There are many factors that go into an investor's decision to hand over their life savings to a wealth management firm. Fair prices. Great customer service. Investing acumen. A deep lineup of funds to choose from. Sound advice. Easy-to-use — and reliable — trading platforms. User-friendly apps.
But the biggest factor is trust. No doubt, markets can be volatile and economic conditions shift. Investors need to know the wealth management company they do business with has their back. And Charles Schwab Corp. earned the highest marks in all three investing categories in IBD's 2025 Most Trusted Financial Companies customer survey.
Charles Schwab, which pioneered the discount brokerage business in 1975 and now manages close to $11 trillion in client assets, earned the No. 1 trust ranking spot among online brokers, wealth management, and Fund/ETF companies.
In addition to sweeping the investment categories in IBD's sixth annual Most Trusted Financial Companies survey, Schwab divisions took three of the top 10 spots in the overall list of the 30 Most Trusted Companies.
Vanguard, the fund company known for its low-fee, index-fund approach to investing, also was among the most-trusted among wealth management firms, ranking No. 2 in both the online broker and wealth management categories and third for mutual fund/ETF companies.
Fidelity Investments, which earned the top trust ranking in the investment categories in 2024, ranked second this year in the fund company category and took third in both the online brokers and wealth management group. Fidelity also scored a hat trick in 2023.
Other companies that ranked among the four most trusted in the investing categories include JPMorgan Funds, part of JPMorgan Chase; E-Trade, part of Morgan Stanley and US Bank, part of US Bancorp.
Stocks To Buy And Watch: Top IPOs, Big And Small Caps, Growth Stocks
The 30 Most Trusted Financial Companies For 2025
Our 2025 list of the 30 Most Trusted Financial Companies draws on a customer survey rating financial companies on the trust attributes most important to consumers.
For IBD's list of the Most Trusted Financial Companies in 2025, we asked more than 5,800 survey participants about how they judged the financial soundness of the financial companies they do business with. Again this year, IBD's Most Trusted special report is co-branded with MarketWatch.
The survey was conducted from May to July by IBD's polling partner, TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence.
There were again eight categories of companies in this year's survey: ETF/Fund companies, online brokers, wealth managers, credit card companies, banks, and life, home and auto insurers.
This year we saw how customer trust in the financial companies they partner with rose in importance. Our survey respondents told us how much they value a company's financial soundness, the quality of products and services it offers, and its commitment to protecting the privacy and security of their personal data.
Overall, USAA earned the No. 1 spot on the list of the 30 Most Trusted, with the highest IBD Trust Index score out of 64 financial firms included in the survey.
Read The Full Most Trusted Financial Companies 2025 Special Report
Charles Schwab Advocates For Individual Investors
Rick Wurster, president and CEO of Schwab, says more than 50 years after the company was established, the company continues to be an advocate for the individual investor, continuing the tradition of founder Charles Schwab.
"His vision to improve access to everyday Americans still drives our mission and purpose," Wurster told IBD.
Wurster says earning the confidence of its investors is important. The firm's goal: make their clients' financial lives better and help them achieve their dreams, he says.
"Trust is everything," said Wurster. "We strive to earn our clients' trust by putting them at the forefront of every decision we make and by treating them the way we would like to be treated. We are here for them when and where they need us."
Clients are not shy about asking Schwab for help. And the customer-focused Schwab picks up the phone fast to provide assistance as well as perspective about what's happening in the market.
4 Most Trusted ETF/Fund Companies
| Company | Overall rating | Soundness | Quality | Privacy | Ethics | Customer service | Prices | Sensitivity to customer needs | Confidence in mgt. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Schwab | 87.6 | 90.8 | 89.6 | 88.9 | 85.8 | 87.2 | 83 | 81.2 | 88 |
| Fidelity Investments | 86.5 | 90.2 | 87.7 | 86.8 | 86 | 85.8 | 82.1 | 82.3 | 85.8 |
| Vanguard | 85.8 | 92.9 | 88.6 | 86.3 | 84.6 | 78.6 | 84.8 | 77.1 | 83.9 |
| JPMorgan Funds | 79.6 | 83.8 | 84 | 84.3 | 76.9 | 76.3 | 67.1 | 75.8 | 78.3 |
Answering The Call For Wealth Management Support
Schwab has answered more than 16.4 million calls this year through July. On average, clients got through to a Schwab representative in 28 seconds, the company said. Its web and mobile platforms get heavy use, too. Schwab said they had more than half a billion digital logins in both the first and second quarter of 2025.
