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Clearstead Advisory Solutions Review (2026): Fees and SEC Registration

Guides › Financial Advisor Fees

Updated September 28, 2026. Quick answer: Clearstead Advisory Solutions is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser (CRD #105674, confirmed ACTIVE this session via SEC IAPD). Per its own current fee brochure, a $500,000 account would run $5,000 a year under its published fee schedule. Already a client and thinking about leaving? Budget $50 if Schwab custodies your account. This review covers what its own fee brochure and current SEC registration confirm today; it does not assess fiduciary status or account minimums.

Clearstead Advisory Solutions at a glance

FactWhat Clearstead Advisory Solutions’ own pages say
Legal entityClearstead Advisors, LLC (Clearstead Advisory Solutions division)
RegistrationClearstead Advisors, LLC (Clearstead Advisory Solutions division) is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser (CRD #105674, confirmed ACTIVE this session via SEC IAPD).
Fee on a $500,000 account$5,000 a year, per its own current brochure
Minimum to open an accountNot assessed in this review; see Item 5 of its Form ADV Part 2A
Cost to leave (exit fee)$50 if Schwab custodies your account

What Clearstead Advisory Solutions’ own fee schedule charges

The registrant is Clearstead Advisors, LLC (doing business as Clearstead and Clearstead Advisory Solutions); the priced schedule comes from the brochure of its Clearstead Advisory Solutions division, which lists private clients (families and individuals) among its clients. The firm’s separate Private Client brochure does not publish a tiered schedule, stating only that most asset-based fees fall between 0.10% and 1.00% or are flat retainers, so this schedule should not be read as applying to every Clearstead client.

“Equity/Balanced/Fixed Income Accounts • 1.00% on the first $5 million • .75% on the next $5 million • .50% above $10 million”

At each balance the whole amount sits inside the first tier, which runs up to $5 million at 1.00%, so the fee is simply that rate applied to the balance. The brochure discloses no minimum annual dollar fee, so no floor applies at any of the balances shown.

What the same brochure says about fees charged on top of this schedule: “Clients engaged with sub-advisors will be charged an advisory fee by the unaffiliated sub-advisor in addition to the advisory fee charged by CAS.” The table below is the firm’s own advisory fee schedule and does not include any such additional fee.

Account balanceAnnual fee
$250,000$2,500
$500,000$5,000
$1,000,000$10,000
$2,000,000$20,000

These figures come directly from Clearstead Advisory Solutions’ own current fee brochure, cited in Sources below.

Registration

Clearstead Advisors, LLC (Clearstead Advisory Solutions division) is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser (CRD #105674, confirmed ACTIVE this session via SEC IAPD).

This is a registration confirmation only, not a fiduciary-standard verdict (a registered investment adviser can still be a dual registrant with a broker-dealer, which changes which standard applies in each capacity).

What it costs to leave

Clearstead Advisors, LLC (Clearstead Advisory Solutions division)’s Form ADV Part 2A states “A client agreement may be canceled at any time, by either party, for any reason upon receipt of 30 days written notice, unless different termination terms have been agreed to according to a client’s advisory agreement.” Clearstead Advisors, LLC (Clearstead Advisory Solutions division) names two possible custodians in its brochure, with no single default. Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.’s own published fee schedule states “Full transfer (out) of assets” Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC / National Financial Services LLC discloses no comparable line item (an honest gap).

The general mechanics of switching financial advisors and a dated termination letter apply regardless of firm.

Other advisor-firm reviews

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What we would compare it against

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Sources

Methodology. This page was built September 28, 2026, drawing directly on Clearstead Advisory Solutions’ own current fee brochure, cited in Sources below, and a fresh SEC IAPD registration check run the same day. Where exit-fee facts are cited, they trace to the named custodian’s own published schedule. Any fact we could not independently confirm 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 Clearstead Advisory Solutions’ own Form ADV Part 2A and Form CRS. We have not used Clearstead Advisory Solutions as a client. Clearstead Advisory Solutions 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.