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Updated September 28, 2026. Quick answer: Advisory Alpha is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser (CRD #158282, confirmed ACTIVE this session via SEC IAPD). Per its own current fee brochure, a $500,000 account would run up to $8,500 a year (the published maximum) under its published fee schedule. Already a client and thinking about leaving? Budget $50 if Schwab custodies your account. This review covers what its own fee brochure and current SEC registration confirm today; it does not assess fiduciary status or account minimums.
Advisory Alpha at a glance
| Fact | What Advisory Alpha’s own pages say |
|---|---|
| Legal entity | Advisory Alpha, LLC |
| Registration | Advisory Alpha, LLC is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser (CRD #158282, confirmed ACTIVE this session via SEC IAPD). |
| Fee on a $500,000 account | Up to $8,500 a year (the published maximum), per its own current brochure |
| Minimum to open an account | Not assessed in this review; see Item 5 of its Form ADV Part 2A |
| Cost to leave (exit fee) | $50 if Schwab custodies your account |
What Advisory Alpha’s own fee schedule charges
IAPD lists the firm as Advisory Alpha, LLC, with several d-b-a names on record. The priced ceiling is the firm’s asset-based advisory fee for clients managed by its investment advisor representatives.
“We generally charge asset-based fees which means that fees are calculated as a percentage of your total assets under management, and range from .10% to 1.70% depending on the services provided. Individual accounts may be assessed differing fees but the average asset-based fee for your total assets will not exceed 1.70%.”
The brochure states that the average asset-based fee across a client’s total assets will not exceed 1.70%, so each balance is priced at that stated maximum. Any minimum annual fee is set case by case by the representative and no dollar amount is published, so no floor is applied.
The table below is the firm’s own advisory fee schedule. Fund expenses, custodian charges and any third-party manager or platform fees are generally separate from an advisory fee like this one; Item 5 of the brochure lists what applies to a given account.
| Account balance | Annual fee |
|---|---|
| $250,000 | $4,250 |
| $500,000 | $8,500 |
| $1,000,000 | $17,000 |
| $2,000,000 | $34,000 |
These figures come directly from Advisory Alpha’s own current fee brochure, cited in Sources below.
Registration
Advisory Alpha, LLC is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser (CRD #158282, confirmed ACTIVE this session via SEC IAPD).
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
Advisory Alpha, LLC’s Form ADV Part 2A states “You may terminate your advisory agreement with thirty (30) days’ written notice.” Advisory Alpha, LLC names two possible custodians in its brochure, with no single default. Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.’s own published fee schedule states “Full transfer (out) of assets” National Financial Services LLC / Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC discloses no comparable line item (an honest gap).
The general mechanics of switching financial advisors and a dated termination letter apply regardless of firm.
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- Form ADV Part 2A (March 30, 2026): https://files.adviserinfo.sec.gov/IAPD/Content/Common/crd_iapd_Brochure.aspx?BRCHR_VRSN_ID=1037580
- SEC IAPD firm summary (CRD #158282, checked September 28, 2026): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/158282
Methodology. This page was built September 28, 2026, drawing directly on Advisory Alpha’s 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 Advisory Alpha’s own Form ADV Part 2A and Form CRS. We have not used Advisory Alpha as a client. Advisory Alpha did not pay for, review, or influence this content. See our Editorial Policy, Corrections, Affiliate Disclosure, and Disclaimer.
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