Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated October 3, 2026. Quick answer: Creative Planning is less expensive at $500,000: $6,000 a year, versus up to $8,550 a year for Primerica (the 1.25% maximum Advisory fee, which the brochure says is negotiable, plus the 0.46% Program fee, which generally is not; an Asset Manager fee of 0.00% to 0.50% can apply on top), 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.
The Creative Planning fees are shown in dollars at four balances on their own page.
What each firm charges, side by side
| Account balance | Creative Planning (annual fee) | Primerica (maximum Advisory plus Program fee, annual, before any Asset Manager fee) |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $3,000 | Up to $4,350 |
| $500,000 | $6,000 | Up to $8,550 |
| $1,000,000 | $11,000 | Up to $15,200 |
| $2,000,000 | $21,000 | Up to $27,600 |
Creative Planning discloses a tiered schedule starting at 1.20% (Creative Planning, LLC Form ADV Part 2A, March 31, 2026); Primerica discloses a tiered schedule with a maximum advisory fee of 1.25% plus a 0.49% program fee, 1.74% in total at the lowest account tier, before an Asset Manager fee of 0.00% to 0.50% (PFS Investments Inc. (Primerica Advisors) Wrap Fee Program Brochure, Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1, March 30, 2026).
What the fee includes, in each firm’s own words
Creative Planning (Creative Planning, LLC Form ADV Part 2A, March 31, 2026): “Annual Fee Calculation: 1.20% on the first $500,000, then 1.00% on assets of $500,001-$2,000,000, then .85% on assets of $2,000,001-$5,000,000, then .80% on assets of $5,000,001-$10,000,000, then .70% on assets of $10,000,001-$25,000,000, then .40% on assets of $25,000,001-$50,000,000, then .30% on assets of $50,000,001-$100,000,000, then .25% on assets over $100,000,000.”
Creative Planning generally requires new clients to have a minimum of $200,000 in assets under management, which it may waive at its discretion. The schedule shown is its standard fee schedule. Clients with assets under management below $500,000 may be charged a minimum management fee, communicated in the client agreement documents, so the $250,000 figure above may be higher in practice. The brochure also says fees and how they are charged are negotiable.
Primerica (PFS Investments Inc. (Primerica Advisors) Wrap Fee Program Brochure, Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1, March 30, 2026): Primerica’s maximum Advisory fee is 1.25% on accounts up to $500,000, 1.10% from $500,000.01 to $1,000,000, 1.00% from $1,000,000.01 to $3,000,000, 0.85% from $3,000,000.01 to $5,000,000, 0.80% from $5,000,000.01 to $10,000,000 and 0.75% above $10,000,000. The Program fee is 0.49% up to $250,000, 0.46% from $250,000.01 to $500,000, 0.42% from $500,000.01 to $1,000,000, 0.38% from $1,000,000.01 to $3,000,000, 0.30% from $3,000,000.01 to $5,000,000, 0.20% from $5,000,000.01 to $10,000,000 and 0.10% above $10,000,000. The brochure says the Advisory fee is negotiable and the Program fee generally is not.
Primerica Advisors is a breakpoint schedule: only the rate for your bracket applies, to the whole balance. This covers PFS Investments’ Lifetime Investment Program specifically, not the term life insurance, mutual fund and annuity products that Primerica, Inc.’s subsidiaries distribute. An additional Asset Manager fee (0.00% to 0.50%, depending on the model selected) can apply on top.
How this compares
The median ria charges roughly 1.0% of assets under management annually (the benchmark). At $500,000, Creative Planning runs $6,000 a year and Primerica’s maximum Advisory plus Program fee works out to up to $8,550 a year (before any Asset Manager fee of 0.00% to 0.50%, which would add up to $2,500): a difference of up to $2,550 a year between those figures at that balance. Primerica’s Advisory fee is negotiable while its $2,300 Program fee generally is not, so the order is not fixed: an Advisory fee of about 0.74% ($3,700 at $500,000) or less would put Primerica at or below Creative Planning’s $6,000 before any Asset Manager fee.
Want the full breakdown for either firm on its own? Read the Creative Planning fee page or the Primerica 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 Primerica, or read the general mechanics of switching financial advisors.
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Answer againSources
- Creative Planning, LLC Form ADV Part 2A (March 31, 2026): https://creativeplanning.com/wp-content/uploads/Creative-Planning-Form-ADV-Part-2A.pdf
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Creative Planning, LLC (CRD #105348): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/105348
- PFS Investments Inc. (Primerica Advisors) Wrap Fee Program Brochure, Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1 (March 30, 2026): https://www.primerica.com/public/pdf/PFSI-PriAdvForADVWraFeeProBro.pdf
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, PFS Investments Inc. (Primerica Advisors) (CRD #10111): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/10111
Methodology. This page was built October 3, 2026, re-pairing figures already archived and independently verified for Creative Planning and Primerica 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.