Quick Verdict · who it fits
Charles Schwab & fits first-time franchise buyers looking for a mid-scale financial services concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$104K - $222K
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$50K
System size (Item 20)
95 +1
Agreement term
7 yrs
Years in business
55+ yrs
Company-owned units
287
Item 3 litigation
10 suits
Model Charles Schwab &'s costs in the investment calculator → Prefilled from this filing — startup cost, cash flow and break-even.
Buyer qualifications
Data extracted from the 2026 FDD filed with state regulators. Fees and terms may have changed since filing — request the current FDD from the franchisor before deciding. Not legal, financial, or investment advice. Full disclaimer.
Free AI summary — the first read on the filing.
382
Total units open
95 franchised + 287 company-managed
1 franchised; 10 company-managed
Units opened last year
1 company-managed
Units closed last year
1 total
Net unit growth
0 franchised net change
What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.
5
Risks to review
4
Strengths identified
5
Questions to ask
How Charles Schwab & ranks against 30 Financial Services peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
90th pct · of 30 peers
Franchise fee
73rd pct · of 30 peers
System size
50th pct · of 30 peers
Financial Services industry averages
Avg investment
$61K - $179K
Avg franchise fee
$39K
Avg system size
370
Franchises analyzed
30
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Schwab & | Disclosed | $50K | $104K - $222K | — | 95 |
| The Retirement Income SourceSimilar price | Disclosed | $25K | $100K - $226K | 0% | 27 |
| Ameriprise Financial ServicesBiggest system | Disclosed | $2K | $10K - $138K | 72–91% | 3,738 |
| Pronto Franchise, L.l.c.Top-rated in category | Disclosed | $30K | $45K - $115K | — | 29 |
Not sure Charles Schwab & is the one?
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Free explainers to go deeper before you sign.
Brand Analysis
The 2025 FDD prices the initial franchise fee at $2,500, one of the lowest in our library, then sets the royalty at 30% to 60% of revenue. The franchised side of the system has shrunk by 574 offices in three years while the franchisor projects zero new ones.
Investment Guide
A franchise net worth requirement and a liquid capital requirement measure two very different things — and most rejected applicants fail the one they never checked. Here's how the math works at every investment tier.
Financial Analysis
Item 19 hands you an average revenue number and stops there. Here's the step-by-step way to haircut that top-line, layer in COGS, labor, occupancy, the fee stack, and debt service, and land on the profit you'd actually take home.
Charles Schwab & requires a $50,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $103,605–$221,705, per the most recent FDD on file.
Charles Schwab & franchises are sold by Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., the franchisor entity of record on its Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 1 of the FDD discloses the corporate structure, including any parent companies and predecessors.
Yes. Charles Schwab & discloses Item 19 financial performance representations in its FDD. See the financials sub-page for the disclosed figures.
Franchisees pay an advertising fund contribution of 50% on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2026 FDD, Charles Schwab & has 95 total locations, with 1 new locations opened in the most recent reporting year. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
Per the FDD, Charles Schwab & discloses an initial agreement term of 7 years, a transfer fee of $25,000. Review Items 10 and 17 for the full renewal and termination provisions.
This page is part of VetMyFranchise. View all pages: llms.txt · llms-full.txt