Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 28, 2026. Quick answer: Vista Capital Partners is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser (CRD #114913, listed as ACTIVE in the SEC’s IAPD firm summary, checked October 25, 2026). Per its own current fee brochure, a $500,000 account would run $4,500 a year under its standard fee schedule, before any negotiated change or separate independent-manager fee. 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.
Vista Capital Partners at a glance
| Fact | What Vista Capital Partners’ own pages say |
|---|---|
| Legal entity | Vista Capital Partners, Inc. |
| Registration | Vista Capital Partners, Inc. is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser (CRD #114913, listed as ACTIVE in the SEC’s IAPD firm summary, checked October 25, 2026). |
| Fee on a $500,000 account | $4,500 a year on its standard schedule (negotiable; independent-manager fees, if used, are extra), per its own current brochure |
| Minimum to open an account | Generally $2 million of assets to begin an engagement, which the firm may waive (Item 7 of its Form ADV Part 2A) |
| Cost to leave (exit fee) | $50 at Schwab |
What Vista Capital Partners’ own fee schedule charges
Vista Capital Partners, Inc. is the registered adviser, a Portland, Oregon firm, and the SEC record lists no other name. The priced figure is Vista’s standard fee schedule; the brochure also prints a separate Institutional Client schedule, which is not used.
“Fees are generally negotiable and may vary from the schedule listed below. Vista’s standard fee schedule is as follows: Annual Fee .90% of the first $2,000,000 .75% of the next $3,000,000 .60% of the next $5,000,000 .45% of the next $10,000,000 .30% of the amount over $20,000,000”
The schedule is worded as first, next and over amounts, so each rate is applied only to the band it covers, with the bands stacked. The brochure says Vista generally requires a minimum of $2 million of assets to begin an engagement but may waive minimum asset and minimum fee levels, so the $250,000 and $500,000 rows show what the schedule would produce rather than a typical engagement size. The brochure gives no dollar amount for a minimum fee (it only refers to waiving minimum fee levels), so no floor is applied here. Fees are generally negotiable and may vary from the schedule, so it is the firm’s standard rather than a guaranteed charge.
What the same brochure says about fees charged on top of this schedule: “The investment management fee charged by the Independent Manager[s] is separate from, and in addition to, Vista’s investment advisory fee disclosed at Item 5 below.” 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 | $2,250 |
| $500,000 | $4,500 |
| $1,000,000 | $9,000 |
| $2,000,000 | $18,000 |
These figures come directly from Vista Capital Partners’ own current fee brochure, cited in Sources below.
Registration
Vista Capital Partners, Inc. is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser (CRD #114913, listed as ACTIVE in the SEC’s IAPD firm summary, checked October 25, 2026).
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
Vista Capital Partners, Inc.’s Form ADV Part 2A states “Upon termination of any account, any earned, unpaid fees will be due and payable.” Vista Capital Partners, Inc. generally recommends in its brochure that client accounts be maintained at Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.’s own published fee schedule states “Full transfer (out) of assets $50 per account”.
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 (March 31, 2026): https://files.adviserinfo.sec.gov/IAPD/Content/Common/crd_iapd_Brochure.aspx?BRCHR_VRSN_ID=1029979
- SEC IAPD firm summary (CRD #114913, checked September 28, 2026): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/114913
Methodology. This page was built September 28, 2026, drawing directly on Vista Capital 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 Vista Capital Partners’ own Form ADV Part 2A and Form CRS. We have not used Vista Capital Partners as a client. Vista Capital Partners did not pay for, review, or influence this content. See our Editorial Policy, Corrections, Affiliate Disclosure, and Disclaimer.