Liz Ann Sonders

As Chief Investment Strategist at Charles Schwab, Sonders has a range of investment strategy responsibilities ranging from market and economic analysis to investor education, all focused on the individual investor. She analyzes and interprets the economy and markets on behalf of Schwab’s clients. The output of her work is via written reports, audio and video recordings, conference calls, and webcasts. She is a regular contributor to Schwab’s publications and the keynote speaker at many of the company’s corporate and client events, as well as a keynote speaker at many outside conferences.

In 1999, Sonders joined U.S. Trust—which was acquired by Schwab in 2000—as a Managing Director and member of its Investment Policy Committee. Before U.S. Trust, she was a Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager at Avatar Associates (1986-1999), an original division of the Zweig/Avatar Group. She is a regular guest and guest host on many CNBC programs, as well as on Bloomberg TV & Radio, CNN, Fox Business News, Nightly Business Report, PBS NewsHour, Yahoo! Finance and TheStreet.com. She was a regular panelist and guest host on PBS’s original Wall $treet Week With Louis Rukeyser. Sonders is also regularly quoted in financial publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Barron’s, Financial Times, Market Watch and Associated Press articles.

Sonders has been named one of SmartMoney’s “Power 30,” their list of the most influential people on Wall Street; the best strategist of the year by Kiplinger’s; one of the “25 Most Powerful Women in Finance” by American Banker/US Banker; and one of the “50 Top Women in Wealth” by Wealth Manager/AdvisorOne. Most recently, she was named to the “IA 25” by Investment Advisor for a second time along with Warren Buffet, their list of the 25 most important people in and around the financial advisory profession.

In 2005, Sonders was appointed to and served on the President’s Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform, President Bush’s bi-partisan tax reform commission. From 2007 through 2013, she served on the national board of directors for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America; and now serves on its CT Chapter’s board. In 2008, she was honored by the Girl Scouts of New York as an “Exceptional Role Model for Young Women.”

Sonders received her BA in economics and political science from the University of Delaware, and has served on its Investment Visiting Committee since 2000. In 2013, she was inducted onto the University’s “Alumni Wall of Fame” and gave the Winter Commencement Address in 2014 for which she received an honorary doctorate degree. She received her MBA in finance from Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business.