Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated October 3, 2026. Quick answer: Fisher Investments has the lower published fee at $500,000: $7,500 a year, versus $10,000 a year at Wells Fargo Advisors’ standard, negotiable 2.00% advisory fee (before separate Manager Fees of generally 0.0% to 0.50% and a 0.050% Platform Fee), computed from each firm’s own SEC-filed fee disclosure. Where a firm publishes only a maximum or standard rate, the figure shown is that rate, and what you pay may differ. 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 | Fisher Investments (annual fee) | Wells Fargo Advisors (standard advisory fee, before Manager and Platform Fees) |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $3,750 | Up to $5,000 |
| $500,000 | $7,500 | Up to $10,000 |
| $1,000,000 | $12,500 | Up to $20,000 |
| $2,000,000 | $23,750 | Up to $40,000 |
Fisher Investments discloses a tiered schedule starting at 1.25% on the first $1 million, with a 1.50% rate for smaller relationships (Fisher Investments Form ADV Part 2A, “Private Client” Brochure, February 11, 2026); Wells Fargo Advisors lists a standard, negotiable advisory fee of 2.00%, with Manager Fees and a 0.050% Platform Fee added on top (Wells Fargo Advisors Wrap Fee Brochure (Personalized Unified Managed Account Program), Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1, September 2025 (Rev 76-09/25)).
What the fee includes, in each firm’s own words
Fisher Investments (Fisher Investments Form ADV Part 2A, “Private Client” Brochure, February 11, 2026): While at times FI may negotiate rates other than those specified, FI’s private client basic billing rates for Equity and Blended Accounts, applied to one or more aggregated accounts owned by the same client, are an Annual Management Fee of 1.25% on the first $1 million, 1.125% on the next $4 million and 1.000% on additional amounts over $5 million. The brochure continues: “FI typically targets clients with at least $1,000,000 in investable assets but will accept smaller client relationships at FI’s discretion which will be billed at an annual rate of 1.50%. Clients with managed assets that fall below $900,000 due to withdrawal will be billed at the annual rate of 1.50%.”
Below roughly $900,000 to $1,000,000, Fisher bills a flat 1.50% relationship rate; at or above $1,000,000 the marginal Equity and Blended schedule above applies.
Wells Fargo Advisors (Wells Fargo Advisors Wrap Fee Brochure (Personalized Unified Managed Account Program), Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1, September 2025 (Rev 76-09/25)): “The Advisory Fee for the Personalized UMA Program, which is negotiable, is shown below. Some Accounts opened prior to September 15, 2018 are subject to different fees. Please consult the Program Features and Fee Schedule of your Client Agreement.” The schedule lists an annualized Advisory Fee of 2.00%, calculated on Account Value.
Wells Fargo Advisors does not publish a dollar-tiered breakpoint table for the Personalized UMA Program (or for its three sibling programs in the same brochure, FundSource, Private Advisor Network, and Customized Portfolios, which each disclose the identical flat 2.00% standard rate); it publishes a single standard, negotiable advisory fee. The figures above apply that 2.00% as a flat rate; your negotiated rate may differ. Separate third-party Manager Fees (generally 0.0% to 0.50%, manager-specific) are charged on top for any Manager strategy selected, and a non-negotiable Platform Fee of 0.050% applies to certain Program Accounts; at $500,000 the Platform Fee alone adds $250.
How this compares
The median ria charges roughly 1.0% of assets under management annually (the benchmark). At $500,000, Fisher Investments runs $7,500 a year and Wells Fargo Advisors’ standard advisory fee runs $10,000 a year, before Manager and Platform Fees: a difference of $2,500 a year between those figures at that balance. With the 0.050% Platform Fee and a Manager Fee at the top of the brochure’s general 0.50% range added, Wells Fargo would come to $10,250 to $12,750 at $500,000, so the gap widens rather than reverses.
Want the full breakdown for either firm on its own? Read the Fisher Investments fee page or the Wells Fargo Advisors 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 Fisher Investments or what it costs to leave Wells Fargo Advisors, or read the general mechanics of switching financial advisors.
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- Fisher Investments Form ADV Part 2A, “Private Client” Brochure (February 11, 2026): https://files.adviserinfo.sec.gov/IAPD/Content/Common/crd_iapd_Brochure.aspx?BRCHR_VRSN_ID=1008280
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Fisher Asset Management, LLC, doing business as Fisher Investments (CRD #107342): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/107342
- Wells Fargo Advisors Wrap Fee Brochure (Personalized Unified Managed Account Program), Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1 (September 2025 (Rev 76-09/25)): https://www.wellsfargoadvisors.com/disclosures/legal-disclosures.htm
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC (CRD #19616): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/19616
Methodology. This page was built October 3, 2026, re-pairing figures already archived and independently verified for Fisher Investments and Wells Fargo Advisors 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.