In the online broker category, Schwab ranks first in the quality of its offerings, which include charting and analysis tools that offer real-time insights. New features include being able to visualize an open stock or equity option position when viewing a chart and being able to view analyst reports and ratings on positions on Thinkorswim mobile.
Schwab's trading platforms — which include its award-winning Thinkorswim platform for active traders — manage heavy traffic every day. Schwab executed 7.4 million trades a day, on average, in the first seven months of the year, a 30% year-over-year increase.
In IBD's 2025 Most Trusted Companies survey, Schwab customers ranked the company No. 1 for customer service in the fund company and wealth management categories, as well as tops in the quality of products and services attribute in both the fund company and online brokers categories. Schwab also earned top marks for its commitment to protecting its customers' privacy and security of personal data.
4 Most Trusted Online Brokers
| Company | Overall rating | Soundness | Quality | Privacy | Ethics | Customer service | Prices | Sensitivity to customer needs | Confidence in mgt. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Schwab | 85.7 | 89.8 | 86.7 | 88 | 84.5 | 83.7 | 83.4 | 76.9 | 84.3 |
| Vanguard Brokerage | 85 | 91.1 | 84.9 | 87.6 | 84.9 | 79.9 | 83.8 | 77.6 | 81.1 |
| Fidelity | 84.5 | 89.3 | 85.2 | 84.9 | 83.1 | 83.8 | 80.8 | 80 | 82.2 |
| E-Trade | 75.4 | 83.3 | 73.5 | 77.6 | 71.8 | 71.8 | 75.1 | 70.4 | 72.7 |
What Schwab Customers Say
James Bowman III, 72, a health care policy manager from Burlington, N.C., who has been buying and selling stocks and ETFs on Schwab's no-fee trading platform for the past decade, explains why he trusts Schwab with his money.
"Long term reputation," Bowman told IBD via email. "The investment philosophy of founder Mr. Charles Schwab, which empowers investors with information, education, and resources to make their own investment decisions."
Bowman says Schwab's online educational resources and learning tools helped him to understand how the stock market works and analyze company financial reports.
"I use that information to select quality stocks to purchase for the best financial returns," said Bowman.
Schwab places great emphasis on educating and supporting its clients to make them better and more informed investors. Each week, the company produces hours of training, market insights, and coaching, says Wurster.
What's the best advice Bowman has gotten from Schwab? "Do your homework," he said. "Know and understand the companies (and funds you invest in), focus on the financials, and buy low and sell high."
Read Our Business Category Stories On The 2025 Most Trusted Financial Companies In Insurance, Credit Cards And Banking.
4 Most Trusted Wealth Managers
| Company | Overall rating | Soundness | Quality | Privacy | Ethics | Customer service | Prices | Sensitivity to customer needs | Confidence in mgt. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schwab Wealth Advisory | 85.5 | 89.8 | 86.7 | 89.4 | 82 | 85.4 | 81 | 80.3 | 80.8 |
| Vanguard | 84.4 | 90.2 | 88.4 | 86.1 | 82.7 | 79.8 | 81.6 | 73.5 | 81.4 |
| Fidelity Wealth Management | 83.5 | 87 | 85.5 | 86.9 | 84.1 | 82.1 | 75.2 | 76.8 | 81 |
| U.S. Bank | 78.3 | 78.8 | 78.9 | 79.5 | 74.7 | 83.6 | 72.3 | 76.4 | 79.5 |
Charles Schwab Meeting Investor Needs For Wealth Management
Last year, Schwab CEO Wurster said, he visited 60 Schwab branches and met with hundreds of financial advisors to get direct feedback from clients and their advisors.
