VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Sunday, October 5, 2025

View Bridgewater Associates View Charles Schwab Back to Home

Head-to-head

Bridgewater Associates vs Charles Schwab comparison

Compare pricing, supported platforms, categories, and standout capabilities to decide which tool fits your workflow.

Quick takeaways

Bridgewater Associates adds Wealth Management, and Performance During Crisis coverage that Charles Schwab skips.

Charles Schwab includes Brokerage, Portfolio, Watchlist, Options & Derivatives, Paper Trading, Advanced Order Types, Smart/Direct Routing, News, Alerts, Calendar, Order Book / Level II, and Screeners categories that Bridgewater Associates omits.

Bridgewater Associates highlights: Global institutional asset manager serving sovereign wealth funds, central banks, pensions, insurers, endowments, and foundations., Investments are not available to retail investors; the public website is informational only., and Flagship strategies: Pure Alpha (active macro, launched 1991) and All Weather (risk-parity, designed to balance exposures across economic environments)..

Charles Schwab is known for: Zero-commission online trades for stocks and ETFs; options at $0.65 per contract., thinkorswim® platform suite (desktop, web, mobile) plus Schwab Mobile, with extended 24/5 trading access to 1,100+ stocks and ETFs., and paperMoney® virtual accounts that let you practice trading with live market data..

Bridgewater Associates has a free tier, while Charles Schwab requires a paid plan.

Charles Schwab offers mobile access, which Bridgewater Associates skips.

Bridgewater Associates

bridgewater.com

One of the world’s largest hedge fund managers, serving only institutional clients such as pensions, sovereign wealth funds, and central banks. Bridgewater does not offer investments to the public. Its public site hosts free research and insights — including Daily Observations, whitepapers, and videos — alongside commentary on economic themes like debt cycles and monetary policy. Core investment strategies include Pure Alpha and All Weather (risk-parity).

Platforms

Web

Pricing

Other

Free

Quick highlights

Global institutional asset manager serving sovereign wealth funds, central banks, pensions, insurers, endowments, and foundations.
Investments are not available to retail investors; the public website is informational only.
Flagship strategies: Pure Alpha (active macro, launched 1991) and All Weather (risk-parity, designed to balance exposures across economic environments).
Research & Insights section offers Daily Observations, downloadable whitepapers, videos, and podcasts. Topics range from monetary policy to gold, inflation, and debt crises. Email signup is available.
Sustainability disclosures note that while Pure Alpha and All Weather do not have explicit impact or net-zero mandates, the firm publishes separate sustainability research and reports.

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Charles Schwab

schwab.com

One of the largest US brokerages, combining commission-free stock and ETF trading with deep functionality through the thinkorswim® platform suite (desktop, web, and mobile). Options are priced at $0.65 per contract, with 24/5 trading on over a thousand stocks and ETFs. Investors can trade futures and forex (approval required), use paperMoney® for risk-free practice, and even buy fractional shares of S&P 500 companies starting at $5 through Stock Slices®. Schwab also provides flexible alerts, advanced order types, tax integrations, and access to research and screeners—all backed by decades of brand trust.

Platforms

Web

Mobile

Desktop

Pricing

Other

Quick highlights

Zero-commission online trades for stocks and ETFs; options at $0.65 per contract.
thinkorswim® platform suite (desktop, web, mobile) plus Schwab Mobile, with extended 24/5 trading access to 1,100+ stocks and ETFs.
paperMoney® virtual accounts that let you practice trading with live market data.
Tradable universe spans stocks, ETFs, options, futures, and forex—though futures and forex require separate approval and are offered by Schwab Futures & Forex LLC.
Fractional share investing via Stock Slices®: S&P 500 companies, starting from $5.

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Overlap

Shared focus areas

3 overlaps

Mutual strengths include Blogs, Videos, and Newsletters.

Where they differ

Bridgewater Associates

Distinct strengths include:

Wealth Management

Performance During Crisis

Global institutional asset manager serving sovereign wealth funds, central banks, pensions, insurers, endowments, and foundations.
Investments are not available to retail investors; the public website is informational only.
Flagship strategies: Pure Alpha (active macro, launched 1991) and All Weather (risk-parity, designed to balance exposures across economic environments).
Research & Insights section offers Daily Observations, downloadable whitepapers, videos, and podcasts. Topics range from monetary policy to gold, inflation, and debt crises. Email signup is available.

