Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated October 3, 2026. Quick answer: Edward Jones is less expensive at $500,000: $6,875 a year, versus $10,000 a year for Baird, computed from each firm’s own SEC-filed fee disclosure. 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) | Edward Jones (annual fee) |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $5,000 | $3,500 |
| $500,000 | $10,000 | $6,875 |
| $1,000,000 | $20,000 | $13,075 |
| $2,000,000 | $35,000 | $23,375 |
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); Edward Jones discloses a tiered schedule starting at 1.40% (Edward Jones Guided Solutions Flex Account Schedule of Fees, February 2025 (REV. FEB 2025, document IAS-10455O-A-FS)).
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.
Edward Jones (Edward Jones Guided Solutions Flex Account Schedule of Fees, February 2025 (REV. FEB 2025, document IAS-10455O-A-FS)): “The Guided Solutions Flex Fee is comprised of the Program Fee and the Platform Fee, net of any applicable fee reduction or fee offset. The Program Fee is assessed beginning at an annual fee rate of 1.35%, payable monthly in arrears: First $250,000, 1.35%; Next $250,000, 1.30%; Next $500,000, 1.20%; Next $1,500,000, 1.00%; Next $2,500,000, 0.80%; Next $5,000,000, 0.60%; Over $10,000,000, 0.50%. A Platform Fee is charged on accounts enrolled in Guided Solutions Flex. This fee is in addition to the Program Fee. The Platform Fee is assessed beginning at an annual fee rate of 0.05%, payable monthly in arrears.”
Edward Jones’s Guided Solutions Flex Fee is a marginal (tiered) schedule: each bracket’s combined rate (Program Fee plus Platform Fee) applies only to the slice of assets inside that bracket, like a tax bracket, not the whole balance. $500,000 pays $3,500 plus 1.35% on the next $250,000 ($3,375) for $6,875; $1,000,000 pays $6,875 plus 1.24% on the next $500,000 ($6,200) for $13,075; $2,000,000 pays $13,075 plus 1.03% on the next $1,000,000 ($10,300, since $2,000,000 still falls inside the $1,000,000-to-$2,500,000 bracket) for $23,375. Edward Jones also offers a separate, generally non-discretionary brokerage-style program (Guided Solutions Fund, mutual-fund-only) that carries the identical rate table; this page uses the broader Guided Solutions Flex version, which covers stocks, bonds, ETFs and mutual funds. The dollar figures in the table apply the schedule’s rates 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 Edward Jones runs $6,875 a year: a difference of $3,125 a year at that balance.
Want the full breakdown for either firm on its own? Read the Baird fee page or the Edward Jones 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 what it costs to leave Edward Jones, or read the general mechanics of switching financial advisors.
Find the right next step for your situation
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Edward Jones runs $6,875 a year at $500,000. See what else is available.
If your portfolio is $250,000 or more, this connects you (free, with no obligation to hire anyone) with 2 to 3 vetted advisors.
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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
- Edward Jones Guided Solutions Flex Account Schedule of Fees (February 2025 (REV. FEB 2025, document IAS-10455O-A-FS)): https://www.edwardjones.com/us-en/disclosures
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P. (CRD #250): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/250
Methodology. This page was built October 3, 2026, re-pairing figures already archived and independently verified for Baird and Edward Jones 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.