_{Summary Prospectus August 18, 2016}

Schwab Target 2040 Index Fund

 

Ticker Symbols: Investor Shares: SWXGX Institutional Shares: SWYGX

Before you invest, you may want to review the fund’s prospectus, which contains more information about the fund and its risks. You can find the fund’s prospectus, Statement of Additional Information (SAI) and other information about the fund online at www.csimfunds.com/schwabfunds_prospectus. You can also obtain this information at no cost by calling 1-866-414-6349 or by sending an email request to orders@mysummaryprospectus.com. If you purchase or hold fund shares through a financial intermediary, the fund’s prospectus, SAI, and other information about the fund are available from your financial intermediary.

The fund’s prospectus and SAI, both dated August 18, 2016, include a more detailed discussion of fund investment policies and the risks associated with various fund investments. The prospectus and SAI are incorporated by reference into the summary prospectus, making them legally a part of the summary prospectus.

Investment objective

The fund seeks to provide capital appreciation and income consistent with its current asset allocation.

Fund fees and expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund.

Shareholder fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
	Investor	Institutional
Redemption fee (as a % of the amount sold or exchanged within 30 days of purchase)	None	None
Annual fund operating expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)
Management fees	0.08	0.08
Distribution (12b-1) fees	None	None
Other expenses (including shareholder servicing fees)1	0.05	None
Acquired fund fees and expenses (AFFE)2	0.05	0.05
Total annual fund operating expenses	0.18	0.13
Less expense reduction	(0.05)	(0.05)
Total annual fund operating expenses after expense reduction3	0.13	0.08

1	“Other expenses” are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal period.
2	“Acquired fund fees and expenses (AFFE)” are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal period.
3	The investment adviser and its affiliates have agreed to limit the total annual fund operating expenses (including AFFE, but excluding interest, taxes and certain non-routine expenses) of the fund to 0.13% for Investor Shares and 0.08% for Institutional Shares for so long as the investment adviser serves as the adviser to the fund. This agreement may only be amended or terminated with the approval of the fund’s Board of Trustees.

Example

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those time periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund's operating expenses remain the same. The figures are based on total annual fund operating expenses (including AFFE) after expense reduction. The expenses would be the same whether you stayed in the fund or sold

your shares at the end of each period. Your actual costs may be higher or lower.

Expenses on a $10,000 investment

	1 year	3 years
Investor Shares	$13	$42
Institutional Shares	$ 8	$26

Portfolio turnover

The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund's performance. The fund is new and therefore does not have a historical portfolio turnover rate.

Principal investment strategies

The fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in affiliated Schwab exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The fund may also invest in affiliated Schwab and Laudus mutual funds and unaffiliated third party ETFs and mutual funds (all such ETFs and mutual funds referred to herein as the “underlying funds”). The fund has a policy to invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in underlying funds that are managed to seek investment returns that track particular market indices. The fund will provide shareholders with at least 60 days' prior written notice of any change in this investment policy. The fund invests in the underlying funds in accordance with its target portfolio allocation. These underlying funds invest their assets directly in equity, fixed income, cash and cash equivalents (including money market funds) in accordance with their own investment objectives and policies. The fund is managed based on the specific retirement date (target date) included in its name and assumes a retirement age of 65. The target date refers to the approximate year an investor in the fund would plan to retire and likely would stop making new investments in the fund. The fund is designed for an investor who anticipates retiring at or about the target date and plans to withdraw the value of the investor’s account in the fund gradually after retirement. As described below, the adviser will continue to modify the fund’s target asset allocation for 20 years beyond the target date.

The fund’s target asset allocation will be adjusted annually based on the adviser’s asset allocation strategy; however, the adviser reserves the right to modify the fund’s target asset allocations from time to time should circumstances warrant a change. In general, the fund’s

 

 

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allocation to equity securities will decrease and its allocation to fixed income securities will increase as the fund approaches its target date. The fund’s asset allocation at inception is anticipated to be approximately 85.4% equity securities, 13.1% fixed income securities, and 1.5% cash and cash equivalents (including money market funds). At the stated target date, the fund’s allocation will be approximately 40.0% equity securities, 53.5% fixed income securities, and 6.5% cash and cash equivalents (including money market funds). The fund will continue to reduce its allocation to equity securities for 20 years beyond the fund’s stated target date. At such time, the fund’s asset allocation will remain fixed at approximately 25.0% equity securities, 65.6% fixed income securities, and 9.4% cash and cash equivalents (including money market funds).

In addition to the strategic annual adjustment of the fund’s target asset allocation, the adviser may adjust the fund’s underlying fund allocations within a particular asset class based on the following considerations, including, but not limited to, market trends, its outlook for a given market capitalization, and the underlying funds’ performance in various market conditions. Accordingly, the fund’s allocation to a particular underlying fund may increase or decrease throughout the year. Within the equity asset class, the fund will have exposure to one or more “style classes”. For example, the style classes include domestic large-cap equity, domestic small-cap equity, and international equity. The adviser may adjust the fund’s allocation to a particular style class based on the following considerations: market trends, its outlook for a given style class, and the style classes’ performance in various market conditions. Accordingly, the fund’s allocation to a particular style class within the equity asset class may increase or decrease throughout the year.

