Charles Schwab vs Mariner Wealth Advisors Fees: What Each Costs in Dollars at $250k, $500k, $1M

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Updated September 19, 2026. Quick answer: Charles Schwab is less expensive at $500,000: $4,000 a year, versus $12,500 a year for Mariner Wealth Advisors, computed from each firm’s own SEC-filed fee disclosure. See the full side-by-side table below for $250,000, $1 million and $2 million.

What each firm charges, side by side

Charles Schwab discloses a tiered schedule starting at 0.80% (Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. Disclosure Brochure for the Schwab Wealth Advisory Wrap Fee Program, June 30, 2026 (Standard SWA Fee Schedule effective October 1, 2024)); Mariner Wealth Advisors discloses a maximum, individually negotiated rate of 2.5% (Mariner, LLC (d/b/a Mariner Wealth Advisors) Form ADV Part 2A Brochure, March 30, 2023).

What the fee includes, in each firm’s own words

Charles Schwab (Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. Disclosure Brochure for the Schwab Wealth Advisory Wrap Fee Program, June 30, 2026 (Standard SWA Fee Schedule effective October 1, 2024)): “Standard SWA Fee Schedule (effective October 1, 2024): Amounts up to US$1 million, 0.80%; Next US$1 million (more than US$1M up to US$2M), 0.75%; Next US$3 million (more than US$2M up to US$5M), 0.70%; Next US$5 million (more than US$5M up to US$10M), 0.50%; Next US$15 million (more than US$10M up to US$25M), 0.30%; Assets over US$25 million, 0.30% (or less, as negotiated). The SWA Fee is subject to a quarterly minimum, which represents the minimum amount charged for the advisory services provided during a quarter. The quarterly minimum is equal to the lesser of: $1,000, or 1.60% of your total billable assets, calculated on a quarterly basis.”

Schwab Wealth Advisory (SWA) bills a marginal (tiered) schedule, but every account is also subject to a quarterly minimum equal to the lesser of $1,000 or 1.6% of that quarter’s billable assets, which for any balance above about $62,500 works out to a flat $1,000-a-quarter ($4,000-a-year) floor. At $250,000, the marginal schedule alone would compute to $2,000 a year, but the $4,000 floor overrides it, so $4,000 is what is actually billed. At $500,000, the marginal schedule and the floor land on the same number, $4,000, by design: Schwab sets SWA’s own account minimum at $500,000. At $1,000,000 and $2,000,000, the marginal schedule exceeds the floor, so the schedule rate applies directly ($8,000 and $8,000 plus 0.75% on the next $1,000,000, or $15,500). Clients enrolled before October 1, 2024 sit on a different, Grandfathered SWA Fee Schedule; the figures here are for current, Standard enrollees.

Mariner Wealth Advisors (Mariner, LLC (d/b/a Mariner Wealth Advisors) Form ADV Part 2A Brochure, March 30, 2023): “The structure and level of our advisory fee will vary by client based upon the services provided and other considerations deemed relevant by us, but typically takes the form of a percentage of assets under management and/or advisement, ranging up to 2.50% per annum. … All fee arrangements are subject to negotiation.”

Mariner does not publish a dollar-breakpoint fee table; its Form ADV states a single ceiling of ‘ranging up to 2.50% per annum,’ individually negotiated per client. The dollar figures apply the disclosed 2.50% ceiling as a flat rate to each balance (balance x 0.025); an actual negotiated rate is very likely lower, especially at higher balances. Note on currency: this is the combined CRS/ADV Part 2A/Privacy document currently live at Mariner’s own published URL; its internal revision date, stated on the cover page, is March 30, 2023 – no more recent public version of Mariner, LLC’s firm-level Part 2A brochure (as opposed to smaller affiliated entities like Mariner Institutional or Mariner Platform Solutions) could be located.

How this compares

Our benchmark of published adviser fee schedules puts the weighted median annual cost near $2,000 to $2,500 on $250,000 (the benchmark). At $500,000, Charles Schwab runs $4,000 a year and Mariner Wealth Advisors runs $12,500 a year: a difference of $8,500 a year at that balance.

Want the full breakdown for either firm on its own? Read the Charles Schwab fee page or the Mariner Wealth Advisors fee page for the complete tier table and source citations.

Thinking about leaving one of these firms instead of pricing what you would pay to stay? See what it costs to leave Charles Schwab, or read the general mechanics of switching financial advisors.

Sources

• Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. Disclosure Brochure for the Schwab Wealth Advisory Wrap Fee Program (June 30, 2026 (Standard SWA Fee Schedule effective October 1, 2024)): https://www.schwab.com/transparency
• SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (CRD #5393): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/5393
• Mariner, LLC (d/b/a Mariner Wealth Advisors) Form ADV Part 2A Brochure (March 30, 2023): https://www.marinerwealthadvisors.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/MWA-CRS-ADV-PART-2A-PRIVACY.pdf
• SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Mariner, LLC d/b/a Mariner Wealth Advisors (CRD #140195): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/140195

Methodology. This page was built September 19, 2026, re-pairing figures already archived and independently verified for Charles Schwab and Mariner Wealth Advisors from each firm’s own SEC-filed disclosure; sources linked above. Nothing here is personalized financial, tax, legal, or investment advice. See our Editorial Policy, Corrections, Affiliate Disclosure, and Disclaimer.