Schwab offers the ability for you to receive timely information, such as our Market Insight columns and updates. We deliver them through news feeds and podcasts using a technology called RSS, or Really Simple Syndication.
Learn more about these delivery channels and how to use them below.
What are news feeds and podcasts?
How do I use news feeds?
How do I get a news reader?
How do I listen to podcasts?
What are news feeds and podcasts?
Feeds, or "RSS feeds," refer to regular updates of web content delivered directly to you. Rather than having to check a website for new articles or columns, you can subscribe to feeds that automatically send you the information as soon as it's published online.
Feeds can appear in one of two forms:
- News feeds, which are typically text-based articles or columns (such as the daily Schwab Market Update).
- Podcasts, which have traditionally used audio files (such as Schwab's ) but now can also include video.
How do I use news feeds?
News feeds can be viewed through news readers, also known as aggregators because they can aggregate feeds from multiple websites into a single location.
Feeds are usually indicated by the 
button and an accompanying link. Clicking the button or link should provide instructions for automatically or manually adding a feed to your reader.
To subscribe to a Schwab feed, follow these steps:
- Go to our News & Insights Subscriptions page.
- Click the Subscribe link next to the feed you want to receive. This will take you to the feed's subscription page.
- Click the button for your specific reader and follow the instructions in the new window that opens with your reader.
- If your reader doesn't appear in the list of choices, copy the URL (web address) provided for your feed, open your reader, and paste the URL where you manually add a new subscription to your reader.
Once you've subscribed to a feed, your reader automatically checks for updates and adds the new content when it becomes available.
How do I get a news reader?
News readers are available as either web-based or downloadable programs.
Web-based readers include:
- Personalized home pages, such as My Yahoo!, My AOL, or Google.
- Specialized websites such as Bloglines.
- Web browsers with built-in reader functions, such as Internet Explorer 7, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari.
Downloadable programs:
Some readers allow you to view feeds through a separate (usually free) program downloaded to your computer. Examples of these readers include FeedDemon and Newz Crawler for Windows and Newsfire and NetNewsWire for Mac.
How do I listen to podcasts?
Podcasts are simply feeds in audio or video format, often produced in regular broadcast-style episodes. You can subscribe to podcasts just like news feeds or through other podcast sites and programs like iTunes, iPodder (PC), or iPodderX (Mac).
To play back a podcast, you can:
- Use a news reader on your computer that supports podcasts, such as My Yahoo!, My AOL, or Google.
- Download the podcast to a portable player, such as an iPod.
- Download the podcast to your desktop and playback using Windows Media Player, QuickTime, or any other desktop media players.
To subscribe to a Schwab podcast, follow the same instructions above on How do I use news feeds?, but click on the 
Subscribe link for a podcast (rather than a news feed) when you reach that step.
As with a news reader, your podcast software automatically checks for updates and adds them to your podcast program when the new podcast is available.