Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 22, 2026. Quick answer: Yes, on every account. Acorns’ advisory service is run by Acorns Advisers, LLC, which is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser and is not a broker-dealer, so the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 requires it to act as your fiduciary there. A separate firm in the same corporate family, Acorns Securities, LLC (CRD 168172), is an active FINRA member broker-dealer that the Advisers Act fiduciary standard does not cover. Its own Form CRS states: “When Acorns Advisers acts as your investment adviser, we have to act in your best interest and not put our interests ahead of yours.”
How it’s registered
From Acorns Advisers, LLC / Acorns Securities, LLC Form CRS (August 3, 2026): “Acorns Advisers, LLC is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as an investment adviser.”
Acorns Advisers, LLC’s Form CRS is a combined family filing that also describes an affiliated broker-dealer, Acorns Securities, LLC (a separate entity with its own CRD, not verified in this research). Per the established bucketing rule, that affiliate relationship does not make CRD 165926 itself a dual registrant; SEC IAPD shows no broker-dealer registration on CRD 165926.
The standard of conduct, in its own words
“When Acorns Advisers acts as your investment adviser, we have to act in your best interest and not put our interests ahead of yours.”
On commissions: “Our financial professionals are paid annual base salaries along with discretionary stock options and bonuses dependent on the overall success of the Acorns organization.”
Fiduciary status by capacity
| Capacity | Registration | Standard you’re owed | Can earn commissions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| As your investment adviser | SEC-registered investment adviser | Fiduciary duty (Investment Advisers Act of 1940) | No (asset-based advisory fee: $48 a year, 0.01% on a $500,000 account) | Acorns Advisers, LLC / Acorns Securities, LLC Form CRS, August 3, 2026 |
What this means for what you pay
Fiduciary status is one input, not the whole picture. Acorns discloses a published fee that runs $48 a year on a $500,000 account; see the full dollar breakdown from Acorns’ own fee disclosure before deciding whether the standard of conduct here changes your answer.
If the answer above changes your mind about staying, read the general mechanics of switching financial advisors, or use a dated termination letter once you decide.
Compare your next step
Just comparing fees? Keep reading the fee guide.Optional next step
Explore an adviser match
Compare the services and the full fee before deciding whether to hire anyone.
- No fee to request a match
- No obligation to hire
Expect questions about your situation, your name, email and phone, and phone verification by text. A match is not guaranteed.
The form is run by Kapitalwise, our advisor-matching partner. Kapitalwise sends your details to advisers who pay for the introduction, so expect calls and texts. Clear Money Guide is paid when you submit the form, whether or not you ever hire anyone. This is free to you and there is no obligation to hire anyone.
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How our partner relationships workCompare an adviser match before you decide
Ask about the full fee, what it covers and how the adviser is paid. A match is an introduction, not a recommendation from Clear Money Guide.
- Free matching service
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The matching service is run by WiserAdvisor, an independent advisor-matching company. It opens on their site, asks for your ZIP code and a few questions, and matches you with 2 to 3 vetted advisors. It is free to you. WiserAdvisor states the service is built for portfolios of $250,000 and above. By submitting, you consent to emails, phone calls and text messages from WiserAdvisor and up to three advisors, so expect to be contacted. Advisers pay for the introduction. Clear Money Guide is paid when you complete the form, whether or not you ever hire anyone. There is no obligation to hire anyone.
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Source: WiserAdvisor’s service descriptionSources
- Acorns Advisers, LLC / Acorns Securities, LLC Form CRS (August 3, 2026): https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/crs/crs_165926.pdf
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Acorns Advisers, LLC (CRD #165926): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/165926
- Acorns Advisers, LLC, SEC Form ADV filing: https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/reports/ADV/165926/PDF/165926.pdf
Methodology. This page was built September 22, 2026, quoting directly from Acorns’ own current Form CRS, with the source linked above; 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 the firm’s own Form CRS. See our Editorial Policy, Corrections, Affiliate Disclosure, and Disclaimer.
What does it actually take to open an account? See Acorns’s minimum investment, quoted verbatim from its own Form ADV Part 2A / wrap-fee brochure.
Weighing whether to move ahead? Read the full Acorns review, including its fiduciary status and what it costs to leave.
How does this compare? See how 127 advisory firms are registered, from each firm’s own SEC record.
Already with Acorns and weighing a move? How to leave Acorns covers what it costs to transfer out.