This guide documents the asset classes that are present in at least one of the portfolios that comprise Schwab Intelligent Portfolios and describes the investments that are included in each asset class, the role each plays in a portfolio and when they tend to perform well and poorly.
 

Schwab Intelligent Portfolios is designed with the goal of improving the after-tax, risk-adjusted rate of return for the account holder who chooses to enroll in tax-loss harvesting by offsetting current tax liabilities, leaving money that can be reinvested and potentially grow over time.

Schwab Intelligent Income is a feature available with Schwab Intelligent Portfolios that projects how much you can afford to withdraw from your portfolio each month, generates recurring tax-smart withdrawals, and deposits the money into an account of your choice.

Long-term, strategic asset allocation and diversification is the basis of the Schwab Intelligent Portfolios investment strategy.
 

As part of a paperless, online enrollment process, Schwab Intelligent Portfolios includes an Investor Profile Questionnaire (IPQ) that asks clients a short series of questions to determine whether a more conservative or more aggressive portfolio is appropriate for their situation.
 

The Schwab Intelligent Portfolios Goal Tracker helps you project hypothetical performance for your portfolio and monitor whether your goal is "on target" towards achieving a savings or income goal.
 

A belief that investors should be well diversified within and across asset classes is core to the Schwab Intelligent Portfolios strategy. How to combine these asset classes in a manner that is mindful of various market conditions and strikes the right balance between investment risk and return are key to portfolio construction.

ETFs are selected based on criteria that includes their ability to provide exposure to broad asset classes, low operating expense ratios, efficient trading characteristics, and close tracking to their targeted index.

The Goal Tracker in your Schwab Intelligent Income dashboard projects how your portfolio might perform using a range of outcomes to help you see how close you are to reaching your future goal.
 

The tax-smart withdrawal strategy of Schwab Intelligent Income is designed to overcome some of the drawbacks of conventional wisdom when it comes to retirement income.