Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 19, 2026. Quick answer: Vanguard Personal Advisor is less expensive at $500,000: $1,750 a year, versus $10,000 a year for Ameriprise, 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
| Account balance | Ameriprise (annual fee) | Vanguard Personal Advisor (annual fee) |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $5,000 | $875 |
| $500,000 | $10,000 | $1,750 |
| $1,000,000 | $20,000 | $3,500 |
| $2,000,000 | $40,000 | $7,000 |
Ameriprise discloses a maximum, individually negotiated rate of 2.0% (Ameriprise Managed Accounts Client Disclosure Brochure (Wrap Fee Program), Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1, June 2026); Vanguard Personal Advisor discloses a published gross rate of 0.35% (Vanguard Digital Advisor and Vanguard Personal Advisor Brochure (Form ADV Part 2A), 2026-08-20).
What the fee includes, in each firm’s own words
Ameriprise (Ameriprise Managed Accounts Client Disclosure Brochure (Wrap Fee Program), Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1, June 2026): “The Asset-based Fee is comprised of the total of (1) a negotiable Advisory Fee of up to a maximum annual rate of 2.0%; (2) a Platform Fee rate that varies by Program; and (3) any applicable Manager Fee.” 2.00% maximum Advisory Fee (SPS Advisor Program), before an additional Platform Fee of 0.02% to 0.05% and an Investments and Infrastructure Support Fee of 0.03% that can stack on top.
Ameriprise’s SPS Advisor program (its discretionary flagship) discloses only a maximum negotiated Advisory Fee of 2.0%, not a public dollar-tiered table; actual per-tier minimum rates are deferred to a private, non-SEC-filed Relationship Agreement not available to the public. The figures above apply the disclosed 2.0% Advisory Fee ceiling as a flat rate. On top of it, a Platform Fee (0.02% to 0.05% of assets) and an Investments and Infrastructure Support Fee (0.03%) can apply, which together push the all-in disclosed maximum to about 2.08% (roughly $5,200 a year on $250,000 instead of $5,000).
Vanguard Personal Advisor (Vanguard Digital Advisor and Vanguard Personal Advisor Brochure (Form ADV Part 2A), 2026-08-20): “Personal Advisor’s annual gross advisory fee for Vanguard Brokerage Accounts is 0.35% for its all‐index investment options and 0.40% for the exclusive active/index mix. … Enrollments in Personal Advisor require an aggregate $50,000 balance or greater” All-index investment option (any enrolled balance; $50,000 aggregate minimum to enroll): 0.35%; Active/index mix investment option (any enrolled balance): 0.40%.
Flat (non-tiered) gross advisory fee applied to the entire enrolled Vanguard Brokerage Account balance regardless of balance size: 0.35% for the all-index investment option (used here as the base case) or 0.40% if the active/index mix is elected. Dollar figures = balance x 0.0035. This is Vanguard’s disclosed gross fee before the affiliate-revenue credit that Vanguard also applies (which further lowers the net fee actually charged, per the same brochure); the gross rate is used here because it is the stated contractual rate, not an estimate.
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, Ameriprise runs $10,000 a year and Vanguard Personal Advisor runs $1,750 a year: a difference of $8,250 a year at that balance.
Want the full breakdown for either firm on its own? Read the Ameriprise fee page or the Vanguard Personal Advisor 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 Ameriprise, or read the general mechanics of switching financial advisors.
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Source: WiserAdvisor’s service descriptionSources
- Ameriprise Managed Accounts Client Disclosure Brochure (Wrap Fee Program), Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1 (June 2026): https://www.ameriprise.com/legal/disclosures
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC (CRD #6363): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/6363
- Vanguard Digital Advisor and Vanguard Personal Advisor Brochure (Form ADV Part 2A) (2026-08-20): https://files.adviserinfo.sec.gov/IAPD/Content/Common/crd_iapd_Brochure.aspx?BRCHR_VRSN_ID=1055528
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Vanguard Advisers, Inc. (CRD #106715): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/106715
Methodology. This page was built September 19, 2026, re-pairing figures already archived and independently verified for Ameriprise and Vanguard Personal Advisor 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.