In addition to our “Comprehensive” and “Collaborative” service levels, we also offer some of our services in a “Do-It-Yourself” service level that has a lower annual fee and no minimum. Basic services include asset allocation design and portfolio management using Schwab’s Institutional Intelligent Portfolios, an automated investment management platform. Some additional services are available for an additional charge.

This is a quick checklist of how to go from where you are now to having Schwab Institutional Intelligent Portfolio accounts with Marotta Wealth Management and being one of our clients under our “Do-It-Yourself” service level.

Step 1: Open Accounts

If you would like algorithm-traded accounts, you can open a Schwab Institutional Intelligent Portfolio with Marotta Wealth Management simply by going to https://institutionalintelligent.schwab.com/ and clicking “Open an Account.” You will be presented with a page of disclosures from Schwab about how the program works. Then, at the bottom of that page, you can sign up with Marotta Wealth Management by filling in our Advisor Program Key CT14 and clicking “Continue.”

A full list of instructions guiding you through that process can be found here: Getting Started with Schwab Institutional Intelligent Portfolios with Marotta Wealth Management.

If you are interested in hand-traded accounts, you can use the prefilled account application paperwork on the Forms & Guides page or open an account using Schwab.com and then use Schwab’s Limited Power of Attorney for Investment Advisor form to add Marotta Wealth Management to that account.

You should open as many accounts as you ultimately want to have. We generally recommend you at least open two brokerage accounts (one to be a “pass through” account, the other to be your taxable investment account) and one Roth IRA (Roth Individual Retirement Account) for each person.

You could also consider a Schwab checking account: Streamline Your Finances with Schwab Checking.

​Any time that you are considering opening an account, the SEC requires that we prominently tell you that the latest copy of our Form CRS is on our website here​​.

Step 2: Fund or Transfer Accounts

If you already have investment accounts hosted somewhere else, like at Vanguard, Fidelity, eTrade, TD Ameritrade, or even an account hosted elsewhere at Charles Schwab, then you can fund your accounts using a transfer. The instructions for transferring an account to a Schwab Institutional Intelligent Portfolios with Marotta Wealth Management are here: Transfer an Existing Account to Schwab Institutional Intelligent Portfolios with Marotta Wealth Management.

If you have an employer sponsored account such as a 401(k), you may be able to rollover the assets via the instructions How to Rollover Your 401(k) into a Schwab Institutional Intelligent Portfolio with Marotta Wealth Management.

If you are just getting started with investing or have additional assets you’d like to contribute to your accounts, you can fund your account by using one of the following options, each is a link to their own instructions:

1. Fund Your Account with a Check
2. Move Funds Between Your Bank Account and Your Schwab Account
3. Set Up Direct Deposit

Step 3: Move in to Your Accounts

After your accounts are open and your funding is in progress, it is time to learn and move into the online tools you have available to you. See if any of these Schwab tutorials are of interest to you:

• Can I Update My Beneficiaries Online?
• Gain Clarity with Schwab’s Account Nicknames
• How to Show Your IRA on Your Spouse’s Schwab Login
• Manage All Your Family’s Finances with a Power of Attorney
• Schwab VeriSign Security Measures

Step 4: Know where to find help.

If you run into any problems with the Schwab website, filling out Schwab paperwork, transferring assets to Schwab, or understanding a statement or report sent to you from Schwab, you can either call Schwab Alliance at 800-515-2157 or message them via the message center. Their supportive customer service team is part of the service included with your account open at Charles Schwab.

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash. Edited in July 2022 to add reference to our hand-traded accounts.