Franopolis
    vs

    Franchise opportunities compared

    Agency Owner vs Charles Schwab

    Reviewed figures from each brand's Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), side by side. Each figure carries its FDD year and page. This is not a ranking or recommendation, and the two FDDs may cover different years and location groups.

    Agency Owner2025 FDDCharles Schwab2026 FDD

    Initial investment · Item 7

    Agency Owner

    $23,325

    2025 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 17

    Charles Schwab

    $103,605

    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 43

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    Agency Owner

    $35,000

    2025 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 10

    Charles Schwab

    Not available

    Royalty · Item 6

    Agency Owner

    Not available

    Charles Schwab

    Not available

    Before you compare

    • Agency Owner figures come from its 2025 FDD and Charles Schwab figures from its 2026 FDD, so the years differ.
    • Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (Agency Owner: 30, Charles Schwab: 48). Different groups are not directly comparable.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    Agency Owner

    $23,325
    Total Estimated Initial Investment: 23325 to 136900
    2025 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 17

    Charles Schwab

    $103,605
    (See Notes 3 & 13) $1,200 to $2,400 Paid by you directly As incurred Third party vendors TOTAL* — 103605
    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 43
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    Agency Owner

    $35,000
    2025 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 10

    Charles Schwab

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified
    Royalty (Item 6)

    Agency Owner

    Not available
    No reviewed royalty record

    Charles Schwab

    Not available
    No reviewed royalty record
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

    Agency Owner

    3%
    Advertising cooperative contribution cap — 3%
    2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 16

    Charles Schwab

    Not available
    No reviewed brand or advertising fund fee

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    Agency Owner

    341
    Outlets at end of 2024
    2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 52

    Charles Schwab

    382
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 96
    Net outlet change (Item 20)

    Agency Owner

    +54
    Calculated: 287 at end of 2022 → 341 at end of 2024

    Charles Schwab

    +2
    Calculated: 380 at end of 2023 → 382 at end of 2025
    Outlet exits (Item 20)

    Agency Owner

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    Charles Schwab

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year
    Franchising since (Item 1)

    Agency Owner

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Charles Schwab

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records
    Franchisor founded (Item 1)

    Agency Owner

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Charles Schwab

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

    Agency Owner
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Included Brightway Locations with 1 Producer in 2024
    $1,221,537
    other High gross commission revenue
    2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 48
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Included Brightway Locations with 2 Producers in 2024
    $244,388
    other Revenue gross commission revenue
    2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 48
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Included Brightway Locations with Fully-staffed (3+ Producers) in 2024
    $906,320
    other Revenue gross commission revenue
    2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 48
    +27 more groups in the full report
    Charles Schwab
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Table6c franchised branches; all eligible branches
    91 branches
    other Table6c 2024
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 95
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Table4a franchised branches; all eligible branches
    $44
    other Table4a 12months
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 90
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Table4c franchised branches; all eligible branches
    $188
    other Table4c 2021
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 91
    +45 more groups in the full report

    Item 19 groups are shown separately and never combined. Revenue or sales figures are not profit. Net outlet change and turnover are Franopolis calculations from the disclosed counts; turnover is a count-based rate, not a measure of owner earnings.

    Agency Owner vs Charles Schwab: common questions

    Which costs less to open, Agency Owner or Charles Schwab?
    Agency Owner: $23,325 (2025 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 17); Charles Schwab: $103,605 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 43). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for Agency Owner. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
    Which has more locations, Agency Owner or Charles Schwab?
    Agency Owner: 341 (2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 52); Charles Schwab: 382 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 96). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.
    Do Agency Owner and Charles Schwab disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    Agency Owner has reviewed Item 19 figures for 30 location groups; Charles Schwab has reviewed Item 19 figures for 48 location groups. Different location groups are not directly comparable, and revenue is not profit.

    Answers restate the reviewed figures above. Not a ranking or recommendation.

    How Franopolis reviews FDD figures

    Keep researching

    Full Agency Owner report

    Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure

    Full Charles Schwab report

    Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure

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    Plain-language meaning of each Item