Charles Schwab

Distinct strengths include:

Brokerage

Portfolio

Watchlist

Options & Derivatives

Zero-commission online trades for stocks and ETFs; options at $0.65 per contract.
thinkorswim® platform suite (desktop, web, mobile) plus Schwab Mobile, with extended 24/5 trading access to 1,100+ stocks and ETFs.
paperMoney® virtual accounts that let you practice trading with live market data.
Tradable universe spans stocks, ETFs, options, futures, and forex—though futures and forex require separate approval and are offered by Schwab Futures & Forex LLC.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

Attribute	Bridgewater Associates	Charles Schwab
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets	Shared: Blogs, Videos, Newsletters Unique: Wealth Management, Performance During Crisis	Shared: Blogs, Videos, Newsletters Unique: Brokerage, Portfolio, Watchlist, Options & Derivatives, Paper Trading, Advanced Order Types, Smart/Direct Routing, News, Alerts, Calendar, Order Book / Level II, Screeners
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes	Hedge Funds	Stocks, ETFs, Options, Futures, Mutual Funds, Bonds, Currencies
Experience levels Who each product is built for	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Platforms Where you can access the product	Web	Web, Mobile, Desktop
Pricing High-level pricing models	Other, Free	Other
Key features Core capabilities called out by each vendor	Unique Global institutional asset manager serving sovereign wealth funds, central banks, pensions, insurers, endowments, and foundations. Investments are not available to retail investors; the public website is informational only. Flagship strategies: Pure Alpha (active macro, launched 1991) and All Weather (risk-parity, designed to balance exposures across economic environments). Research & Insights section offers Daily Observations, downloadable whitepapers, videos, and podcasts. Topics range from monetary policy to gold, inflation, and debt crises. Email signup is available. Sustainability disclosures note that while Pure Alpha and All Weather do not have explicit impact or net-zero mandates, the firm publishes separate sustainability research and reports. Founded in 1975 by Ray Dalio. Headquarters in Westport, Connecticut, with additional offices in New York, Shanghai, and Singapore.	Unique Zero-commission online trades for stocks and ETFs; options at $0.65 per contract. thinkorswim® platform suite (desktop, web, mobile) plus Schwab Mobile, with extended 24/5 trading access to 1,100+ stocks and ETFs. paperMoney® virtual accounts that let you practice trading with live market data. Tradable universe spans stocks, ETFs, options, futures, and forex—though futures and forex require separate approval and are offered by Schwab Futures & Forex LLC. Fractional share investing via Stock Slices®: S&P 500 companies, starting from $5. Advanced order types supported, including OCO brackets and conditional orders.
Tested Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat	Not yet	Not yet
Editor pick Featured inside curated shortlists	Standard listing	Standard listing

Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do Bridgewater Associates and Charles Schwab both support?

Both platforms cover Blogs, Videos, and Newsletters workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.

Which tool offers a free plan?

Bridgewater Associates offers a free entry point, while Charles Schwab requires a paid subscription. Review the pricing table to see how the paid tiers compare.

Which tool has mobile access?

Charles Schwab ships a dedicated mobile experience, while Bridgewater Associates focuses on web or desktop access.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

Bridgewater Associates differentiates itself with Global institutional asset manager serving sovereign wealth funds, central banks, pensions, insurers, endowments, and foundations., Investments are not available to retail investors; the public website is informational only., and Flagship strategies: Pure Alpha (active macro, launched 1991) and All Weather (risk-parity, designed to balance exposures across economic environments)., whereas Charles Schwab stands out for Zero-commission online trades for stocks and ETFs; options at $0.65 per contract., thinkorswim® platform suite (desktop, web, mobile) plus Schwab Mobile, with extended 24/5 trading access to 1,100+ stocks and ETFs., and paperMoney® virtual accounts that let you practice trading with live market data..

Keep exploring

Stay on top of related tools

Browse the categories and profiles that overlap most with this comparison to round out your shortlist.