Regulatory Requirements (Net Capital and Net Capital Requirements for Schwab and optionsXpress, Inc) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Schwab [Member]
Compliance with Regulatory Capital Requirements for Broker Dealers [Line Items]
Net Capital	$ 1,746,000	$ 1,550,000
Minimum Net Capital Required	250	250
2% of Aggregate Debit Balances	358,000	324,000
Net Capital in Excess of Required Net Capital	1,388,000	1,226,000
OptionsXpress, Inc. [Member]
Compliance with Regulatory Capital Requirements for Broker Dealers [Line Items]
Net Capital	244,000	123,000
Minimum Net Capital Required	1,000	1,000
2% of Aggregate Debit Balances	7,000	6,000
Net Capital in Excess of Required Net Capital	$ 237,000	$ 117,000