1% is pretty standard. I work with lots of financial advisors in the north east and south east and the lowest I have seen is 1%. Most common is probably 1.25%. The highest I have seen is 1.75%.
On average, you can expect to pay between 0.5% and 2% of your total assets under management annually, $150 to $400 per hour, or a flat fee ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 for a comprehensive financial plan.
Look for financial planners who are fiduciaries, which means they have a legal duty to look out for your best interests. "If a 'financial planner' offers the same advice or products without tailoring their recommendations to your individual goals, that's a red flag," says Lawrence.
Industry standards show that financial advisor fees generally range between 0.5% and 1.5% of AUM annually. Placement of a 2% fee may appear steep compared to this average. However, this fee might encompass more comprehensive services or cater to more unique, high-maintenance portfolios.
Bottom Line. A 1% annual fee on a multi-million-dollar investment portfolio is roughly typical of the fees charged by many financial advisors. But that's not inherently a good or bad thing, but rather should hold weight in your decision about whether to use an advisor's services.
While the typical annual financial advisor fee is thought to be 1%, according to a 2023 study by Advisory HQ, the average financial advisor fee is 0.59% to 1.18% per year.
They Put Their Interests Before Yours
Are they recommending products that pad their bottom line while possibly not being the best product for you? You need to ask questions, understand how your advisor is compensated, and be clear on whether this results in conflicts of interest.
Very generally, having between $50,000 and $500,000 of liquid assets to invest can be a good point to start looking at hiring a financial advisor. Some advisors have minimum asset thresholds. This could be a relatively low figure, like $25,000, but it could also be higher, such as $500,000, $1 million or even more.
At Schwab, there's no cost to work with your Financial Consultant. ² There's no cost whether you're getting assistance in creating your personalized plan, or receiving tailored product recommendations and direct access to our specialists.
In addition, millionaires are much more likely to work with a financial advisor (69%), more than double the amount of the general population (33%).
Lastly, some advisors charge by the hour, similar to how a lawyer might bill you. This could be a good choice if you only need occasional advice or specific questions answered rather than ongoing management. Hourly rates for financial advisors typically range from $200 to $400 per hour.
However, in general, it's wise to start working with a financial advisor or wealth management team once you've built a nest egg of $1M in investable assets.
Edward Jones serves as an investment advice fiduciary at the plan level and provides educational services at both the plan and participant levels, if applicable.
3% to 6% of investment transaction amount. According to the 2024 State of Financial Planning and Fees study from Envestnet, a company that develops software for the wealth management industry, these were the average financial advisor fees last year: Fixed-percentage fee for a human advisor: 1.05%.
Unregistered Advisor: An advisor not registered with FINRA or the SEC is a major red flag and warrants a conversation. Lack of Contact: If you have not heard from your advisor in three years or more, it's a sign of neglect. If they don't answer their phone or respond to emails, it's time to look elsewhere.
Life events. Graduating college, getting married, expanding your family and starting a business are some major life events that might cause you to reevaluate your financial situation. A financial advisor can help you manage these life events while making sure you get or stay on track.
This is typically a percentage of the amount of assets you have under management. In most cases, this fee is somewhere around 1.5 percent or less of your total assets each year. So if you had $100,000 in assets with an advisor that charges 1 percent per year, your annual fee would be $1,000.
Source: 2021 Fidelity Investor Insights Study. Furthermore, industry studies estimate that professional financial advice can add up to 5.1% to portfolio returns over the long term, depending on the time period and how returns are calculated.
By hiring a single investment advisor, you receive more streamlined advice as only one person manages all your money matters removing any chance of conflicting advice or any disagreement. This also allows the chosen individual to clear up your doubts and offer guidance to you on how to best attain your financial goals.