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Updated September 23, 2026. Quick answer: Ameritas is a registered investment adviser. Per its own current fee brochure, a $500,000 account would run $7,000 a year under its published fee schedule; the minimum to open an account is $100,000 for Private Clients Wrap Fee Program. Already a client and thinking about leaving? Budget $50.00 for a standard account, $160.00 for an IRA. Is it a fiduciary? Yes, as a registered investment adviser, on the advisory services this page covers.
Ameritas at a glance
| Fact | What Ameritas’ own pages say |
|---|---|
| Legal entity | Ameritas Investment Partners, Inc. |
| Registration | Ameritas Investment Partners, Inc. is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as an investment adviser. |
| Fee on a $500,000 account | $7,000 a year, per its own current brochure |
| Minimum to open an account | $100,000 for Private Clients Wrap Fee Program |
| Cost to leave (exit fee) | $50.00 for a standard account, $160.00 for an IRA |
What Ameritas’ own fee schedule charges
“Clients of the Private Clients program pay a fee quarterly at the beginning of each quarter for services to be provided in that quarter, based on a percentage of the account value as of the last business day of the previous quarter… The standard fee schedule appears below. The minimum size for a Private Clients account is $100,000 but may be waived at AIP’s sole discretion. Account Balance Maximum Annual Wrap Fee: First $200,000 2.00%; $200,001 to $1,000,000 1.00%; $1,000,001 to $2,000,000 0.75%; Over $2,000,000 0.5%.”
IMPORTANT CRD CORRECTION: the hinted CRD 14869 (‘Ameritas Investment Company, LLC’) is verified via SEC IAPD (api.adviserinfo.sec.gov/search/firm/14869) to have had its SEC investment-adviser registration TERMINATED effective 11/16/2021 (it remains an active FINRA broker-dealer only); its last Part 2A brochures date to September 2021 and are no longer in force. Ameritas’ current, active SEC-registered investment adviser is Ameritas Investment Partners, Inc. (CRD 109381, iaScope ACTIVE, last ADV filed 3/25/2026), which sponsors the retail ‘Private Clients’ wrap program used by Ameritas Investment Company’s IARs. This is a marginal (tax-bracket-style) tiered schedule computed from $0: (1) $250,000 = 200,000*0.02 + 50,000*0.01 = $4,000+$500 = $4,500; (2) $500,000 = 200,000*0.02 + 300,000*0.01 = $4,000+$3,000 = $7,000; (3) $1,000,000 = 200,000*0.02 + 800,000*0.01 = $4,000+$8,000 = $12,000; (4) $2,000,000 = 200,000*0.02 + 800,000*0.01 + 1,000,000*0.0075 = $4,000+$8,000+$7,500 = $19,500. No dollar minimum annual fee is stated (only a $100,000 minimum account size, which can be waived).
| Account balance | Annual fee |
|---|---|
| $250,000 | $4,500 |
| $500,000 | $7,000 |
| $1,000,000 | $12,000 |
| $2,000,000 | $19,500 |
See the full breakdown, including how the figure is calculated, on Ameritas’ own fee page.
Is Ameritas a fiduciary?
Ameritas Investment Partners, Inc. is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as an investment adviser.
“When we act as your investment adviser, we have to act in your best interest and not put our interest ahead of yours.”
Your financial professional may recommend the purchase of variable insurance products issued by ALIC, or financial services available through affiliates of AIP. If you choose to implement these recommendations, AIP or your financial professional would receive compensation and/or commissions as a result of the sale of the insurance and other financial products or services recommended.
Full detail, including the exact registration type and source: Ameritas’ fiduciary status, explained.
The minimum to open an account
“The minimum size for a Private Clients account is $100,000 but may be waived at AIP’s sole discretion.”
$100,000 for Private Clients Wrap Fee Program. See the full minimum-investment breakdown, including what that minimum would cost per year, on Ameritas’ minimum investment page.
What it costs to leave
Ameritas Investment Partners charges nothing extra of its own to end the relationship, but its clearing custodian, National Financial Services, does, and Ameritas’ own published fee schedule states the reimbursed amount: $50.00 for a standard, non-retirement account, or $160.00 for an IRA (a $125 transfer fee plus a $35 annual maintenance fee).
Full mechanics, sources, and the ACATS transfer process: how to leave Ameritas.
What we would compare it against
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- Ameritas Investment Partners, Inc. Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1, Private Clients Wrap Fee Program Brochure (March 25, 2026): https://files.adviserinfo.sec.gov/IAPD/Content/Common/crd_iapd_Brochure.aspx?BRCHR_VRSN_ID=1026511
- Ameritas Investment Partners, Inc. (AIP) Customer Relationship Summary (CRS) (March 24, 2025): https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/crs/crs_109381.pdf
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Ameritas Investment Partners, Inc. (CRD #109381): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/109381
- Ameritas Investment Partners, Inc., SEC Form ADV filing: https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/reports/ADV/109381/PDF/109381.pdf
Methodology. This page was built September 23, 2026, drawing directly on Ameritas’ 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 Ameritas’ own Form ADV Part 2A and Form CRS. We have not used Ameritas as a client. Ameritas did not pay for, review, or influence this content. See our Editorial Policy, Corrections, Affiliate Disclosure, and Disclaimer.
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