New Schwab Portfolios(TM) Leverage Industry-Recognized Schwab Equity Ratings Now Investors Can Easily Access Schwab's Advice via Diversified Portfolios of Stocks or Mutual Funds SAN FRANCISCO, June 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- To meet the growing needs of investors looking for convenient, easy-to-implement investment advice, Charles Schwab, & Co., Inc., has introduced Schwab Portfolios, diversified portfolios of stocks, exchange traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds. Schwab Portfolios are designed for investors who are looking to invest between $10,000 and $200,000 without having to do lengthy research and complex analysis. Stock selection within the portfolios and several of the mutual funds leverages Schwab Equity Ratings(R), the firm's industry-recognized approach to stock selection. Schwab Stock Portfolios "Schwab Stock Portfolios are a breakthrough for investors. Until now it's been time consuming and expensive for people to invest $50,000 directly in well-researched stocks and still obtain the diversification required to help manage risk," said James Burton, senior vice president of advised investing for Charles Schwab. "The new Schwab Stock Portfolio solves these challenges by providing sector diversification, stock selection based on research with a demonstrated track record, and zero trading commissions under a very reasonable fee structure." Schwab Stock Portfolios are made up of 30 stocks -- all with Schwab Equity Ratings of A or B and diversified across all 10 market sectors -- for an investment minimum of as little as $50,000. With help from a Schwab consultant, investors select a portfolio that matches their objectives and comfort with risk. Exchange-traded funds of stocks and bonds may also be recommended to complete the asset allocation. Schwab investment consultants provide ongoing guidance, including an annual portfolio consultation, specific buy and sell recommendations to periodically rebalance the portfolio, and assistance with trades. Investors pay an asset-based fee of 1.25 percent, which includes commissions on all recommended trades executed with a Schwab consultant. The 30 stocks used in the Stock Portfolio are drawn from Schwab's Composite Stock List, which has an impressive track record. On average, for all complete 52-week periods and assuming transaction costs of 1%, the list has returned 31.1% versus the S&P 500 Index(R) performance of 17.6% (as of 3/28/2005). (See below for important disclosure information). Schwab Mutual Fund Portfolios For investors who prefer mutual funds, Schwab Portfolios provide a mix of Schwab Funds that use Schwab Equity Ratings, together with quality third-party funds handpicked by the Schwab Center for Investment Research from Schwab's Select List. The mutual fund portfolios are available on http://www.schwab.com/ with a $25,000 initial investment ($10,000 in a retirement account) and are provided at no additional cost for clients who do not require ongoing support from a Schwab consultant. Clients who would like ongoing guidance in managing their portfolios and have $50,000 to invest will pay an asset-based fee of 0.75 percent for Schwab's Advised Investing service, which includes commissions on recommended trades. "People today have more at stake than ever when it comes to managing their investments," said Burton. "But they also have less time. Schwab Mutual Fund Portfolios provide a simple, top-quality solution for those who seek an easy-to-implement portfolio built to deliver both performance potential and diversification. And for investors who want ongoing support, our optional advised investing service provides ongoing reviews and specific recommendations from a financial professional." About Schwab Equity Ratings Schwab Equity Ratings provides an objective assessment of approximately 3000 U.S. head-quartered equities, more than any other firm. Stocks are assigned grades of A, B, C, D, or F, reflecting performance potential over the next 12 months. Schwab's outlook is that "A"-rated stocks, on average, will strongly outperform, and "F"-rated stocks, on average, will strongly underperform the average stock over the next 12 months. The ratings assess four broad categories: fundamentals, valuation, momentum, and risk. They are updated each week to reflect new financial data and other information. For more information on Schwab Equity Ratings, including performance details, visit http://www.schwab.com/. About Charles Schwab Investment Management Founded in 1991, Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. (CSIM), an affiliate of Charles Schwab & Co. Inc., is one of the nation's largest mutual fund companies with $140 billion under management as of April 30, 2005. It is the country's third-largest money market fund manager and third-largest provider of retail index funds. In addition to managing Schwab proprietary funds, CSIM provides oversight for the institutional-style, sub-advised Laudus Fund family. In total, CSIM currently manages 62 mutual funds, including 21 actively managed. About Charles Schwab The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE / Nasdaq: SCH), through its operating subsidiaries, provides securities brokerage and financial services to individual investors and the independent investment advisors who work with them. With over 7 million individual investor accounts and more than $1 trillion in client assets, The Charles Schwab Corporation is one of the nation's largest financial services firms. Its subsidiary Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (member SIPC) provides a complete range of investment services and products, including an extensive selection of mutual funds; financial planning and investment advice; retirement plans; referrals to independent fee-based investment advisors; and custodial, operational and trading support for independent fee-based investment advisors. Its subsidiary Charles Schwab Bank (member FDIC) provides banking and mortgage services and products. The corporation's other operating subsidiaries include U.S. Trust Corporation (member FDIC) and CyberTrader(R), Inc. (member SIPC) .These companies' Web sites can be reached at http://www.schwab.com/, http://www.schwabbank.com/, http://www.ustrust.com/, and http://www.cybertrader.com/. (0005-8421) Investors should consider carefully information contained in the prospectus, including investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. You can request a prospectus by calling Schwab at 800 435-4000. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing. Investment value will fluctuate, and shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than original cost. The Schwab Center for Investment Research is a division of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc Limitations of Model Performance Schwab's Composite Stock List performance results are simulated model portfolio performance results, which do not represent actual investment performance or trading. The performance is past performance and no indication of future results. Since the trades have not actually been executed, the results do not reflect the impact of certain market factors such as limited trading liquidity. No representation is being made that any investor will or is likely to achieve profits or losses similar to those shown in relying on Schwab Equity Ratings or any stock model or list. The performance of the Schwab Composite Stock List is not an indication of the future performance of investment products using Schwab Equity Ratings. Schwab Composite Stock List: Performance is calculated for each complete 52-week period since the Schwab Composite Stock List was first published on November 18, 2002. Performance results assume that a hypothetical investor would have purchased all stocks on the Composite Stock List in equal value amounts at the market close of the first available trading day on or after the date of publication (typically on Mondays unless there was a holiday), and would then have held those stocks until the market close of the first available trading day on or after the date that is exactly 52 weeks later than the date of first publication. Schwab calculates the simple total return for each stock in the Composite Stock List by dividing the ending price plus dividends paid during the period, if any, by the starting price for the holding period, minus one. The simple total return includes dividends, if any, which are held as non-interest-bearing cash, during the 52-week period. After all of the individual stock returns are calculated, Schwab then averages the simple total returns for all of the stocks held in a Composite Stock List during the 52-week holding period to find the arithmetic average return of the list. Thus, the 52-week performance for each Composite Stock List is calculated as the equal-weighted average return of all of the simple total returns associated with each stock held in each Composite Stock List. Schwab also subtracts 1% of hypothetical transaction costs for each 52-week list's performance. The amount of the actual commissions and other fees an investor would actually pay will vary. If the stock has stopped trading due to acquisition, financial distress, delisting by an exchange, or other similar circumstance, the stock is assumed to be liquidated on the close of its last trading day. Proceeds, if any, are held as non-interest-bearing cash. In instances in which a stock continues to trade but its stock symbol changes during a performance calculation period, the symbol reflected will be the stock's symbol as of the start of the applicable performance calculation period. Any stock splits are accounted for by using the company's split-adjusted prices. DATASOURCE: Charles Schwab CONTACT: Sondra Harris, +1-415-636-3292, or , or Sarah Bulgatz, +1-415-636-4940, or , both of Charles Schwab Web site: http://www.schwab.com/

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