      >

    • Understanding portfolio management fees.

      If you choose to have your portfolio of investments professionally managed or to obtain advice for a fee, there may be additional periodic costs. Usually based on a percentage of your assets, the costs can vary depending on the level of assets held in your portfolio and the level of service you receive. Keep in mind that you may also be paying investment costs specific to the underlying assets in your portfolio, such as ETF or Mutual Fund OERs and trade commissions.

      >

    • Portfolio management fees at Schwab.

      Dedicated financial advice8

      Starts at 0.80% for Schwab Wealth Advisory™9

      (Fee rates decrease at higher asset levels)

      >

Find the investment management solutions that are right for you.

Explore more options

portfolio management fees disclosure

See disclosures on portfolio management fees

Costs of Investing (1)

Ready to start investing with Schwab?

Costs of Investing (2024)

FAQs

What are the costs of investing? ›

Common investing costs include expense ratios, market costs, custodian fees, advisory fees, commissions, and loads. Ways to reduce investment costs include knowing when to buy and hold, understanding tax implications, and using tax-exempt or tax-deferred investments.

Discover More Details
What is the 40 30 20 rule? ›

It goes like this: 40% of income should go towards necessities (such as rent/mortgage, utilities, and groceries) 30% should go towards discretionary spending (such as dining out, entertainment, and shopping) - Hubble Money App is just for this. 20% should go towards savings or paying off debt.

Know More
What is the 50/30/20 rule? ›

Key Points. The 50-30-20 rule is a simple guideline (not a hard-and-fast rule) for building a budget. The plan allocates 50% of your income to necessities, 30% toward entertainment and “fun,” and 20% toward savings and debt reduction.

Learn More Now
How much investment is enough? ›

“Ideally, you'll invest somewhere around 15%–25% of your post-tax income,” says Mark Henry, founder and CEO at Alloy Wealth Management. “If you need to start smaller and work your way up to that goal, that's fine. The important part is that you actually start.”

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What do you mean by cost of investment? ›

Cost of Investments means the contract purchase price of investments, acquisition expenses, capital expenditures, and other customarily capitalized costs. However, it excludes acquisition fees.

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What is investment cost or costs? ›

Investments are costs that result in the acquisition of or addition to end items. Such costs benefit future periods and generally are of a long-term character. Costs budgeted in the procurement and military construction appropriations are considered investment costs.

Read More
How to budget $4000 a month? ›

How To Budget Using the 50/30/20 Rule
  1. 50% for mandatory expenses = $2,000 (0.50 X 4,000 = $2,000)
  2. 30% for wants and discretionary spending = $1,200 (0.30 X 4,000 = $1,200)
  3. 20% for savings and debt repayment = $800 (0.20 X 4,000 = $800)
Oct 26, 2023

Keep Reading
How much should I budget for a 60K salary? ›

Another method to determine how much rent you can afford on $60K is the 50/30/20 budgeting rule. This recommends allocating 50% of your monthly take-home pay to necessities, 30% to discretionary expenses, and 20% to debt payments and savings.

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How accurate is the rule of 72? ›

The rule of 72 is only an approximation that is accurate for a range of interest rate (from 6% to 10%). Outside that range the error will vary from 2.4% to 14.0%. It turns out that for every three percentage points away from 8% the value 72 could be adjusted by 1.

Learn More Now
Is saving $500 a month good? ›

The short answer to what happens if you invest $500 a month is that you'll almost certainly build wealth over time. In fact, if you keep investing that $500 every month for 40 years, you could become a millionaire. More than a millionaire, in fact.

Show Me More

Is $500 worth investing? ›

Money for a long-term goal, such as retirement, should be invested. Time allows your money to grow and bounce back from short-term market fluctuations. The potential payoff: $500 invested at a 10% return for 30 years could grow to around $10,000 before inflation, 20 times your initial investment.

Read On
What is the first ingredient to building wealth? ›

The first step is to earn enough money to cover your basic needs, with some left over for saving. To create a financial plan, consider your personal goals, which may include buying a home, saving for retirement, or putting your kids through college.

Read The Full Story
What are the 5 different fees or costs related to investments? ›

High investment fees could have a major impact on your portfolio. Here are five common fees that you may see when you invest: advisory fee, expense ratio, sales charge, trading fee, and transfer fee.

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What is the cost basis of investments? ›

In a nutshell, the cost basis of an investment is the price you paid to purchase it, including any costs such as broker's fees or commissions. This can be expressed either on a per-share basis, or the total for your investment in the position.

Read The Full Story
What is average cost investing? ›

Dollar cost averaging is the practice of investing a fixed dollar amount on a regular basis, regardless of the share price. It's a good way to develop a disciplined investing habit, be more efficient in how you invest and potentially lower your stress level—as well as your costs. Let's say you invest $100 every month.

Read The Full Story
What is investing expenses? ›

Investment expenses are costs associated with managing and maintaining an investment portfolio. They can vary based on factors such as the type of investments you hold, how frequently you trade and the services provided by any broker or financial advisor you work with.

Discover More Details

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