A billion-dollar book is impressive.
A billion-dollar firm is yours.
The $1B+ business you built didn't happen by accident. It took vision, discipline, and the judgment that only comes from operating at the highest level. But you built it for someone else. It's time to make it yours as an independent Registered Investment Advisor (RIA).
How long will you work for someone else's bottom line?
What's keeping you there? Are their offerings built for your clients? Is their compensation rewarding you for the value you create? If your answer is no, the next question isn't whether or not to move; it's what moving looks like.
Independence at your level
Schwab serves more than 1,000 billion-dollar firms,1 so we know what it takes to get it right.
At $1 billion and above, independence is a growth strategy
Billion-dollar independent RIA firms have grown at an average of 11.4% annually, outpacing virtually every other channel in the industry over the last five years.2 That growth is built on new clients, deeper relationships, and referrals that can come organically when clients know you're working entirely for them.3
Advisors like you have already made the move
You'll be in good company. Large, complex billion-dollar teams are breaking away from their old model to build something that lasts—a fiduciary firm they own, built entirely around their clients.
"All of the growth and all the innovation is happening in the independent space. You're seeing it by the numbers of assets that just continue to transition over."
—Scott Bills, CEO and Founding Partner, Nilsine Partners
"I would say run, don't walk, to the independent space. If your goal is to serve clients and spend your time doing so, the freedom of the independent model is what allows you to do that."
—Amy Hiett, Partner, Moneta
"Our Schwab Relationship Manager is like a concierge service. It's just great to have one contact person who navigates behind the scenes and gets done what we need done. It's been a really great experience for us."
—Tom Mingone, Founder and Managing Partner, Capital Management Group
The experience, capabilities, and commitment built for firms like yours
#1 choice
of custodian for independent RIAs4
1,000+
billion-dollar firms that Schwab serves5
$5 trillion+
in client assets across every level of complexity6
16,000+
independent RIA firms supported by Schwab7
You've made smart moves to get here. Make your next move with Schwab.
Reach out for a confidential conversation today.
What $1B+ teams want to know
The move to independence raises real questions. Here are the ones we hear most.
Right now, the enterprise value you create belongs to someone else. Independence as an RIA is how you convert that into ownership you control. Schwab can help you see what that actually looks like, with succession planning on your terms, access to RIA valuation tailwinds, and the ability to model your economics before you commit to anything.
No. There's more than one way to go independent, from launching your own firm to joining an existing platform or partnering with another RIA. Schwab helps you weigh the options against your goals and your clients' needs, then walks you through the path that fits.
We know that at the billion-dollar scale, inherent complexity is there from the start. Your clients already expect alternatives, specialized lending, and multigenerational planning. Schwab is built to meet these institutional-grade expectations immediately. Your dedicated Relationship Manager orchestrates it all, aligning our open architecture and massive institutional depth seamlessly with your complex service model.
Day one, your firm is open and operating around your clients, your decisions, and your brand. Behind the scenes, you have dedicated professionals, enterprise partners, and an ecosystem that includes third-party legal and compliance support. By day 100, you're operating with the infrastructure, the team, and the momentum to succeed on your own terms.
- Discovery Data/AS Salesforce as of May 26, 2026.
- The Cerulli Report, U.S. RIA Marketplace 2025: Solving for Scale, Exhibit 1.01, Cerulli Associates, 2025.
- 2025 RIA Benchmarking Study. Median 5-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the period from year-end 2019 through 2024.
Top Performing Firms are those that rank in the top 20% of the Firm Performance Index. The index evaluates all firms in the study according to 15 metrics to arrive at a holistic assessment of each firm's performance across key business areas. Past performance is not an indicator of future results. 2025 RIA Benchmarking Study from Charles Schwab, fielded January to March 2025. Study contains self-reported data from 1,288 firms.
About the 2025 RIA Benchmarking Study from Charles Schwab
Schwab designed the RIA Benchmarking Study to capture insights in the RIA industry based on survey responses from individual firms. The 2025 study provides information on topics such as asset and revenue growth, sources of new clients, products and pricing, staffing, compensation, marketing, technology, and financial performance. Fielded from January to March 2025, the study contains self-reported data from 1,288 firms that custody their assets with Schwab and represents over $2.4 trillion in assets under management, making this the leading study in the RIA industry. Schwab did not independently verify or validate the self-reported information. Participant firms represent various sizes and business models. The study is part of Schwab Business Consulting and Education, a practice management offering for RIAs. Grounded in the best practices of leading independent advisory firms, Business Consulting and Education provides insight, guidance, tools, and resources to help RIAs strategically manage and grow their firms.
Past performance is not an indicator of future results.
- Number one choice claim is based on first-time firm ADV registrations where Schwab Advisor Services™ is listed as the custodian, as of December 2025.
- See note 1.
- The Charles Schwab Corporation Monthly Activity Report for December 2025.
- Salesforce, as of May 2026.
- T3/Inside Information Software Survey, March 2026.
For general informational and educational purposes only.
Schwab could have a business relationship with certain third-party providers ("Providers") or their affiliates. You are solely responsible for performing your own due diligence on any Provider prior to engaging or entering into a contract with such Provider. Schwab cannot guarantee any specific outcome or result and bears no responsibility for the output or outcome related to your decision to use any Provider and/or services offered by a Provider affiliate.