Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 19, 2026. Quick answer: Baird is less expensive at $500,000: $10,000 a year, versus $15,000 a year for Lincoln Financial Advisors, 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 | Baird (annual fee) | Lincoln Financial Advisors (annual fee) |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $5,000 | $7,500 |
| $500,000 | $10,000 | $15,000 |
| $1,000,000 | $20,000 | $30,000 |
| $2,000,000 | $35,000 | $60,000 |
Baird discloses a tiered schedule starting at 2.00% (Baird Private Wealth Management Wrap Fee Program Brochure, Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1, March 27, 2026); Lincoln Financial Advisors discloses a maximum, individually negotiated rate of 3.0% (Osaic FA, Inc. Premier Series Wealth Management Program, Form ADV Part 2A – Appendix 1 (Wrap Fee Program Brochure), October 1, 2024).
What the fee includes, in each firm’s own words
Baird (Baird Private Wealth Management Wrap Fee Program Brochure, Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1, March 27, 2026): “Baird generally offers two types of asset-based fee arrangements: a tiered fee schedule and a breakpoint fee schedule. Under a tiered fee schedule, the asset-based fee will vary for different segments of client assets, gradually decreasing as the Account balance increases. Tiered Advice Fee Schedule: First $1,000,000, 2.00%; Next $1,000,000, 1.50%; Next $3,000,000, 1.35%; Next $5,000,000, 1.25%; Above $10,000,000, 1.00%.”
This is Baird’s marginal (tiered) Advice Fee schedule, which applies across essentially all of Baird’s Private Wealth Management discretionary/advisory programs; each bracket’s rate applies only to the assets inside that bracket. Baird also publishes an alternative whole-balance Breakpoint Advice Fee Schedule (2.00% up to $1M, 1.75% from $1M to just under $2M, 1.50% at $2M and above) that a client and advisor may choose instead; this page uses the tiered version, the one named first in the brochure. For programs that layer on a separate Portfolio Fee (0.00% for several core programs, roughly 0.10% to 0.77% or more for SMA/UMA strategies), the total cost can run higher than the Advice Fee alone.
Lincoln Financial Advisors (Osaic FA, Inc. Premier Series Wealth Management Program, Form ADV Part 2A – Appendix 1 (Wrap Fee Program Brochure), October 1, 2024): “OFA updated this Brochure and Items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 to reflect the fact that Lincoln Financial Advisors Corporation has rebranded and changed its name to Osaic FA, Inc. effective June 6, 2024. … Prior to the rebrand and name change effective June 6, 2024 as detailed above, Items 4, 6, and 9 of this Brochure were updated on May 28, 2024 as part of an interim updating amendment to reflect the fact that Lincoln Financial Advisors Corporation was acquired by Osaic Holdings, Inc. effective May 6, 2024. … The maximum annual program fee in Premier is 3.00% of the client’s assets under management.”
IMPORTANT CONTEXT: Lincoln Financial Advisors Corporation ceased to exist as a distinct legal entity effective June 6, 2024 – it was acquired by Osaic Holdings, Inc. and renamed Osaic FA, Inc. (same CRD/registration, direct successor). CRD 3978’s SEC investment adviser registration was later terminated, effective January 28, 2025, and Osaic’s advisory business now runs through a different entity, Osaic Advisory Services, LLC (CRD 171070), which is SEC-registered today; both checked against SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure on September 19, 2026. The October 2024 brochure above is the last Premier Series brochure filed under CRD 3978 and is the source for the figures on this page. The Premier Series Program’s combined program fee (Sponsor Fee + Firm Fee + negotiable Adviser Fee + Manager/Strategist Fee + Broker-dealer/Custodian Fee, plus optional Overlay Services Fee) is capped at a disclosed maximum of 3.00% of AUM across all four Premier sub-programs; there is no single fixed published schedule since the Adviser Fee component is individually negotiated per client/IAR. dollar_at applies the disclosed 3.00% ceiling uniformly as the maximum a client could be charged (250000*0.03=7500; 500000*0.03=15000; 1000000*0.03=30000; 2000000*0.03=60000). Actual fees are typically lower and individually negotiated.
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, Baird runs $10,000 a year and Lincoln Financial Advisors runs $15,000 a year: a difference of $5,000 a year at that balance.
Want the full breakdown for either firm on its own? Read the Baird fee page or the Lincoln Financial 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 Baird, or read the general mechanics of switching financial advisors.
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- Baird Private Wealth Management Wrap Fee Program Brochure, Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1 (March 27, 2026): https://www.bairdwealth.com/retailinvestor
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated (CRD #8158): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/8158
- Osaic FA, Inc. Premier Series Wealth Management Program, Form ADV Part 2A – Appendix 1 (Wrap Fee Program Brochure) (October 1, 2024): https://files.adviserinfo.sec.gov/IAPD/Content/Common/crd_iapd_Brochure.aspx?BRCHR_VRSN_ID=926535
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Osaic Advisory Services, LLC (CRD #171070): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/171070
- Registration note: K74’s own fee page for Lincoln Financial Advisors cites CRD 3978 (Osaic FA, Inc.), whose SEC investment-adviser registration was terminated January 28, 2025. Lincoln’s advisory business today runs through Osaic Advisory Services, LLC (CRD 171070), the entity cited here.
Methodology. This page was built September 19, 2026, re-pairing figures already archived and independently verified for Baird and Lincoln Financial 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.