What’s All the Fuss About Direct Indexing? You may have heard about direct indexing recently. It isn’t new, but it may feel that way given all the attention and interest it is generating these days. The elimination of trading commissions has been a major factor in making direct indexing significantly more accessible. A strategy that was once relevant only to very wealthy investors is now something that almost any investor can consider. But is it right for you? To help answer that, I put together a primer covering some of the basics – what direct indexing is and how it works, the primary benefits it is designed to offer, and some things to consider if you’re curious about learning more. What is direct indexing? It’s pretty simple, really. Direct indexing – which we call “personalized indexing” at Schwab – means you own the stocks (or a subset of stocks) that make up an index directly. This differs from traditional index mutual fund and ETF investing where you own shares in the fund (alongside many other shareholders), but it’s the fund that owns the stocks.