One area Schwab beefed up based on investor input was overnight trading. It increased the number of assets that clients can trade outside of regular trading hours. Schwab offers clients, whether U.S.-based or international, access to trading anytime, especially if headlines are moving markets.
In the second quarter, Schwab saw some of the highest overnight trading volumes ever — driven by tariff policy announcements by President Donald Trump and escalating tensions in the Middle East.
"There's a bull market in convenience in our country, and we're continuing to make investments to make it easier for clients to do business at Schwab," said Wurster.
To build trust, Schwab also keeps its investors apprised of the company's financial health. It recently apprised clients of the 2025 Federal Reserve stress test results, which demonstrated Schwab's strong capital position.
And its innovation in investment options, such as enabling customers to invest in fractional shares and investment themes, has helped attract younger investors, says Wurster. One in six new Schwab retail household clients is under 24 years old. More than 30% of new clients are under 30.
Schwab continues to invest in its clients. Wurster says Schwab plans to open more than 10 retail branches and hire hundreds of financial advisors to provide guidance to customers.
The company is also investing in AI to boost customer service. "We have 40 AI use cases in various stages of development and use," said Wurster.
Vanguard Focuses On Value, Low-Cost Options
Vanguard, the runner-up in the wealth management and online broker categories, says it earns trust from its clients by offering low-cost investment options, educating investors about the benefits of broad diversification in passive index funds, and providing advice that boosts client confidence.
When it comes to cost, customers rate Vanguard's fund offerings and online brokerage No. 1. Expense ratio reductions could save investors more than $350 million this year alone, the company said. Vanguard also ranks first for financial soundness in all three investment categories.
Investors also give Vanguard's wealth management offerings high marks. The company earned the top rankings in that category for attributes. They include financial soundness, quality of advice offerings, fair prices and fees, and confidence in management.
Greg Davis, president and chief investment officer at Vanguard, says the company is committed to driving down costs. The reason? "So investors can keep more of the returns they earn," said Davis. He says Vanguard has reduced expense ratios over 2,000 times throughout the firm's 50-year history.
With a broad level of diversification in mind, Vanguard now views private assets as a growing part of the investment universe for investors with the right mix of risk tolerance, time horizon, liquidity, and access to skilled managers. "We see an opportunity to extend (Vanguard's high-quality and low-cost commitment) to private markets," said Davis.
Joanna Rotenberg, Vanguard's managing director of advice and wealth management, views the company's advice offerings as a way to build investor confidence. Good advice, she says, gives clients peace of mind that they're making the right financial decisions.
"Advice is one of the powerful ways to build trust with clients," Rotenberg said. "Advice can help people make smarter decisions, improve after-tax returns, reduce stress, and cut through complexity."
Fidelity's Approach To Wealth Management
"Every product and service we build — from integrated retirement and health care services to digital tools and new investment solutions — is rooted in listening to our customers and anticipating their evolving needs," Abigail Johnson, Fidelity's chair and CEO, said in the company's second-quarter business update issued last month.
Fidelity also said it has introduced custom model portfolios with alternatives for wealth management firms, giving eligible client firms access to models that offer exposure to private markets. Fidelity's assets under administration grew 16% year over year, to $16.4 trillion in the second quarter.
Connecting with customers is still rising at Fidelity, driven by digitization. In the second quarter, 28.1 million customers engaged with Fidelity digitally, up 10% from a year ago, the company says. Social media interactions were up 11% from last year to 1.3 million.
Schwab, Fidelity and Vanguard are among the perennial favorites among the wealth management categories in the survey. Fidelity topped the categories in 2024 and also scored a hat trick in 2023.
The Most Trusted Financial Companies logo and accolades are available for licensing through Investor's Business Daily's partner, The YGS Group, by email at IBDlicensing@theygsgroup.com or at 800-290-5460.
IBD's special reports are objective and data-based. This independent special report is produced by the IBD editorial team. There is no sponsored content, nor are there any commission links. A company cannot apply to get on this list, and there are no fees.
