Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 28, 2026. Quick answer: Cornerstone Advisors is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser (CRD #114510, confirmed ACTIVE this session via SEC IAPD). Per its own current fee brochure, a $500,000 account would run up to $5,000 a year (the published maximum, which the firm says is negotiable) under its published fee schedule. Already a client and thinking about leaving? Budget $50 at Schwab. This review covers what its own fee brochure and current SEC registration confirm today; it does not assess fiduciary status or account minimums.
Cornerstone Advisors at a glance
| Fact | What Cornerstone Advisors’ own pages say |
|---|---|
| Legal entity | Cornerstone Advisors, LLC |
| Registration | Cornerstone Advisors, LLC is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser (CRD #114510, confirmed ACTIVE this session via SEC IAPD). |
| Fee on a $500,000 account | Up to $5,000 a year (the published maximum, which the firm says is negotiable), 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) | $50 at Schwab |
What Cornerstone Advisors’ own fee schedule charges
The registrant is Cornerstone Advisors, LLC of Topeka, Kansas. The priced figure is the stated maximum advisory fee for individual clients, whom the brochure lists among its clients, and the brochure states the firm has no minimum initial account value.
“Our maximum investment advisory fee as a percentage of assets under management is 1.00%. The specific advisory fees are set forth in your Investment Management Agreement. We may negotiate a lower advisory fee.”
Each balance is priced at the stated 1.00% maximum annual advisory fee applied to the whole household asset value. The brochure discloses no minimum annual dollar fee, so no floor applies. These are ceiling figures, not typical charges, since the brochure says a lower fee may be negotiated.
The table below is the firm’s own advisory fee schedule. Fund expenses, custodian charges and any third-party manager or platform fees are generally separate from an advisory fee like this one; Item 5 of the brochure lists what applies to a given account.
| Account balance | Annual fee |
|---|---|
| $250,000 | $2,500 |
| $500,000 | $5,000 |
| $1,000,000 | $10,000 |
| $2,000,000 | $20,000 |
These figures come directly from Cornerstone Advisors’ own current fee brochure, cited in Sources below.
Registration
Cornerstone Advisors, LLC is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser (CRD #114510, 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
Cornerstone Advisors, LLC’s Form ADV Part 2A states “Either Cornerstone Advisors or you may terminate the Investment Management Agreement immediately upon written notice to the other party.” Cornerstone Advisors, LLC names exactly one custodian in its brochure: Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. Advisor Services. Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.’s own published fee schedule states “Full transfer (out) of assets”
The general mechanics of switching financial advisors and a dated termination letter apply regardless of firm.
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- Form ADV Part 2A (March 24, 2026): https://files.adviserinfo.sec.gov/IAPD/Content/Common/crd_iapd_Brochure.aspx?BRCHR_VRSN_ID=1034349
- SEC IAPD firm summary (CRD #114510, checked September 28, 2026): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/114510
Methodology. This page was built September 28, 2026, drawing directly on Cornerstone Advisors’ 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 Cornerstone Advisors’ own Form ADV Part 2A and Form CRS. We have not used Cornerstone Advisors as a client. Cornerstone Advisors did not pay for, review, or influence this content. See our Editorial Policy, Corrections, Affiliate Disclosure, and Disclaimer.
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