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AUM Fees at $3M 2026: 1%, 0.75%, 0.50% Cost

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AUM fees at $3M tableAt $3M, small percentages are large dollarsMethodology

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Updated July 7, 2026. Quick answer (2026): AUM fees at $3M are about $30,000/year at 1.00%, $22,500/year at 0.75%, and $15,000/year at 0.50% before fund, platform, overlay, trading, tax-prep, or implementation costs. The right comparison is annual cost plus written scope, not the percentage alone.

AUM fees at $3M table

AUM rate Annual advisor fee Ask before accepting
1.00% $30,000/year Is this full-service planning, or mainly investment management?
0.75% $22,500/year What breakpoints, caps, or household billing rules apply?
0.50% $15,000/year Are tax, estate, charitable, and concentrated-stock planning included?

Compare nearby balances: AUM fees at $500k, AUM fees at $1M, AUM fees at $2M, and financial advisor fees for a $3 million portfolio.

At $3 million, where does the measured cost sit?The measured band against this page’s own 0.50 / 0.75 / 1.00% ladder.At $3 million, where does the measuredcost sit?The measured band against this page’s own 0.50/ 0.75 / 1.00% ladder.0.50% of your balance0.75% of your balance1.00% of your balanceWhat firms actually disclose (measured)$15,000$22,500$30,000$24,000 to $26,000$0$12,000$24,000$36,000The band sits entirely between this page’s0.75% and 1.00% lines.The band is an identification interval, not amargin of error. Where a filing discloses afee range rather than one schedule, its lowand high ends are carried through separately;midpoints are never invented.The three grey bars are this page’s ownarithmetic on a rate you might be quoted. Onlythe band is measured.These are disclosed prices, not paid prices.Many firms negotiate, and many disclose nocomputable price at all.Source: Clear Money Guide Research Team, 2026 Advisor FeeBenchmark v1.1, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21762538, CC BY 4.0 —annual cost computed from the Form ADV Part 2A feedisclosures of 176 SEC-registered investment advisers andweighted to a screened frame of 9,234 advisers that serveindividual clients. Aggregate table read from the deposit onAugust 17, 2026.
Annual advisory cost at $3 million: what this page’s rate ladder computes, against what SEC-registered firms actually disclose. Axis maximum $36,000, shared with the other pages in this family so the bands are comparable between balances. The benchmark is a provisional release: its own charter asks for 200 completed firms and this deposit has 176, so treat these as indicative.

A quarter of a point is about $7,500 a year at this balance.

The table above prices the same $3,000,000 at $30,000, $22,500 and $15,000 a year depending only on the rate you agree to. Which of those you end up paying is a negotiation, and a second written quote is the cheapest leverage in it. The matching service below introduces you to advisers who pay to meet you.

Before you start, what actually happens. The form is run by Kapitalwise, our advisor-matching partner. Kapitalwise sends your details to advisers who pay for the introduction, so expect calls and texts. Clear Money Guide is paid when you submit the form, whether or not you ever hire anyone. This is free to you and there is no obligation to hire anyone.

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At $3M, small percentages are large dollars

  • A 0.25 percentage-point difference equals about $7,500/year on a $3M portfolio.
  • Ask whether tax, estate, charitable, and implementation work is included or billed separately.
  • Compare the same scope against flat annual planning, retainer, hourly/project, and robo-supported options.

Methodology

  • We convert common AUM rates into annual dollar amounts for a $3,000,000 portfolio.
  • We compare AUM with flat annual, hourly, project, retainer, and robo-supported alternatives by scope and cost.
  • This page was materially reviewed on July 7, 2026. It is educational, not personalized financial, tax, legal, or investment advice.

Editorial standards: Editorial Policy

What firms actually disclose at this balance. In our own benchmark of published adviser fee schedules, the weighted median annual cost at $3,000,000 is $24,000 to $26,000, taken from the Form ADV Part 2A filings of 176 SEC-registered advisers. The full benchmark, with method.

Where $3M sits in the wider schedule: AUM fee breakpoints from $250k to $3M. To price a different balance, use the AUM fee calculator.

See whether an adviser match is worth comparing