VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Sunday, October 5, 2025

View Charles Schwab View The Zen of Investing Back to Home

Head-to-head

Charles Schwab vs The Zen of Investing comparison

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

Quick takeaways

Charles Schwab adds Brokerage, Portfolio, Watchlist, Options & Derivatives, Paper Trading, Advanced Order Types, Smart/Direct Routing, News, Alerts, Order Book / Level II, Videos, Newsletters, and Screeners coverage that The Zen of Investing skips.

The Zen of Investing includes Spin-offs categories that Charles Schwab omits.

Charles Schwab 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., and paperMoney® virtual accounts that let you practice trading with live market data..

The Zen of Investing is known for: Covers U.S. spinoffs and select international cases, with a clear focus on special situations., “Upcoming Spinoffs” list tracks definitively announced events, often with links to presentations and filings., and “Recent Spinoffs” page compiles completed transactions, including prospectuses and investor decks..

The Zen of Investing keeps a free entry point that Charles Schwab lacks.

Charles Schwab ships a mobile app. The Zen of Investing is web/desktop only.

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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The Zen of Investing

thezenofinvesting.com

A free, niche site dedicated to spinoffs and special situations. It maintains curated lists of upcoming and recent spinoffs, often linking directly to investor decks, prospectuses, and filings. The site also offers RSS feeds for SEC prospectus and tender-offer filings, making it a useful resource for event-driven investors. No subscriptions, paywalls, or API access are offered.

Platforms

Web

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

Covers U.S. spinoffs and select international cases, with a clear focus on special situations.
“Upcoming Spinoffs” list tracks definitively announced events, often with links to presentations and filings.
“Recent Spinoffs” page compiles completed transactions, including prospectuses and investor decks.
Archives investor-relations PDFs from major spinoff companies, such as DuPont or GE Vernova.
Publishes RSS feeds that surface SEC prospectus and tender-offer filings for easy monitoring.

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Overlap

Shared focus areas

2 overlaps

Mutual strengths include Calendar, and Blogs.

Where they differ

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.

The Zen of Investing

Distinct strengths include:

Spin-offs

Covers U.S. spinoffs and select international cases, with a clear focus on special situations.
“Upcoming Spinoffs” list tracks definitively announced events, often with links to presentations and filings.
“Recent Spinoffs” page compiles completed transactions, including prospectuses and investor decks.
Archives investor-relations PDFs from major spinoff companies, such as DuPont or GE Vernova.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

Attribute	Charles Schwab	The Zen of Investing
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets	Shared: Calendar, Blogs Unique: Brokerage, Portfolio, Watchlist, Options & Derivatives, Paper Trading, Advanced Order Types, Smart/Direct Routing, News, Alerts, Order Book / Level II, Videos, Newsletters, Screeners	Shared: Calendar, Blogs Unique: Spin-offs
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes	Stocks, ETFs, Options, Futures, Mutual Funds, Bonds, Currencies	Stocks
Experience levels Who each product is built for	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Platforms Where you can access the product	Web, Mobile, Desktop	Web
Pricing High-level pricing models	Other	Free
Key features Core capabilities called out by each vendor	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.	Unique Covers U.S. spinoffs and select international cases, with a clear focus on special situations. “Upcoming Spinoffs” list tracks definitively announced events, often with links to presentations and filings. “Recent Spinoffs” page compiles completed transactions, including prospectuses and investor decks. Archives investor-relations PDFs from major spinoff companies, such as DuPont or GE Vernova. Publishes RSS feeds that surface SEC prospectus and tender-offer filings for easy monitoring. Simple, free access with a contact form for inquiries; no paid plans or gated features.
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 Charles Schwab and The Zen of Investing both support?

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

Which tool offers a free plan?

The Zen of Investing 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 The Zen of Investing focuses on web or desktop access.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

Charles Schwab differentiates itself with 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., whereas The Zen of Investing stands out for Covers U.S. spinoffs and select international cases, with a clear focus on special situations., “Upcoming Spinoffs” list tracks definitively announced events, often with links to presentations and filings., and “Recent Spinoffs” page compiles completed transactions, including prospectuses and investor decks..

Keep exploring

Stay on top of related tools

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