How Clients Can Set Up Dual Factor Authentication at Schwab
Asset Protection

How Clients Can Set Up Dual Factor Authentication at Schwab

Michelle Winkles

Michelle Winkles, MBA

5 min read

Financial institutions across the world are seeing an uptick in cybercrime, and Mission Wealth needs your help in protecting your personal technology devices and financial accounts. This article is intended to assist our clients with specific instructions for better protecting their investment accounts with Schwab.

Setting Up Multi-Factor Authentication at Schwab

  1. Navigate to Your Profile Tab (upper right side) – Scroll to “Security Settings”
  2. Change Your Password – We recommend creating a long (15-20 characters) unique random password (i.e. something like this, but not this; 7O1^0y7gI9uusP5%RdP!).
  3. Turn On 2-Step Verification – (this is the Dual Authentication) – we recommend using the “Security Token” and “Always at Login” options.2 Step Verification
    1. You will need to download Symantec VIP on your phone from the App Store. Then follow the instructions on Schwab to link your phone VIP app to their systems. When you log into Schwab next time, it will ask for your Username and Password as usual but then you will be prompted to enter a passcode on the following screen. That passcode number can be found via the VIP app on your phone (click on the VIP icon on your phone for the number to enter with Schwab).

      Symantec VIP
  4. View all the Security Settings as well to see if anything else pertains.
  5. Congrats, you just made yourself a very difficult target for cyber criminals!

We’re Committed To Your Security

Mission Wealth, along with our custodians Fidelity and Schwab, are committed to maintaining the integrity of our clients’ financial wellbeing. We understand that the digital aspect of financial security is increasingly critical. By staying informed and adopting robust cybersecurity practices, together we can navigate the complexities of the digital world, ensuring your wealth is not just managed wisely, but also protected robustly.

Other Resource Articles:

Navigating the 2024 Digital Terrain: Cybersecurity Tips to Protect Your Accounts

Cyber Scammers Continue to Target with Technology Advancements

How to Make Yourself a Difficult Target for Cyber Criminals

How to Reduce Your Cybersecurity Risk

As always, if you have any concerns about your financial security or need personalized advice, our team at Mission Wealth is here to help. Protecting your wealth is our top priority.

Contact us today for a free financial check-up or call (805) 882-2360.

Mission Wealth is a Registered Investment Adviser. This commentary reflects the personal opinions, viewpoints, and analyses of the Mission Wealth employees providing such comments. It should not be regarded as a description of advisory services provided by Mission Wealth or performance returns of any Mission Wealth client. The views reflected in the commentary are subject to change at any time without notice. Nothing in this commentary constitutes investment advice, performance data, or any recommendation that any particular security, portfolio of securities, transaction, or investment strategy is suitable for any specific person. Any mention of a particular security and related performance data is not a recommendation to buy or sell that security. Mission Wealth manages its clients’ accounts using a variety of investment techniques and strategies, which are not necessarily discussed in the commentary. Investments in securities involve the risk of loss. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

MISSION WEALTH IS A REGISTERED INVESTMENT ADVISOR. 00595947 05/24

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Cybercrime targeting financial accounts continues to grow, making multi-factor authentication a critical line of defense. Schwab clients can strengthen account security by enabling 2-step verification with the Symantec VIP app, updating to a long unique password, and reviewing all security settings. These straightforward steps dramatically reduce the risk of unauthorized access to your investment accounts.

Questions about your next steps?

Schedule a complimentary 30-minute discovery call to discuss your unique situation and financial goals.

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Michelle Winkles
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michelle Winkles

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michelle Winkles

Michelle Winkles is an innovative marketing leader with more than 20 years of experience helping organizations grow through strategic marketing, brand development, digital transformation, and AI-forward innovation. As Partner and Chief Marketing Officer at Mission Wealth, she leads the firm’s enterprise marketing strategy, supporting both organic and integration-driven growth while expanding the company’s national reach.

Michelle is known for building modern marketing organizations that combine data-driven insights, emerging technologies, and authentic storytelling to create meaningful client experiences. She has developed a sophisticated marketing technology ecosystem that strengthens brand visibility, improves engagement, and helps transform prospects into long-term client relationships. Today, she is leading Mission Wealth’s AI-forward marketing initiatives, integrating artificial intelligence across content strategy, advisor enablement, digital experiences, and marketing operations to drive scalable growth while keeping the human connection at the center.

Passionate about advancing the marketing profession within wealth management, Michelle is the co-founder of the CMO Collective, the RIA industry’s first peer community dedicated to bringing marketing leaders together to share ideas, challenge one another, and elevate the profession. She also hosts a monthly virtual Marketing Leaders Meetup, where chief marketing officers and senior marketing executives from leading wealth management firms collaborate on emerging trends, best practices, and the future of the industry. In addition, she authors The State of Wealth Management Marketing, a thought leadership series highlighting the evolving strategies, technologies, and conversations shaping the next generation of marketing in the RIA space.

A respected voice in the industry, Michelle is frequently invited to speak at national conferences, participate in executive leadership panels, and join podcasts focused on AI, growth strategy, digital transformation, advisor enablement, and innovation in wealth management.

Michelle’s leadership has earned national recognition. She was named RIA Chief Marketing Officer of the Year at the WealthManagement.com Industry Awards and has been honored by the Pacific Coast Business Times as both a Top Woman in Business and a 40 Under 40 recipient.

She holds a Master of Business Administration degree in Entrepreneurship, Strategic Management, and Nonprofit Social Business from Antioch University, Santa Barbara.

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