The fund intends to invest in a combination of underlying funds; however, the fund may invest directly in equity and fixed income securities and money market securities. For temporary defensive purposes during unusual economic or market conditions or for liquidity purposes, the fund may invest up to 100% of its assets directly in cash, money market instruments, repurchase agreements and other short-term obligations. When the fund engages in such activities, it may not achieve its investment objective.

Principal risks

The fund is subject to risks, any of which could cause an investor to lose money. The fund's principal risks include:

Asset Allocation Risk. The fund is subject to asset allocation risk, which is the risk that the selection of the underlying funds and the allocation of the fund’s assets among the various asset classes and market segments will cause the fund to underperform other funds with a similar investment objective.

Conflicts of Interest Risk. The investment adviser’s authority to select and substitute underlying funds from a variety of affiliated and unaffiliated ETFs and mutual funds may create a conflict of interest because the fees paid to it by some underlying funds are higher than the fees paid by other underlying funds. The investment adviser also may have an incentive to select an affiliated underlying fund for other reasons, including to increase assets under management or to support new investment strategies. In addition, other conflicts of interest may exist where the best interests of the affiliated underlying fund may not be aligned with those of the fund or vice versa. However, the investment adviser is a fiduciary to the fund and is legally obligated to act in the fund’s best interests when selecting underlying funds.

Market Risk. Stock and bond markets rise and fall daily. As with any investment whose performance is tied to these markets, the value of your investment in the fund will fluctuate, which means that you could lose money.

ETF Risk. When the fund invests in an ETF, it will bear a proportionate share of the ETF’s expenses. In addition, lack of liquidity in the market for an ETF’s shares can result in its value being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities. Although ETFs are listed on national securities exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such ETF shares will develop or be maintained. If an active market is not maintained, the fund may experience difficulty in buying or selling ETF shares. In addition, the market price of ETF shares may deviate, sometimes significantly, from net asset value, particularly during periods of market volatility. Certain ETFs that seek to track the performance of their benchmark indices may not fully replicate their index and may hold securities not included in the index, which may not produce the intended results.

Direct Investment Risk. The fund may invest a portion of its assets directly in equity and fixed income securities, ETFs, and cash equivalents, including money market securities. The fund’s direct investment in these securities is subject to the same or similar risks as an underlying fund’s investment in the same security.

Underlying Fund Investment Risk. The value of your investment in the fund is based primarily on the prices of the underlying funds that the fund purchases. In turn, the price of each underlying fund is based on the value of its securities. The fund is subject to the performance and expenses of the underlying funds in which it invests. Before investing in the fund, investors should assess the risks associated with the underlying funds in which the fund may invest and the types of investments made by those underlying funds. These risks include any combination of the risks described below, although the fund’s exposure to a particular risk will be proportionate to the fund’s overall asset allocation and underlying fund allocation.

•Investment Risk. The fund may experience losses with respect to its investment in an underlying fund. Further, there is no guarantee that an underlying fund will be able to achieve its objective.

•Fixed Income Risk. Interest rates rise and fall over time, which will affect an underlying fund’s yield and share price. Because interest rates in the United States and other countries are at, or near, historically low levels, a change in a central bank's monetary policy or improving economic conditions, among other things, may result in an increase in interest rates.  A rise in interest rates could cause an underlying fund's share price to fall. The credit quality of a portfolio investment could also cause an underlying fund’s share price to fall. An underlying fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a portfolio investment or the counterparty to a derivatives contract fails to make timely principal or interest payments or otherwise honor its obligations. Fixed income securities may be paid off earlier or later than expected. Either situation could cause an underlying fund to hold securities paying lower-than-market rates of interest, which could hurt the fund’s yield or share price. Below investment-grade bonds (junk bonds) involve greater credit risk, are more volatile, involve greater risk of price declines and may be more susceptible to economic downturns than investment-grade securities.

•Equity Risk. The prices of equity securities rise and fall daily. These price movements may result from factors affecting individual companies, industries or the securities market as a whole. In addition, equity markets tend to move in cycles, which may cause stock prices to fall over short or extended periods of time.

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•Large-, Mid- and Small-Cap Risk. Stocks of different market capitalizations tend to go in and out of favor based on market and economic conditions. Historically, small- and mid-cap stocks tend to be more volatile than large-cap stocks, and small-cap stocks have been riskier than large- and mid-cap stocks. During a period when stocks of a particular market capitalization fall behind other types of investments — bonds or stocks of another capitalization range, for instance — an underlying fund’s large-, mid- or small-cap holdings could reduce performance.

