According to a press release, Schwab Retirement Advisor Services enables TPAs to serve commission-based retirement advisors through the same integrated trading and services platform as their fee-based advisor and plan sponsor clients.
The 16 new fund families on the platform include:
- BlackRock
- Cohen & Steers
- Diamond Hill
- Hotchkis & Wiley
- IXIS Advisors
- JPMorgan Funds
- Lazard Freres
- LeggMason
- Loomis Sayles
- Mainstay Funds
- Neuberger Berman
- Pioneer
- Principal Funds
- ProFunds
- SSGA
- Transamerica IDEX
According to the Schwab, key features of the program include:
- Support for both distribution models: commission-based and fee-based
- Open-architecture investment platform
- Position and transaction reports
- Dedicated relationship management
As of March 31, 2007, Schwab Retirement Advisor Services had a total of 66 fund families and more than 1,800 investment options.