Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 19, 2026. Quick answer: Vanguard Personal Advisor is less expensive at $500,000: $1,750 a year, versus $7,500 a year for Fisher Investments, 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.
More head-to-head fee comparisons: Baird vs Vanguard Personal Advisor Fees, Cambridge Investment Research vs Vanguard Personal Advisor Fees and Carson Wealth vs Vanguard Personal Advisor Fees.
What each firm charges, side by side
| Account balance | Fisher Investments (annual fee) | Vanguard Personal Advisor (annual fee) |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $3,750 | $875 |
| $500,000 | $7,500 | $1,750 |
| $1,000,000 | $12,500 | $3,500 |
| $2,000,000 | $23,750 | $7,000 |
Fisher Investments discloses a tiered schedule starting at 1.50% flat (Fisher Investments Form ADV Part 2A, “Private Client” Brochure, February 11, 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
Fisher Investments (Fisher Investments Form ADV Part 2A, “Private Client” Brochure, February 11, 2026): “FI’s private client basic billing rates for one or more aggregated accounts owned by the same client: Equity and Blended Accounts, Annual Management Fee: First $1 million 1.25%, Next $4 million 1.125%, Additional Amounts Over $5 million 1.000%. FI typically targets clients with at least $1,000,000 in investable assets but will accept smaller client relationships at FI’s discretion which will be billed at an annual rate of 1.50%.”
Below roughly $900,000 to $1,000,000, Fisher bills a flat 1.50% relationship rate; at or above $1,000,000 the marginal Equity and Blended schedule above applies.
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, Fisher Investments runs $7,500 a year and Vanguard Personal Advisor runs $1,750 a year: a difference of $5,750 a year at that balance.
Want the full breakdown for either firm on its own? Read the Fisher Investments 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 Fisher Investments, or read the general mechanics of switching financial advisors.
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Source: WiserAdvisor’s service descriptionSources
- Fisher Investments Form ADV Part 2A, “Private Client” Brochure (February 11, 2026): https://files.adviserinfo.sec.gov/IAPD/Content/Common/crd_iapd_Brochure.aspx?BRCHR_VRSN_ID=1008280
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Fisher Investments, Inc. (CRD #107342): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/107342
- 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 Fisher Investments 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.