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Bonds, CDs, and Other Fixed Income

Pursue your fixed income investing goals on your terms—Schwab can help you do it.


Looking for fixed income?

Looking for fixed income?

Opens in popupRead transcriptfor Looking for fixed income?

Looking for help solving your fixed income challenges?

Count on Schwab, where we can access thousands of individual bonds from hundreds of dealers across the marketplace; for straightforward pricing so you keep more of your money; for access to over a thousand new issues every year; plus hundreds of no-load funds and commission-free bond ETFs.

Schwab Fixed Income Specialists can help meet your goal with unbiased guidance. Leveraging their advice and experience to review and recommend a fixed income strategy customized to one important investor: You.

From income to diversification, call a Schwab Fixed Income Specialist to meet your specific needs. 877-906-4760

Schwab's secondary market average security count and Fixed Income specialists data are as of January 2016. Unique number of dealers is as of December 2015.

All orders placed through a Schwab representative are subject to an additional $25 fee and all orders to sell bonds must be placed through a representative. Schwab reserves the right to act as principal on any bond transaction. In secondary market principal transactions the price will be subject to our standard mark up in the case of purchases and a mark down in the case of sales and also may include a profit to Schwab in the form of a bid-ask spread. When trading as principal, Schwab may also be holding the security in its own account prior to selling it to you and, therefore, may make (or lose) money depending on whether the price of the security has risen or fallen while Schwab has held it. Schwab will not act as both principal and agent simultaneously in the same transaction.

Investors should consider carefully information contained in the prospectus, including investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. You can request a prospectus by calling 800-435-4000. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing.

Investment returns will fluctuate and are subject to market volatility, so that an investor's shares, when redeemed or sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost.

No load mutual fund conditions:

Schwab's short-term redemption fee of $49.95 will be charged on redemption of funds purchased through Schwab's Mutual Fund OneSource® service (and certain other funds with no transaction fee) and held for 90 days or less. Schwab reserves the right to exempt certain funds from this fee, including Schwab Funds®, which may charge a separate redemption fee, and funds that accommodate short-term trading.

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., member SIPC, receives remuneration from fund companies participating in Schwab's Mutual Fund OneSource® service for record keeping, shareholder services and other administrative services. Schwab also may receive remuneration from transaction fee fund companies for certain administrative services.

Trades in no-load mutual funds available through Mutual Fund OneSource (including SchwabFunds) as well as certain other funds, are available without transaction fees when placed through schwab.com or our automated phone channels. For each of these trade orders placed through a broker, a $25 service charge applies. Schwab reserves the right to change the funds we make available without transaction fees and to reinstate fees on any funds. Funds are also subject to management fees and expenses.

Commission-Free ETF conditions:

Trades in ETFs available through Schwab ETF OneSource™ (including Schwab ETFs™) are available without commissions when placed online in a Schwab account. Service charges apply for trade orders placed through a broker ($25) or by automated phone ($5). An exchange processing fee applies to sell transactions. Certain types of Schwab ETF OneSource transactions are not eligible for the commission waiver, such as short sells and buys to cover (not including Schwab ETFs). Schwab reserves the right to change the ETFs we make available without commissions. All ETFs are subject to management fees and expenses. Please see Charles Schwab Pricing Guide for additional information.

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. receives remuneration from third-party ETF companies participating in Schwab ETF OneSource™ program for record keeping, shareholder services and other administrative services, including program development and maintenance.

Brokerage Products: Not FDIC Insured • No Bank Guarantee • May Lose Value © 2016 Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (Member SIPC) All rights reserved 0316-E56E

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At Schwab, you can count on:

  • Advice and guidance from fixed income specialists
  • Low, straightforward pricing, so you keep more of your money
  • More choices from our wide selection of bonds, bond funds and ETFs, CDs, preferred stock, and managed accounts

 

Easily build your own bond ladder with our new online CD & Treasury Ladder Builder.

Take advantage of our expertise to help you make confident investment decisions.

At Schwab, we provide the help you need to invest in fixed income, whether you prefer to invest on your own or would like professional assistance.

