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Updated July 7, 2026. Quick answer (2026): AUM fees are advisor fees based on assets under management. A 1.00% AUM fee costs about $5,000/year at $500k, $10,000/year at $1M, $20,000/year at $2M, and $30,000/year at $3M before fund, platform, overlay, trading, tax-prep, or implementation costs.
Related reading on this site: Guided Solutions Flex fee schedule and Truist AMC Pinnacle program.
To compare that $500k AUM quote with total advisor fees and planning scope, see financial advisor fees for a $500k portfolio.
AUM can be simple to understand, but it is not automatically cheap or expensive. The useful question is what you pay in annual dollars, what planning work is included, what investment costs are separate, and whether a flat annual, retainer, hourly, project, or robo-supported model would include the same work for less.
What that rate costs you, in your own dollars
Percentages are hard to feel. The same rate that sounds small as a number is a specific amount of money leaving a specific account every year, and it compounds against you because the dollars taken out stop earning. Enter your balance and the rate you pay or have been quoted, and this converts it into dollars.
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How our partner relationships workAUM fee examples by balance
- AUM fees at $500k
- AUM fees at $1M
- AUM fees at $2M
- AUM fees at $3M
- AUM fees by balance
- Advisor fees by portfolio size
AUM fee cost table
| Portfolio balance | 1.00% AUM | 0.75% AUM | 0.50% AUM | What to compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $500,000 | $5,000/year | $3,750/year | $2,500/year | Hourly/project planning and flat annual quotes. |
| $1,000,000 | $10,000/year | $7,500/year | $5,000/year | Flat annual planning, tax coordination, and implementation scope. |
| $2,000,000 | $20,000/year | $15,000/year | $10,000/year | Breakpoints, fund costs, platform costs, and service depth. |
| $3,000,000 | $30,000/year | $22,500/year | $15,000/year | Tax, estate, charitable, concentrated-stock, and implementation work. |
What an AUM fee should include
- Portfolio management, investment policy, rebalancing, and tax-aware implementation.
- Retirement income, Social Security, Roth conversions, RMDs, taxable withdrawals, and Medicare/IRMAA planning when relevant.
- Clear disclosure of fund costs, platform costs, overlay fees, trading costs, tax-prep fees, product compensation, and referral fees.
Calculator line: use the Financial advisor fee calculator, then compare AUM against the flat fee vs AUM break-even calculator and the 10-year advisor fee comparison.
Figures verified by recomputing every fee, effective rate and all-in total on this page from its own stated balances and rates on September 30, 2026; the Form ADV benchmark statistics (176 advisers, 28.4%, $2,000 to $2,500), which are our own study were not re-checked.
Methodology
- We convert AUM percentages into annual dollar examples at common portfolio balances.
- We compare AUM against flat annual, retainer, hourly, project, and robo-supported pricing by first-year cost and written scope.
- This page was materially reviewed on July 7, 2026. It is educational, not personalized financial, tax, legal, or investment advice.
Editorial standards: Editorial Policy
Inside a UMA or wrap program? Use the UMA platform cost guide to unstack the program, manager, and advisor fee layers before comparing the total with a single AUM quote.
What the filings actually say. We measured the fee schedules 176 SEC-registered advisers publish in their Form ADV Part 2A filings: at $250,000 only 28.4% disclose a fee you can price at all, and the weighted median annual cost among those that do is $2,000 to $2,500. The full benchmark, with method.
For your own numbers, run the AUM Fee Calculator 2026: 1% Advisor Fee in Dollars.
See Read the adviser-hiring guide for more on this.