I know what you're thinking, my friends…read more A review of...Charles Schwab? Isn't that for rich people that wear suits every day, drive a BMW 7-series, and are generally severely rude to everyone around them?! No. Not at all. This is my bank. They are mostly an online bank, but they have a physical location in Anchorage if you need to talk to some fleshy homo sapiens. The checking account you apply for is called: "Investor Checking". Don't be scared, you don't have to be an investor or know the difference between a bear and a bull. Just get one. I can unequivocally say this is the BEST option for most everyone as far as checking accounts in Alaska go. And not even Alaska, anyone that is a citizen of the USA. Why? FREE: yes, truly, really, free. Like how 'Merica used to be. 0.10% interest on your checking account: I know, it's not much, but this is as much as you'd get with a SAVINGS account from Wells Fargo (which is pretty much the worst bank in the world for non-millionaires). Fun fact: 0.10% is infinity times more than 0.00%...which is what you'd get with most free checking accounts. NO MINIMUMS: go below $10? Who cares! There are never any fees for going under any arbitrary limit. NO BIZZAREE COMMITMENTS: Checking account is free...as long as you have direct deposit...and use your debit card 17 times...and like us on Facebook...and sign our guestbook on our website...and speak at our daughter's wedding...and....THERE IS NONE OF THIS NONSENSE. You don't have to jump through any hoops to avoid fees, it's free. In the very real sense. Use it however you like, they don't care. FREE CHECKS: Order checks, for free, anytime. TAKE A PICTURE TO DEPOSIT A CHECK: yep, just grab their smartphone app, snap pictures of the front and back of your check, and it's in your account. NO ATM FEES, EVER: At the end of the month, Schwab reimburses you for any and all ATM fees. Whether it's the Wells Fargo downtown or a seedy dockside bar in Thailand, they got you covered. No need to switch the GPS on your phone on, drain your precious battery life, and locate "your bank's" ATM to save $3. No more pain, no more stress, not more worries. Withdrawal with confidence. NO FEES: did I mention there are no fees? THEY ARE NICE: seriously, I LOVE calling them up on the phone when I have an issue. How many of you can say that about your bank? They are always incredibly nice and insightful and sound like they actually LOVE what they do. Shocking. There are a couple of very minor downsides worth mentioning: 1) It's almost impossible to deposit cash. I spoke to the teller at this physical location and he told me it's coming, possibly in 2015, but as of right now the easiest way is to probably buy yourself a money order. So if you're a drug mule, a speaker-out-of-the-back-of-a-van salesmen, or a woman of ill-repute you'll probably want to stick to the crooks at Wells Fargo. They have sprinkled ATM's throughout the 49th state, which makes them much more convenient for scuttling cash before hopping on an international flight or negotiating with a border guard. 2) There will be a hard-pull on your credit report when you apply for the checking account: again, not a huge deal, but worth mentioning. If you are in the final talks of purchasing a home, or you just got 6 credit cards (or are trying to get your 7th), this might not be for you. On Credit Unions: I know what you're thinking "My credit union is the best!". I agree that 99% of credit unions are better than 99% of banks. But this isn't 99% of banks. I encourage you to do your own research and make your own conclusions. I'm a pretty anal analyst, and months of research lead me to Schwab. It is worth mentioning that I DID find a bank on-par with Schwab: Ally Bank. I chose not to go with them because there is a limit to their ATM reimbursements (although it is quite high) and because they do not reimburse for foreign ATM's. I know this might sound like an advertisement, but I swear I'm not getting a Beamer for posting this. Although, Chuck, if you're listening...black is my favorite color.

I love Charles Schwab, Mobile checks deposit quicker than any other place. I used to have Wells…read moreFargo while my husband had Schwab. We would cash checks same time and his was ready to use within minutes, and mine would take about a day to process. Schwab also refunds atm fee withdrawals. I especially love this feature. When out traveling I never have to worry about annoying fees. Must have bank!

Edit: Brian also proceeded to privately respond to this review and attempt to gaslight me about…read morewhat happened. Disgusting. This is exactly why I left the review; to warn others about the lack of respect, lack of paying attention, and continued use of manipulation that is used in capitalism and against women, disabled, and the most vulnerable. I was given Brian's info when I had become disabled and needed to make a plan to survive. Brian did not ever help me at all. He told me he couldn't give me any advice due to not knowing if I would get disability from SSA or not. This takes literally years and I was asking how I could grow my money so it wouldn't all disappear. Brian lied. Then, he told me he thought my living benefits policy was fraudulent without looking at it. He told me he would look over it. He said this multiple times over several months. I sent it to him at least once, if not multiple times. He never responded.

From the owner: Bright Road Wealth Management is your personal financial advocate…read more We are proud to be an independent, fee-only Registered Investment Advisor(RIA). As such, we are happy to say we receive no commissions, revenue sharing, or fee trails from any investment products we recommend. Further, we are legally a fiduciary to all our clients, which requires us to act in your best interest. We believe this is the only way to do business. At Bright Road Wealth we provide: -Client Focused Comprehensive Financial Planning -Experienced Investment Advice -Investment Philosophy Backed by Science -Educated and Credentialed Advisors -Cutting Edge Client Technology