Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 28, 2026. Quick answer: Stratos Wealth Partners is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser (CRD #153184, confirmed ACTIVE this session via SEC IAPD). Per its own current fee brochure, a $500,000 account would run up to $10,000 a year (the published maximum) under its published fee schedule. Already a client and thinking about leaving? Budget $125 at LPL Financial, or $50 at Schwab, depending on your custodian. This review covers what its own fee brochure and current SEC registration confirm today; it does not assess fiduciary status or account minimums.
Stratos Wealth Partners at a glance
| Fact | What Stratos Wealth Partners’ own pages say |
|---|---|
| Legal entity | Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd. |
| Registration | Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd. is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser (CRD #153184, confirmed ACTIVE this session via SEC IAPD). |
| Fee on a $500,000 account | Up to $10,000 a year (the published maximum), per its own current brochure |
| Minimum to open an account | Not assessed in this review; see Item 5 of its Form ADV Part 2A |
| Cost to leave (exit fee) | $125 at LPL Financial, or $50 at Schwab, depending on your custodian |
What Stratos Wealth Partners’ own fee schedule charges
Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd. (SWP) is a national independent advisory firm whose individual advisor representatives operate under many d/b/a names. The priced figure is the stated maximum for its standard advisor-managed non-wrap accounts, where each advisor representative sets the actual fee.
“The maximum annual advisory fee is 2.0% for SWM and other advisor-managed non-wrap accounts. In limited cases, SWP may apply a flat fee to provide asset management services. The maximum flat fee will be no more than 2.0% of the assets under management.”
Stratos publishes a stated maximum annual advisory fee of 2.0% of assets rather than a tiered schedule, so each balance is priced at that maximum. The brochure discloses no minimum annual dollar fee, so no floor applies. These are ceiling figures, well above what a negotiated fee may be, not typical charges.
What the same brochure says about fees charged on top of this schedule: “When SWP recommends SIMC Advisory Programs, clients will pay an additional fee to SIMC, in addition to their IAR’s stated management fee, please see Item 10 for more information about conflicts of interest that an SWA IAR has when recommending the use of the below SIMC Advisory Programs.” The table below is the firm’s own advisory fee schedule and does not include any such additional fee.
| Account balance | Annual fee |
|---|---|
| $250,000 | $5,000 |
| $500,000 | $10,000 |
| $1,000,000 | $20,000 |
| $2,000,000 | $40,000 |
These figures come directly from Stratos Wealth Partners’ own current fee brochure, cited in Sources below.
Registration
Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd. is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser (CRD #153184, 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
Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd.’s Form ADV Part 2A states “Clients may terminate, with written notice to SWP, investment advisory services within five (5) business days after entering into the advisory agreement, without penalty or obligation and for a full refund of any prepaid fees.” Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd. names three possible custodians in its brochure, with no single default. LPL Financial LLC’s own published fee schedule states “Outgoing Account Transfer” Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.’s own published fee schedule states “Full transfer (out) of assets” Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC / National Financial Services LLC and SEI Private Trust Company disclose 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
Read our review, this one too, and one more.
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.
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
- Form ADV Part 2A (April 17, 2026): https://files.adviserinfo.sec.gov/IAPD/Content/Common/crd_iapd_Brochure.aspx?BRCHR_VRSN_ID=1041856
- SEC IAPD firm summary (CRD #153184, checked September 28, 2026): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/153184
Methodology. This page was built September 28, 2026, drawing directly on Stratos Wealth Partners’ 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 Stratos Wealth Partners’ own Form ADV Part 2A and Form CRS. We have not used Stratos Wealth Partners as a client. Stratos Wealth Partners 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.