Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 28, 2026. Quick answer: Mostly yes, with one carve-out. Coldstream Wealth Management is registered with the SEC only as an investment adviser, so on your advisory account it owes you a fiduciary duty under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Its own Form CRS states: “When we act as your investment adviser, we have to act in your best interest and not put our interest ahead of yours.” A limited number of Coldstream Wealth Management’s financial professionals are separately licensed to sell brokerage products in a different capacity, where the weaker Regulation Best Interest standard, not a fiduciary duty, applies instead.
How it’s registered
From Coldstream Capital Management, Inc. Form CRS (July 1, 2024): “Coldstream Capital Management, Inc., doing business as “Coldstream Wealth Management,” is an investment adviser registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).”
The standard of conduct, in its own words
“When we act as your investment adviser, we have to act in your best interest and not put our interest ahead of yours.”
On commissions: “Investment adviser representatives registered with our related broker-dealer entity, Coldstream Securities, Inc. (“CSI”) can receive brokerage, 529 plan or mutual fund trail commissions, or annuity fees from the sale of securities through CSI.”
Fiduciary status by capacity
| Capacity | Registration | Standard you’re owed | Can earn commissions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| As your investment adviser (most clients) | SEC-registered investment adviser | Fiduciary duty (Investment Advisers Act of 1940) | No (asset-based advisory fee: $10,000 a year, 2.00% on a $500,000 account) | Coldstream Capital Management, Inc. Form CRS, July 1, 2024 |
| As a dually licensed representative (limited) | Also FINRA-registered broker-dealer representative, separate capacity | Regulation Best Interest (not a fiduciary duty) | Yes | Coldstream Capital Management, Inc. Form CRS, July 1, 2024 |
What this means for what you pay
Fiduciary status is one input, not the whole picture. Coldstream Wealth Management discloses a published fee that runs $10,000 a year on a $500,000 account; see the full dollar breakdown from Coldstream Wealth Management’s own fee disclosure before deciding whether the standard of conduct here changes your answer.
If the answer above changes your mind about staying, see what it costs to leave Coldstream Wealth Management, or read the general mechanics of switching financial advisors.
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.
Opens here. Nothing loads and nothing reaches Kapitalwise until you press the button.
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
- No obligation to hire
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.
Continue to WiserAdvisorOpens on WiserAdvisor’s site in a new tab.
Source: WiserAdvisor’s service descriptionSources
- Coldstream Capital Management, Inc. Form CRS (July 1, 2024): https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/crs/crs_108805.pdf
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Coldstream Capital Management, Inc. (CRD #108805): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/108805
- Coldstream Capital Management, Inc., SEC Form ADV filing: https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/reports/ADV/108805/PDF/108805.pdf
Methodology. This page was built September 28, 2026, quoting directly from Coldstream Wealth Management’s 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.
Comparing Coldstream Wealth Management against other options? See Coldstream Wealth Management alternatives, including a lower-fee full-service firm, a flat-fee route and a robo/hybrid.