Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 19, 2026. Quick answer: Betterment Premium is less expensive at $500,000: $3,250 a year, versus $10,000 a year for Ameriprise, 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 | Ameriprise (annual fee) | Betterment Premium (annual fee) |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $5,000 | $1,625 |
| $500,000 | $10,000 | $3,250 |
| $1,000,000 | $20,000 | $6,500 |
| $2,000,000 | $40,000 | $5,000 |
Ameriprise discloses a maximum, individually negotiated rate of 2.0% (Ameriprise Managed Accounts Client Disclosure Brochure (Wrap Fee Program), Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1, June 2026); Betterment Premium discloses a tiered schedule starting at 0.65% (Form ADV Part 2A – Betterment Client Brochure (Betterment LLC), 2026-07-31).
What the fee includes, in each firm’s own words
Ameriprise (Ameriprise Managed Accounts Client Disclosure Brochure (Wrap Fee Program), Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1, June 2026): “The Asset-based Fee is comprised of the total of (1) a negotiable Advisory Fee of up to a maximum annual rate of 2.0%; (2) a Platform Fee rate that varies by Program; and (3) any applicable Manager Fee.” 2.00% maximum Advisory Fee (SPS Advisor Program), before an additional Platform Fee of 0.02% to 0.05% and an Investments and Infrastructure Support Fee of 0.03% that can stack on top.
Ameriprise’s SPS Advisor program (its discretionary flagship) discloses only a maximum negotiated Advisory Fee of 2.0%, not a public dollar-tiered table; actual per-tier minimum rates are deferred to a private, non-SEC-filed Relationship Agreement not available to the public. The figures above apply the disclosed 2.0% Advisory Fee ceiling as a flat rate. On top of it, a Platform Fee (0.02% to 0.05% of assets) and an Investments and Infrastructure Support Fee (0.03%) can apply, which together push the all-in disclosed maximum to about 2.08% (roughly $5,200 a year on $250,000 instead of $5,000).
Betterment Premium (Form ADV Part 2A – Betterment Client Brochure (Betterment LLC), 2026-07-31): “Retail Clients who receive Betterment Premium Services pay a wrap fee of 0.65% of their account balance in annualized fees, which includes Betterment’s 0.25% annualized wrap fee plus 0.40% for access to Premium Services provided by Betterment’s team of financial consultants (subject to the Discount described in Item 5B. below). Betterment waives the 0.40% fee for Premium Services on account balances above $1 million. … A balance of at least $100,000 is required to be eligible to participate in the Betterment Premium plan.”
Whole-balance (breakpoint) fee, not marginal: the 0.65% combined rate (0.25% base wrap fee + 0.40% Premium access fee) applies to the full balance once the $100,000 Premium minimum is met, up to and including $1,000,000 ($250,000 x 0.0065 = $1,625; $500,000 x 0.0065 = $3,250; $1,000,000 x 0.0065 = $6,500, since the brochure waives the 0.40% Premium fee only on balances ‘above’ $1 million, not at exactly $1 million). Above $1,000,000 the 0.40% Premium fee is waived, leaving only the 0.25% base wrap fee on the entire balance ($2,000,000 x 0.0025 = $5,000). This produces a real fee cliff where a $1,000,000 account pays more in dollar terms than a $2,000,000 account – that is a direct, disclosed consequence of the waiver threshold, not an error.
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, Ameriprise runs $10,000 a year and Betterment Premium runs $3,250 a year: a difference of $6,750 a year at that balance.
Want the full breakdown for either firm on its own? Read the Ameriprise fee page or the Betterment Premium 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 Ameriprise or what it costs to leave Betterment Premium, or read the general mechanics of switching financial advisors.
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- Ameriprise Managed Accounts Client Disclosure Brochure (Wrap Fee Program), Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1 (June 2026): https://www.ameriprise.com/legal/disclosures
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC (CRD #6363): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/6363
- Form ADV Part 2A – Betterment Client Brochure (Betterment LLC) (2026-07-31): https://files.adviserinfo.sec.gov/IAPD/Content/Common/crd_iapd_Brochure.aspx?BRCHR_VRSN_ID=1053566
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Betterment LLC (CRD #149117): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/149117
Methodology. This page was built September 19, 2026, re-pairing figures already archived and independently verified for Ameriprise and Betterment Premium 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.