Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated October 3, 2026. Quick answer: Buckingham Strategic Wealth has the lower published fee at $500,000: up to $6,250 a year (the published maximum, which the firm says is negotiable), versus $10,000 a year for Baird, computed from each firm’s own SEC-filed fee disclosure. Where a firm publishes only a maximum rate, the figure shown is that maximum, and what you pay may be lower. See the full side-by-side table below for $250,000, $1 million and $2 million.
What each firm charges, side by side
| Account balance | Baird (annual fee) | Buckingham Strategic Wealth (annual fee) |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $5,000 | Up to $3,125 |
| $500,000 | $10,000 | Up to $6,250 |
| $1,000,000 | $20,000 | Up to $12,500 |
| $2,000,000 | $35,000 | Up to $25,000 |
Baird discloses a tiered schedule starting at 2.00% (Baird Private Wealth Management Wrap Fee Program Brochure, Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1, March 27, 2026); Buckingham Strategic Wealth discloses a published maximum rate of 1.25%, which the firm says is negotiable (Focus Partners Wealth, LLC Form ADV Part 2A Brochure, April 29, 2026).
What the fee includes, in each firm’s own words
Baird (Baird Private Wealth Management Wrap Fee Program Brochure, Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1, March 27, 2026): “Baird generally offers two types of asset-based fee arrangements: a tiered fee schedule and a breakpoint fee schedule. Under a tiered fee schedule, the asset-based fee will vary for different segments of client assets, gradually decreasing as the Account balance increases. Tiered Advice Fee Schedule: First $1,000,000, 2.00%; Next $1,000,000, 1.50%; Next $3,000,000, 1.35%; Next $5,000,000, 1.25%; Above $10,000,000, 1.00%.”
This is Baird’s marginal (tiered) Advice Fee schedule, which applies across essentially all of Baird’s Private Wealth Management discretionary/advisory programs; each bracket’s rate applies only to the assets inside that bracket. Baird also publishes an alternative whole-balance Breakpoint Advice Fee Schedule (2.00% up to $1M, 1.75% from $1M to just under $2M, 1.50% at $2M and above) that a client and advisor may choose instead; this page uses the tiered version, the one named first in the brochure. For programs that layer on a separate Portfolio Fee (0.00% for several core programs, roughly 0.10% to 0.77% or more for SMA/UMA strategies), the total cost can run higher than the Advice Fee alone.
Buckingham Strategic Wealth (Focus Partners Wealth, LLC Form ADV Part 2A Brochure, April 29, 2026): “Our fees are generally based on a percentage of the client’s assets under management with Focus Partners, generally as much as 1.25%; are negotiable; will vary from client to client, and are based on a number of factors, such as the client’s assets under Focus Partners’ management, scope of services to be provided, origins of the client relationship (including whether the client joined Focus Partners through a merger with another firm), and potential future revenues from the client relationship.”
Buckingham Strategic Wealth, LLC merged its advisory practice into Focus Partners Wealth, LLC on June 30, 2024; former Buckingham clients’ advisory agreements were assigned to Focus Partners, which is now the operating legal entity and CRD of record for what was Buckingham. Focus Partners’ current Form ADV discloses a single ceiling of ‘generally as much as 1.25%’ rather than a breakpoint table; rates are individually negotiated. The dollar figures apply the disclosed 1.25% ceiling as a flat rate to each balance.
How this compares
Our benchmark of published adviser fee schedules puts the weighted median annual cost near $2,000 to $2,500 on $250,000 (the benchmark). At $500,000, Baird runs $10,000 a year and Buckingham Strategic Wealth runs up to $6,250 a year (the published maximum): a difference of $3,750 a year between those figures at that balance.
Want the full breakdown for either firm on its own? Read the Baird fee page or the Buckingham Strategic Wealth fee page for the complete tier table and source citations.
Thinking about leaving one of these firms instead of pricing what you would pay to stay? See what it costs to leave Baird, or read the general mechanics of switching financial advisors.
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Buckingham Strategic Wealth runs up to $6,250 a year (the published maximum) at $500,000. See what else is available.
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Answer againSources
- Baird Private Wealth Management Wrap Fee Program Brochure, Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1 (March 27, 2026): https://www.bairdwealth.com/retailinvestor
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated (CRD #8158): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/8158
- Focus Partners Wealth, LLC Form ADV Part 2A Brochure (April 29, 2026): https://focus-financial.files.svdcdn.com/production/documents/Focus-Partners-Wealth-ADV-Part-2A-04.29.26.pdf?dm=1777575178
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Focus Partners Wealth, LLC (successor by merger to Buckingham Strategic Wealth, LLC, effective June 30, 2024) (CRD #159289): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/159289
Methodology. This page was built October 3, 2026, re-pairing figures already archived and independently verified for Baird and Buckingham Strategic Wealth from each firm’s own SEC-filed disclosure; sources linked above. Nothing here is personalized financial, tax, legal, or investment advice. See our Editorial Policy, Corrections, Affiliate Disclosure, and Disclaimer.