Martin Wasmer, founder and CEO, Wasmer, Schroeder & Co.
The latest acquisition by Charles Schwab is Naples, Florida-based RIA Wasmer, Schroeder & Co., which has $10.5 billion in assets under management, the firms said in a joint announcement Monday.
The firms on Tuesday declined to say how much Schwab is paying for the specialist in fixed income separately managed accounts. However, the all-cash purchase is expected to close in mid-2020, subject to customary closing conditions, the companies said.
Wasmer Schroeder's assets will be a "complementary extension of Schwab's fixed income capabilities" and expand its separately managed accounts, which now stand at about $90 billion, helping to meet the income needs of clients, the companies said.
The purchase also provides an opportunity for increased asset flows and the ability to offer clients access to strategies with established track records, helping Schwab "deliver on growing client demand for investment solutions that help retirees draw an income from their wealth," according to the announcement.
Schwab had $4.05 trillion in client assets as of Jan. 31, it said. Its recent M&A transactions included its 2019 deal to buy TD Ameritrade for $26 billion in an all-stock transaction. That planned acquisition is currently being scrutinized by the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice.
Wasmer Schroeder provides a wide lineup of tax-exempt and taxable strategies with "strong risk-adjusted performance track records, and a tenured team of investment professionals with deep fixed income expertise," the firms aid.
"Generating income is one of the greatest financial needs facing the growing number of investors who are in, or preparing for retirement," according to Rick Wurster, executive vice president at Schwab Asset Management Solutions.
