Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 23, 2026. Quick answer: BMO Private Wealth is a registered investment adviser. Per its own current fee brochure, a $500,000 account would run $5,000 a year under its published fee schedule; the minimum to open an account is $500,000 for Investment Management (Stoker Ostler’s standard advisory relationship). Already a client and thinking about leaving? Budget $0 from BMO Private Wealth itself; about $50.00 if you are custodied at Schwab. Is it a fiduciary? Yes, as a registered investment adviser, on the advisory services this page covers.
BMO Private Wealth at a glance
| Fact | What BMO Private Wealth’s own pages say |
|---|---|
| Legal entity | Stoker Ostler Wealth Advisors, Inc. |
| Registration | Stoker Ostler Wealth Advisors, Inc. is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as an investment adviser. |
| Fee on a $500,000 account | $5,000 a year, per its own current brochure |
| Minimum to open an account | $500,000 for Investment Management (Stoker Ostler’s standard advisory relationship) |
| Cost to leave (exit fee) | $0 from BMO Private Wealth itself; about $50.00 if you are custodied at Schwab |
What BMO Private Wealth’s own fee schedule charges
“Our standard fees are based on a specified annual percentage rate of the client’s assets under management… Current fee schedule (billable on total assets under management): 1% on the first $3 million; 0.85% on the next $2 million; 0.65% on the next $5 million; 0.55% on assets above $10 million.”
CRD CORRECTION: the hinted CRD 137115 (‘BMO Harris Financial Advisors, Inc.’) is verified via SEC IAPD to have had its SEC investment-adviser registration TERMINATED effective 8/2/2021 (firmStatus ‘Terminated’, last brochure March 2021); it no longer exists as a registered adviser. ‘BMO Private Wealth’ is now a brand name used by two separate current BMO Financial Group US entities: BMO Family Office, LLC (CRD 110264, minimum discretionary account size $50 million with a $250,000 minimum annual fee, and a published tiered schedule that only starts at a $30 million first bracket) and Stoker Ostler Wealth Advisors, Inc. (CRD 111320, ‘a part of BMO Financial Group,’ typical account minimum $500,000). Because BMO Family Office’s schedule and minimums do not apply at all at the $250k-$2M balances this page targets, Stoker Ostler – whose stated $500,000 typical minimum and fee schedule directly cover this range – is used instead. All four balances ($250k/$500k/$1M/$2M) fall entirely within the first $3,000,000 bracket at 1%, so each dollar_at figure is simply balance x 0.01: $2,500 / $5,000 / $10,000 / $20,000. No dollar minimum annual fee is disclosed (only the $500,000 typical account minimum).
| Account balance | Annual fee |
|---|---|
| $250,000 | $2,500 |
| $500,000 | $5,000 |
| $1,000,000 | $10,000 |
| $2,000,000 | $20,000 |
See the full breakdown, including how the figure is calculated, on BMO Private Wealth’s own fee page.
Is BMO Private Wealth a fiduciary?
Stoker Ostler Wealth Advisors, Inc. is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as an investment adviser.
“When we act as your investment adviser, we must act in your best interest and not put our interest ahead of yours.”
Stoker Ostler Wealth Advisors, Inc. (Stoker Ostler) is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an Investment Advisor and does not provide broker-dealer (“brokerage”) services.
Full detail, including the exact registration type and source: BMO Private Wealth’s fiduciary status, explained.
The minimum to open an account
“Our account minimum is typically $500,000. However, we can choose to reduce the account minimum based on certain criteria. These criteria include anticipated future earnings capacity, anticipated future additional assets, assets to be managed, related accounts, account composition, and negotiations with clients.”
$500,000 for Investment Management (Stoker Ostler’s standard advisory relationship). See the full minimum-investment breakdown, including what that minimum would cost per year, on BMO Private Wealth’s minimum investment page.
What it costs to leave
BMO Private Wealth’s advisory business (run through Stoker Ostler Wealth Advisors) charges nothing extra to end the agreement beyond fees prorated through the termination date. If you are custodied at Charles Schwab, budget $50.00 per account for a full outgoing transfer; Fidelity publishes no comparable figure.
Full mechanics, sources, and the ACATS transfer process: how to leave BMO Private Wealth.
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
- Stoker Ostler Wealth Advisors Inc. Form ADV, Part 2A (March 31, 2026): https://files.adviserinfo.sec.gov/IAPD/Content/Common/crd_iapd_Brochure.aspx?BRCHR_VRSN_ID=1037081
- Stoker Ostler Wealth Advisors, Inc. Client Relationship Summary (July 16, 2026): https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/crs/crs_111320.pdf
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Stoker Ostler Wealth Advisors, Inc. (CRD #111320): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/111320
- Stoker Ostler Wealth Advisors, Inc., SEC Form ADV filing: https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/reports/ADV/111320/PDF/111320.pdf
Methodology. This page was built September 23, 2026, drawing directly on BMO Private Wealth’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 BMO Private Wealth’s own Form ADV Part 2A and Form CRS. We have not used BMO Private Wealth as a client. BMO Private Wealth did not pay for, review, or influence this content. See our Editorial Policy, Corrections, Affiliate Disclosure, and Disclaimer.
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