Schwab IMPACT® 2011 Keynote Speakers to Address Complex Global Issues Impacting Today’s Market

Charles R. Schwab, Tony Blair, Bill Gross, Liz Ann Sonders and Joshua Cooper Ramo to speak at leading conference for independent investment advisors

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Charles Schwab today announced five influential presenters in the keynote speaker line-up for its IMPACT2011 conference, one of the nation’s largest and longest-running annual gatherings of independent advisors. IMPACT, now in its 20^th year, will be held in Schwab’s hometown of San Francisco on November 1-4 at The Moscone Center. The conference will bring together the industry knowledge of Schwab and its advisor clients, as well as influential presenters and numerous exhibitors in an effort to learn about and collaborate on key issues and topics for independent investment advisors. Additional keynote speakers will be announced later in the year.

The keynote speakers will share their insights on the current political and economic landscape. This year’s speaker line-up reflects a profound level of knowledge in current events and expertise in today’s political and economic environment.

Charles R. Schwab, Chairman of the Board of The Charles Schwab Corporation, will offer his perspectives on current economic events and the outlook for the future. Mr. Schwab founded his San Francisco-based firm in 1971 as a traditional brokerage company. The firm was a pioneer in discount brokerage, mutual fund supermarkets, online investing and today is also a leading provider of custodial, operational and trading support, with more than 6,000 independent registered investment advisory firms as clients. With client assets of $1.7 trillion as of April 30, 2011, it is the leading independent brokerage in the U.S.

Tony Blair will share his view on world events. Mr. Blair served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997-2007 and today works for the USA, UN, Russia and EU as the Quartet Representative, helping Palestinians prepare for statehood as part of the international community’s effort to secure peace. He launched the Tony Blair Foundation, which strives to mobilize faith communities to work together in pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals to tackle global poverty and conflict.

Investment experts Bill Gross and Liz Ann Sonders will discuss their expectations for the markets over the coming months. Mr. Gross is a founder of PIMCO, managing director and co-CIO in the Newport Beach office. He brings more than 40 years of investment experience to advisors at IMPACT. Mr. Gross is author of numerous articles on the bond market and is recognized by his peers as the most influential authority on the bond market in the U.S.

Liz Ann Sonders, Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Strategist at Charles Schwab, has investment strategy responsibilities that span market and economic analysis to investor education. Ms. Sonders is a regular guest on national news programs such as ABC’s Good Morning America and World News Tonight. She was named best strategist of 2009 by Kiplinger’s and recently recognized as one of the 50 Top Women in Wealth for 2010 by Wealth Manager.

Joshua Cooper Ramo, Managing Director at Kissinger Associates, will offer a unique view into what China has accomplished in 30 years of reform and the complex issues that lie ahead. Mr. Ramos is author of The Age of the Unthinkable, a book hailed by Forbes and described by Newsweek as “a call to arms for smarter management of this increasingly complex world." Before entering the advisory business, Mr. Ramos was an award-winning journalist and editor whose accolades include nearly two-dozen Time cover stories. His impressive collection of work includes the 1997 Man of the Year profile of Andy Grove, an award-winning profile of Kofi Annan, and most recently, reports on unemployment in America and China-U.S. relations.

This year’s event will feature a number of additional presentations by business and industry leaders, remarks by senior Schwab executives, information about products and services from more than 250 exhibitors, and more than 60 education sessions on a range of topics affecting independent investment advisors, including investment strategies and tools; practice management and technology; and operational and business solutions.

Advisor registration for IMPACT opens on June 16. For more information, visit www.impact.schwab.com.

About Charles Schwab

The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE:SCHW) is a leading provider of financial services, with more than 300 offices and 8.1 million client brokerage accounts, 1.4 million corporate retirement plan participants, 728,000 banking accounts, and $1.7 trillion in client assets as of Apr. 30, 2011. Through its operating subsidiaries, the company provides a full range of securities brokerage, banking, money management and financial advisory services to individual investors and independent investment advisors. Its broker-dealer subsidiary, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (member SIPC, www.sipc.org), and affiliates offer a complete range of investment services and products including an extensive selection of mutual funds; financial planning and investment advice; retirement plan and equity compensation plan services; referrals to independent fee-based investment advisors; and custodial, operational and trading support for independent, fee-based investment advisors through its Advisor Services division. Independent investment advisors are not owned, affiliated with or supervised by Schwab. Its banking subsidiary, Charles Schwab Bank (member FDIC and an Equal Housing Lender), provides banking and mortgage services and products. More information is available at www.schwab.com and www.aboutschwab.com. (0511-3125)

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Charles SchwabJennifer Davis, 415-667-0181
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Source: Charles Schwab