Schwab Intelligent Portfolios Premium Is Ending — Here’s What To Do Next
January 16, 2026 - If you’re a Schwab Intelligent Portfolios Premium client, you may have heard the update: Schwab is discontinuing Intelligent Portfolios Premium in the first quarter of 2026. The service is already closed to new enrollments.
That naturally leads to one question: What should you do next?
Here are three potential options:
Do nothing (for now)
Move to another robo-advisor or digital advice platform
Get a second opinion from a specialist and decide from there
Let’s walk through each.
What Exactly Is Ending?
Schwab is not shutting down Schwab Intelligent Portfolios entirely. The standard robo-advisor service remains available.
What’s ending is the Premium tier—the version that combined automated investing with access to a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) professional and planning deliverables.
Premium pricing was straightforward: a $300 one-time planning fee plus $30 per month (billed quarterly).
Option 1: Do Nothing
This can be reasonable if:
Your situation is stable
You are comfortable with your current setup and DIY investing
You are not in the middle of major decisions (retirement timing, business sale, inheritance, divorce, etc.)
Option 2: Move to Another Robo-Advisor
(And Why That May Be Appropriate)
For many households, a robo-advisor is a useful tool. These platforms typically do a solid job with:
Diversified portfolios
Automatic rebalancing
Removing emotion from day-to-day investing
Basic goal projections
A few commonly compared alternatives include:
Vanguard Digital Advisor
Fidelity Go
Wealthfront
Betterment (including tiers that offer access to CFP® professionals)
A Useful Parallel: First Pass vs. Specialist
Digital tools—including robo-advisors, calculators, and even AI—can be helpful starting points. They can help you organize the basics, understand the landscape, and identify the right questions.
But when a situation becomes more complex, it may be worth consulting a specialist.
That’s true in healthcare, and it’s true in financial planning. Nuance matters when decisions interact, trade-offs become meaningful, and the cost of a missed detail increases.
In other words:
Simple situations often fit standardized solutions
Complex situations may benefit from experienced, personalized guidance
Option 3: Get a Second Opinion
A second opinion may be worth considering if any of the following apply:
You are within ~10 years of retirement (or already retired)
Your tax situation feels complex
You have multiple account types (taxable, retirement, trust, business)
You have a concentrated position, stock compensation, or significant real estate
You’ve experienced a major life change (inheritance, divorce, sale of a business, loss of a spouse)
You want confidence that your planning is coordinated—not just “a portfolio plus projections”
This is where some digital-first setups can be limited—not because the investments are necessarily “wrong,” but because the highest-impact decisions are often outside the portfolio itself:
Tax coordination across account types
Retirement income sequencing and withdrawal strategy
Charitable planning and required minimum distributions
Estate plan coordination
Cash flow planning and risk management
A portfolio is important. Coordination can be more important.
If Your Schwab Premium Is Ending, Here’s Our Offer
If you’re transitioning out of Schwab Intelligent Portfolios Premium and want clarity, we may be able to help evaluate:
Whether the planning assumptions still reflect reality
Whether the portfolio aligns with your taxes and cash needs
Whether there are planning gaps worth addressing now
The goal is simple: a clear view of where you stand—and what to do next.
-
Information presented is for educational purposes only and is not personalized investment, financial, legal, tax, or accounting advice. Nothing on this website should be interpreted to state or imply that past performance is an indication of future performance. All investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated are not guaranteed. Be sure to consult with tax, legal, accounting, and financial professionals about your specific situation before implementing any planning strategies. Investment Advisory Services offered through Timberchase Financial, LLC, a Registered Investment Adviser with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training.