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October 31, 2014 at 12:56 PM
The first question from the audience at the Pershing Discover conference for broker-dealers on Oct. 27, and the first question from the analysts during TD Ameritrade’s FY 2014 earnings call on Oct. 28 were about the same topic: Charles Schwab’s Monday announcement of Schwab Intelligent Portfolios, its “robo-advisor” offering for end clients and advisors.
That reaction speaks volumes about the heft that Schwab wields in the advisor space far beyond its digital advice plan offerings. Schwab’s annual Impact conference for RIAs who custody with the San Francico-based firm holds the same importance for advisors and the industry, reflected in the conference’s size and in the speakers who pepper the agenda each year, such as Ben Bernanke and George W. Bush, who headline Impact 2014.
The 24th annual Impact conference will be held in Denver at the Colorado Convention Center from Nov. 4 through Nov. 7. The company expects some 1,700 advisors, 300 exhibitors and 250 Schwab employees to attend the conference.
While the conference formally begins with opening remarks on Wednesday, Nov. 5 from Schwab Advisor Services’ head Bernie Clark and Charles Schwab CEO Walt Bettinger, for many attendees the preconference session on Tuesday afternoon constitutes a must-attend. On the same day that the nation goes to the polls in a midterm election that the polls suggest will mark a big shift in the DC power equation, Schwab’s chief investment strategist, Liz Ann Sonders, and Potomac Research’s chief political strategist, Greg Valliere, will provide their insights into the states of the financial markets and politics. Valliere, a fixture at previous Impacts, will no doubt speak of not only how the midterms will play out, but also who the candidates—and what the major issues—will be for the 2016 presidential race.
