Volatility & Vision: Liz Ann Sonders on Navigating Markets & Economy

As Chief Investment Strategist at Charles Schwab, Liz Ann has a range of investment strategy responsibilities spanning 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 Liz Ann’s work is via written reports, audio and video recordings, webcasts and social media. She is the cohost of the On Investing podcast and a regular contributor to Schwab’s publications and a keynote speaker at many Schwab client events and external conferences.

In 1999, Liz Ann 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, Liz Ann 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 on Bloomberg TV & Radio, CNBC, CNN, Yahoo! Finance, Fox Business News and the Schwab Network. She was a regular panelist and guest host on PBS’s original Wall $treet Week With Louis Rukeyser and is a frequent guest on Bloomberg Wall Street Week. Liz Ann is a column contributor to the Financial Times; and is regularly quoted in financial publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Barron’s, Financial Times, MarketWatch and Associated Press articles.

Liz Ann has been named to the “Power 30” by SmartMoney; best strategist of the year by Kiplinger; one of the “25 Most Powerful Women in Finance” by American Banker; among the “50 Top Women in Wealth” by AdvisorOne; and one of the “IA 25” by Investment Advisor, their list of the 25 most important people in the financial advisory profession. She has been named to Barron’s Magazine “100 Most Influential Women in Finance” every year since the list’s inception; and recently was named to Forbes’ 50 Over 50.

In 2005, Liz Ann was appointed to and served on the President’s Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform, President Bush’s bi-partisan tax reform commission. In 2008 Liz Ann was honored by the Girl Scouts of New York as an “Exceptional Role Model for Young Women.” From 2007 through 2019 Liz Ann served on the national and CT chapter boards of directors for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. In 2020, she joined the board of trustees of the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club, where she serves as Vice Chair.

Liz Ann received her B.A. in economics and political science from the University of Delaware and has served on its Investment Visiting Committee since 2000. In 2013 Liz Ann 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 M.B.A. in finance from Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business.