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Updated September 23, 2026. Quick answer: PNC Investments is registered with the SEC as both a broker-dealer and an investment adviser. Per its own current fee brochure, a $500,000 account would run $9,375 a year under its published fee schedule; the minimum to open an account is $250,000 for Portfolio Solutions Program. Already a client and thinking about leaving? Budget $125 flat termination/transfer fee. Is it a fiduciary? Yes, when it is acting as your investment adviser; when the same representative acts as your broker-dealer instead, the applicable standard is best-interest, not fiduciary, and its own Form CRS states representatives can earn commissions in that capacity.
Is PNC Investments a fiduciary?
Yes, when it is acting as your investment adviser. When the same representative acts as your broker-dealer, the applicable standard is best-interest, not fiduciary, and representatives can earn commissions in that capacity.
PNC Investments at a glance
| Fact | What PNC Investments’ own pages say |
|---|---|
| Legal entity | PNC Wealth Management LLC (the sole SEC-registered IA entity carrying “PNC Investments” and “PNC Investments LLC” as registered other-names/aliases per IAPD) |
| Registration | PNC Wealth Management LLC, which does business as PNC Investments, is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as both a broker-dealer and an investment adviser. |
| Fee on a $500,000 account | $9,375 a year, per its own current brochure |
| Minimum to open an account | $250,000 for Portfolio Solutions Program |
| Cost to leave (exit fee) | $125 flat termination/transfer fee |
What PNC Investments’ own fee schedule charges
“The Program Fee is based on the total assets under management … As the aggregate market value of the Program Account and if applicable, other managed accounts in the billing household reach a higher tier, as shown in the table below, the assets within that higher tier are charged a lower rate. Our standard Program Fee schedule is as follows: Assets Under Management / Maximum Program Fee – First $250,000, 2.00%; Next $250,000, 1.75%; Next $500,000, 1.50%; Next $1,000,000, 1.25%; Next $2,000,000, 1.00%; Over $4,000,000, Negotiable.”
Verified: an independent SEC IAPD firm-name search for ‘PNC Investments LLC’ returns only CRD 129052 (PNC Wealth Management LLC) – no separate registrant exists, and IAPD lists ‘PNC Investments’ and ‘PNC Investments LLC’ as registered other-names of this same CRD, confirming this ADV covers PNC Investments’ brokerage-advisory business. This is a true marginal/tiered schedule (the source explicitly says the higher-tier rate applies only to ‘the assets within that higher tier’), computed like an income-tax bracket: $250,000 = 250,000×0.02 = $5,000; $500,000 = 5,000 + (250,000×0.0175=4,375) = $9,375; $1,000,000 = 9,375 + (500,000×0.015=7,500) = $16,875; $2,000,000 = 16,875 + (1,000,000×0.0125=12,500) = $29,375. The identical schedule also appears verbatim in PNC’s Guided Solutions Program brochure (BRCHR_VRSN_ID 1036932); PNC Directions, a separate lower-cost digital program, instead charges a flat non-negotiable 1.00% with an $80 minimum annual fee and was not used here because Portfolio Solutions/Guided Solutions is the standard FA-directed managed-account analog to the other firms compared on this site.
| Account balance | Annual fee |
|---|---|
| $250,000 | $5,000 |
| $500,000 | $9,375 |
| $1,000,000 | $16,875 |
| $2,000,000 | $29,375 |
See the full breakdown, including how the figure is calculated, on PNC Investments’ own fee page.
Is PNC Investments a fiduciary?
PNC Wealth Management LLC, which does business as PNC Investments, is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as both a broker-dealer and an investment adviser.
“When we provide you with a recommendation as your broker-dealer or act as your investment adviser, we have to act in your best interest and not put our interest ahead of yours.”
When we act as your broker, unless you trade online, you will pay us for each individual transaction executed on your behalf in your account; note that this payment will be charged even where the trade is not recommended by us.
Full detail, including the exact registration type and source: PNC Investments’ fiduciary status, explained.
The minimum to open an account
“The minimum account size is $250,000, however, the Program minimum for accounts that include a tactical allocation to variable annuities is $275,000 with a minimum allocation of $25,000 to the variable annuity.”
$250,000 for Portfolio Solutions Program. See the full minimum-investment breakdown, including what that minimum would cost per year, on PNC Investments’ minimum investment page.
What it costs to leave
PNC Investments prices the account termination or transfer at a flat $125 whether or not the account is a retirement account; a separate $75 Annual Service Fee, not the $125 exit charge, is what PNC’s TotalRewards enrollment can waive.
Full mechanics, sources, and the ACATS transfer process: how to leave PNC Investments.
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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- Disclosure Document for the Portfolio Solutions Program (Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1, PNC Wealth Management LLC) (March 31, 2026): https://files.adviserinfo.sec.gov/IAPD/Content/Common/crd_iapd_Brochure.aspx?BRCHR_VRSN_ID=1036927
- PNC Wealth Management LLC Client Relationship Summary (Form CRS) (Effective October 17, 2025): https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/crs/crs_129052.pdf
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, PNC Wealth Management LLC (CRD #129052): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/129052
- PNC Wealth Management LLC, SEC Form ADV filing: https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/reports/ADV/129052/PDF/129052.pdf
Methodology. This page was built September 23, 2026, drawing directly on PNC Investments’ 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 PNC Investments’ own Form ADV Part 2A and Form CRS. We have not used PNC Investments as a client. PNC Investments did not pay for, review, or influence this content. See our Editorial Policy, Corrections, Affiliate Disclosure, and Disclaimer.
Comparing firms? See all 182 advisor firm reviews in one table, with each firm’s type and its fee on a $500,000 account.