Seven long months ago I started my journey of opening a Schwab International account from China. As a 32 year old American citizen living in China I felt that Schwab was the best fit for me. After many frustrating months with my local bank here in China I was finally able to send the 'right' documents to Schwab. To be fair, I had no issues with Schwab throughout this period. Their customer service was nothing but great, offering alternatives solutions to the required documents that I couldn't find in China. I feel that I made the right choice and that it was worth the tremendous hassle. Again, this hassle had much more to do with Chinese banks than Schwab's process. In my mind, Schwab was simply doing their due diligence.
When I began this quest I was given the following advice for my initial 25,000 USD investment.
60% SCHB - US Total Market (S&P 500)
30% SCHF - International Market
10% SCHZ - Bonds
Now, as a passive investor I can't imagine this original advice is no longer valid after only seven months. We're in for the long haul obviously, I would have kept up that portfolio balance for the next 40+ years. However, seeing as time has passed and I'm about to set the trend for the rest of my investment life, I would love to hear a second opinion.
Working with the ETF wizard on Schwab's site, I was given the following recommendation for my risk assessment category.
45% - SCHX - US Large Cap
15% - SCHA - US Small Cap
20% - SCHF - International
15% - SCHZ - Bonds
5% - Cash
Specifically, what do you see as a better choice? SCHB vs SCHX
I believe I will go with the original balance of 60% US Large Cap, 30% International and 10% Bonds. Unless someone has an argument against it. Since I am only 32, higher risk makes sense to me.
Thank you all for your input and guidance. I've scoured these forums and others like it over the last year and believed I had a solid plan. But when you're about to pull the trigger I suppose it's natural to have doubts.