Question

Charles Schwab Corporation is one of the more innovative brokerage and financial service companies in the United States. The company recently provided information about its major business segments as follows (in millions): Investor Advisor Services ServicesRevenues $4,771 $4,597 Income from operations 1,681 1,660 Depreciation 171 154Estimate the contribution margin for each segment, assuming that depreciation represents the majority of fixed costs. Investor Services Advisor Services (in millions) (in millions) Estimated contribution margin $1,681 $1,660 If Schwab decided to sell its Advisor Services business to another company, estimate how much operating income would decline under the following assumptions. Assume the fixed costs that serve the Advisor Services business would not be sold but would be used by the other sector: $1,660 million.Assume the fixed assets were "sold": $ 1,506 million

Answer 1

Answer and Explanation:

a. The estimation of the contribution margin for each segment is shown below:

                                                     (in millions)

Particulars            Investor Advisor             Services Services  

Income from

operations              $1,681                                  $1,660

Add:

Depreciation           $171                                     $154

Contribution

Margin                    $1,852                                  $1,814

2. Now the estimation of decline in operating income is

                                                   (in millions)

Particulars         Combined services          Institutional Services  

Revenues          $9,368                                $4,771

Less:

Variable cost    $5,702                                 $2,919

                    ($2,919 + $2,783)

Contribution

margin               $3,666                                 $1,852

Less:

Fixed cost         -$325                                    -$171

Net income        $3,341                                  $1,681

So according to the above calculations, the net operating income is declined by

= $3,341 - $1,681

= $1,660 million

The variable cost is come from

= Service revenues - income from operations - depreciation expense