Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 18, 2026. Quick answer: Creative Planning is a registered investment adviser. Per its own current fee brochure, a $500,000 account would run $6,000 a year under its published fee schedule; the minimum to open an account is $200,000 for standard individual/HNW advisory. Already a client and thinking about leaving? Budget $0 from Creative Planning itself; custodian-dependent. Is it a fiduciary? Yes, as a registered investment adviser, on the advisory services this page covers.
Creative Planning at a glance
| Fact | What Creative Planning’s own pages say |
|---|---|
| Legal entity | Creative Planning, LLC |
| Registration | Creative Planning, LLC is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as an investment adviser. |
| Fee on a $500,000 account | $6,000 a year, per its own current brochure |
| Minimum to open an account | $200,000 for standard individual/HNW advisory |
| Cost to leave (exit fee) | $0 from Creative Planning itself; custodian-dependent |
What Creative Planning’s own fee schedule charges
“Annual Fee Calculation: 1.20% on the first $500,000, then 1.00% on assets of $500,001-$2,000,000, then .85% on assets of $2,000,001-$5,000,000, then .80% on assets of $5,000,001-$10,000,000, then .70% on assets of $10,000,001-$25,000,000.”
Clients under $200,000 in assets generally are not eligible for standard individual service; the schedule shown is Creative Planning’s standard individual/HNW fee calculation.
| Account balance | Annual fee |
|---|---|
| $250,000 | $3,000 |
| $500,000 | $6,000 |
| $1,000,000 | $11,000 |
| $2,000,000 | $21,000 |
See the full breakdown, including how the figure is calculated, on Creative Planning’s own fee page.
Is Creative Planning a fiduciary?
Creative Planning, LLC is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as an investment adviser.
“When we act as your investment adviser, we are required to act in your best interest and not put our interests ahead of yours. … however, we are required to always act as a fiduciary when working with our clients.”
Our financial professionals are paid a salary however our employees are eligible for contingent (incentive) compensation based on individual and firm performance.
Full detail, including the exact registration type and source: Creative Planning’s fiduciary status, explained.
The minimum to open an account
“Creative Planning generally requires new clients to have a minimum of $200,000 assets under management.”
$200,000 for standard individual/HNW advisory. See the full minimum-investment breakdown, including what that minimum would cost per year, on Creative Planning’s minimum investment page.
What it costs to leave
Creative Planning’s own Form ADV allows termination any time by written notice with fees simply prorated; it does not custody assets itself, so any transfer-out charge comes from the custodian (it recommends Schwab or Fidelity) rather than from Creative Planning.
Full mechanics, sources, and the ACATS transfer process: how to leave Creative Planning.
What we would compare it against
Before you decide, run the numbers against another firm using the financial advisor fee comparison, or price the dollar cost of any percentage fee over time with the Financial Advisor Fee Calculator and the Fee Drag Calculator.
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Source: WiserAdvisor’s service descriptionSources
- Creative Planning, LLC Form ADV Part 2A (March 31, 2026): https://creativeplanning.com/wp-content/uploads/Creative-Planning-Form-ADV-Part-2A.pdf
- Form CRS (Client Relationship Summary) (March 31, 2026): https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/crs/crs_105348.pdf
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Creative Planning, LLC (CRD #105348): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/105348
- Creative Planning, LLC, SEC Form ADV filing: https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/reports/ADV/105348/PDF/105348.pdf
Methodology. This page was built September 18, 2026, drawing directly on Creative Planning’s own current fee brochure and Form CRS, both linked above, plus this site’s own already-published fiduciary, minimum-investment, and (where one exists) how-to-leave pages for the same firm, each independently sourced when it was built. Any distinction we could not independently confirm this session is named as an honest gap rather than presented as verified. Nothing here is personalized financial, tax, legal, or investment advice, and it is not a substitute for reading Creative Planning’s own Form ADV Part 2A and Form CRS. We have not used Creative Planning as a client. Creative Planning did not pay for, review, or influence this content. See our Editorial Policy, Corrections, Affiliate Disclosure, and Disclaimer.
Comparing firms? See all 182 advisor firm reviews in one table, with each firm’s type and its fee on a $500,000 account.