Schwab Network · Oct 29, 2026
With Rick Wurster, President and CEO of Charles Schwab
Image: Charles Schwab Corp.
Speaking at Schwab IMPACT 2026 in Boston — a record 3,600 advisors among roughly 6,000 attendees — Rick Wurster laid out a survey finding he calls more interesting than contradictory.
"More than 75% of clients... use AI in some way in their financial life, but more than 90% want to work with a person as well." — Rick Wurster
Rick doesn't read that as clients hedging their bets on technology. He reads it as the two things doing different jobs — one supplying information, the other supplying the confidence to act on it.
The full interview is covered here so you can skip it.
Here are the 3 takeaways that matter.
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Key Takeaways
More than 75% of clients use AI in their financial life, but more than 90% still want a human advisor
Schwab's AI assistant Charlie is becoming "a primary way" retail investors engage, Rick says
The volume of blocked unauthorized AI agents has been "very limited," which Rick reads as a trust signal, not a gap
More than 17,000 RIAs use Schwab, more than any competing custodian, built on 40 years of commitment to the channel
Schwab sees 10.8 million trades a day across its client base
Schwab's strategy for the next 12-18 months is an "all-weather business model," not a directional bet
1. People Plus Technology
Rick's central claim is that AI adoption and advisor demand are rising together, not trading off against each other.
AI supplies information; the advisor supplies the confidence to act on it
"I think the winning solution... is a combination of people and technology." — Rick Wurster
"AI gives you information... but our people and the advisors here give you the confidence to make the decision." — Rick Wurster
Schwab's own AI assistant, Charlie, is central to that bet, and Rick expects it to become the primary front door for retail clients even as they still come to a human to pull the trigger.
"It will become a primary way that our retail investors engage with us... you come talk to Charlie when you want to take action." — Rick Wurster, on Schwab's AI assistant
