The Charles Schwab Corporation (SCHW: NYSE; 0L3I.L) provides a broad range of financial services, including discount brokerage; online trading of listed stocks, options, ETFs, mutual funds, bonds, futures, forex, and international stocks; retirement planning and workplace plans; banking services such as checking, savings, CDs, and credit cards through Schwab Bank; wealth management and financial advisory; custody services for independent advisors; investment management via Schwab Asset Management; alternative investments including hedge funds, private equity, private credit, real estate, annuities, securities lending, margin lending, pledged asset lines, and cryptocurrency access; and platforms like thinkorswim for advanced trading. Founded in 1971 and headquartered in Westlake, Texas, the company operates over 380 branches primarily in the United States and the United Kingdom, with additional offices in Hong Kong and London, serving retail investors, independent advisors, institutional clients, and workplace plan participants across 36.5 million active brokerage accounts, 5.4 million retirement plan accounts, and 2.0 million banking accounts with $10.10 trillion in client assets as of December 31, 2024. Recent developments include the relocation of its headquarters from San Francisco to Westlake in 2021; the completion of TD Ameritrade integration and shutdown in May 2024 following the 2020 acquisition; Toronto-Dominion Bank's sale of its 12% stake in early 2025; the appointment of Rick Wurster as CEO on January 1, 2025, succeeding Walt Bettinger; the launch of Schwab Alternative Investments Select and Schwab Private Issuer Equity Services platforms; and a definitive agreement in November 2025 to acquire Forge Global for $660 million to expand private market access, liquidity, and data solutions for retail and advisory clients, with CEO Wurster signaling openness to further M&A in 2025.