Our platform can help you screen through thousands of fixed income investments to select the product that is right for you.

  • Timely market analysis through expert insights.

With timely analysis focused on what matters for investors, Schwab's insightful perspective and practical advice can help you make better investment decisions.

  • Dedicated specialists for complex needs.

If you have complex needs and require guidance on fixed income strategies, you can get help from our dedicated team of fixed income specialists.

Rely on specialized, unbiased guidance for help.

What we provide.

Whether you prefer to invest on your own or would like assistance, Schwab offers guidance to help you meet your goals. Choose one-on-one help, attend a local workshop, or access our search tools, research, and expert mutual fund and ETF picks to find the right fixed income investments and strategies for your portfolio.

The experience for investors.

One-on-one help from our Fixed Income Specialists. They take time to understand your needs, and since they’re not paid on commission, they offer unbiased guidance on your investment choices and strategies.


Straightforward, easy-to-understand pricing.

At Schwab, you’ll know up front the transaction costs of buying and selling bonds. And unlike many brokers, we itemize bond costs, so you know exactly what you’re paying—trade confirmations clearly identify transaction fees and commissions.

Low online pricing.

  • $1 per bond transaction fee* on most secondary market trades; no transaction fees on secondary Treasury buys or sells
  • Low expense ratios and $0 commission trading2,3 on Schwab Bond ETFs in your Schwab account; $0 commissions for third-party listed ETFs.
  • Hundreds of no-load, no-transaction-fee bond mutual funds
*Schwab reserves the right to act as principal on any fixed income transaction, public offering or securities transaction. When Schwab acts as principal, the bond price includes our transaction fee (outlined above) and may also include a markup that reflects the bid-ask spread and is not subject to a minimum or maximum. When trading as principal, Schwab may also be holding the security in its own account prior to selling it to you and, therefore, may make (or lose) money depending on whether the price of the security has risen or fallen while Schwab has held it. When Schwab acts as agent, a commission will be charged on the transaction.

Why invest in fixed income investments?

Whether your goal is to diversify your investments, save for the future, receive dependable income, or minimize taxes, fixed income investments may have a place in your portfolio.

  • Diversification

    Adding investment-grade bonds to a stock portfolio can help lower the portfolio's volatility over time.

  • Capital preservation

    Research shows that since 1976, negative annual returns have been uncommon in a broadly diversified bond portfolio.

  • Receive dependable income

    Fixed income securities are typically designed to provide a regular stream of interest payments. See how bonds pay income.

  • Gain potential tax benefits

    Many bonds have preferential tax treatment under which coupon payments are tax-free at either the federal or state level, or both. So it's important to know how tax treatment varies by bond type.

More investment choices to meet your needs.

Schwab offers an extensive selection of fixed income investments, including bonds, bond funds and ETFs, CDs, and preferred stock.

  • Individual bonds

    Get access to over 80,000 individual securities from close to 200 dealers, and hundreds of bond funds.3

  • Certificates of deposit

    Manage your cash and cash investments with Schwab CD OneSource®.

  • Bond funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs)

    Access to no-load, no-transaction-feebond funds through Mutual Fund OneSource® and bond ETFs3 that trade commission-free online.

  • Preferred stocks and securities

    Generate regular quarterly income with new-issue and secondary market preferred stocks and securities.

  • Managed accounts

    Rely on experts to professionally oversee your individual securities based on your investment style and retirement strategy.

Become more informed with insights and ideas.

Stay at the forefront of modern investing with insights and ideas from Schwab experts, including Kathy A. Jones, Senior Vice President and Chief Fixed Income Strategist, Schwab Center for Financial Research.

Easily find and manage your fixed income investments.

Identify the right fixed income investments for you using Schwab BondSource®, which lets you screen more than 80,000 bonds from close to 200 dealers.3 Schwab also simplifies managing your portfolio by providing you access to an extensive number of resources.

Avoid the 3 most common errors investors make.

Keep your bond strategy on course by understanding the most common errors investors make and how to best avoid them:

  • Chasing yield
  • Buying and forgetting
  • Failing to diversify

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