•Money Market Fund Risk. The fund may invest in underlying money market funds that either seek to maintain a stable $1 net asset value (“stable share price money market funds”) or that have a share price that fluctuates (“variable share price money market funds”). Although an underlying stable share price money market fund seeks to maintain a stable $1 net asset value, it is possible to lose money by investing in such a money market fund. Because the share price of an underlying variable share price money market fund will fluctuate, when the fund sells the shares it owns they may be worth more or less than what the fund originally paid for them. In addition, neither type of money market fund is designed to offer capital appreciation. Effective October 14, 2016, certain underlying money market funds may impose a fee upon the sale of shares or may temporarily suspend the ability to sell shares if such fund’s liquidity falls below required minimums.

•Foreign Investment Risk. An underlying fund’s investments in securities of foreign issuers may involve certain risks that are greater than those associated with investments in securities of U.S. issuers. These include risks of adverse changes in foreign economic, political, regulatory and other conditions; changes in currency exchange rates or exchange control regulations (including limitations on currency movements and exchanges); the imposition of economic sanctions or other government restrictions; differing accounting, auditing, financial reporting and legal standards and practices; differing securities market structures; and higher transaction costs. These risks may negatively impact the value or liquidity of the underlying fund's investments, and could impair the underlying fund's ability to meet its investment objective or invest in accordance with its investment strategy.

•Emerging Markets Risk. Emerging market countries may be more likely to experience political turmoil or rapid changes in market or economic conditions than more developed countries. Emerging market countries often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements and greater risk associated with the custody of securities. In addition, the financial stability of issuers (including governments) in emerging market countries may be more precarious than in other countries. As a result, there will tend to be an increased risk of price volatility associated with the fund’s investments in emerging market countries and, at times, it may be difficult to value such investments.

•Derivatives Risk. An underlying fund’s use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. An underlying fund's use of derivatives could reduce the underlying fund's performance, increase volatility, and could cause the underlying fund to lose more than the initial amount invested. In addition, investments in derivatives may involve leverage, which means a small percentage of assets invested in derivatives can have a disproportionately large impact on an underlying fund. However, these risks are less severe when the underlying fund

uses derivatives for hedging rather than to enhance the underlying fund’s returns or as a substitute for a position or security.

•Leverage Risk. Certain underlying fund transactions, such as derivatives, short sales, reverse repurchase agreements, and mortgage dollar rolls, may give rise to a form of leverage and may expose an underlying fund to greater risk. Leverage tends to magnify the effect of any decrease or increase in the value of an underlying fund’s portfolio securities, which means even a small amount of leverage can have a disproportionately large impact on the underlying fund.

•Liquidity Risk. An underlying fund may be unable to sell certain securities, such as illiquid securities, readily at a favorable time or price, or an underlying fund may have to sell them at a loss.

•Portfolio Turnover Risk. Certain of the underlying funds may buy and sell portfolio securities actively. If they do, their portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs will rise, which may lower the underlying fund’s performance and may increase the likelihood of capital gain distributions.

You may experience losses in the fund, including losses before, at, or after the target date. There is no guarantee that the fund will be able to achieve its objective or provide adequate income at and through your retirement.

For more information on the risks of investing in the fund and the underlying funds please see the “Fund details” section in the prospectus.

Performance

Because the fund is new, no performance figures are given. This information will appear in a future version of the fund’s prospectus. Once available, the fund’s performance will be posted on the fund’s website at www.csimfunds.com/schwabfunds_prospectus.

Investment adviser

Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc.

Portfolio manager

Zifan Tang, Ph.D., CFA, Managing Director and Head of Asset Allocation Strategies, is responsible for the day-to-day management of the fund. She has managed the fund since its inception.

Purchase and sale of fund shares

The fund is open for business each day that the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open. If the NYSE is closed due to weather or other extenuating circumstances on a day it would typically be open for business, or the NYSE has an unscheduled early closing on a day it has opened for business, the fund reserves the right to treat such day as a business day and accept purchase and redemption orders and calculate its share price as of the normally scheduled close of regular trading on the NYSE for that day. When you place orders to purchase, exchange or redeem fund shares through an account at Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (Schwab) or another financial intermediary, you must follow Schwab’s or the other financial intermediary’s transaction procedures.

Eligible Investors (as determined by the fund and which generally are limited to institutional investors) may invest directly in the fund by placing purchase, exchange and redemption orders through the fund's transfer agent. Eligible Investors must contact the transfer agent by phone or in writing to obtain an account application. Eligible Investors may contact the transfer agent:

•by telephone at 1-800-407-0256; or

•by mail to Boston Financial Data Services, Attn: Schwab Funds, P.O. Box 8283, Boston, MA 02266-8323.

The minimum initial investment for the fund is $100 for Investor Shares and $10,000,000 for Institutional Shares. There is no

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Schwab Target 2040 Index Fund; Ticker Symbol:    Investor Shares: SWXGX      Institutional Shares: SWYGX         

minimum investment requirement for employer-sponsored retirement plans (including, but not limited to, profit sharing, 401(k), 403(b), 457(b) and defined benefit plans). The fund may waive the minimum initial investment for certain investors or in the fund’s sole discretion.

Tax information

Dividends and capital gains distributions received from the fund will generally be taxable as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through an IRA, 401(k) or other tax-advantaged account.

Payments to financial intermediaries

If you purchase shares of the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

REG92704-00        00170354

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