Get a passport card from the embassy before you leave.
It's not good for international air travel but it is good as photo id for domestic air travel and other purposes
It's easier to carry around than your passport and it's always good to have a second photo id.
I've been to Tirana and around the countryside. Nothing bad to say really but I couldn't possibly see living there. Boring and still a heavy socialist air.
The other Balkan states, along with Georgia, are much better places to be.
Schwab US requires you to keep a US residential address on your account. If you cannot do that, they will suggest you open an account at Schwab International.