Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 18, 2026. Quick answer: Betterment Premium is less expensive at $500,000: $3,250 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 | Betterment Premium (annual fee) | Lincoln Financial Advisors (annual fee) |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $1,625 | $7,500 |
| $500,000 | $3,250 | $15,000 |
| $1,000,000 | $6,500 | $30,000 |
| $2,000,000 | $5,000 | $60,000 |
Betterment Premium discloses a tiered schedule starting at 0.65% (Form ADV Part 2A – Betterment Client Brochure (Betterment LLC), 2026-07-31); 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
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.
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, Betterment Premium runs $3,250 a year and Lincoln Financial Advisors runs $15,000 a year: a difference of $11,750 a year at that balance.
Want the full breakdown for either firm on its own? Read the Betterment Premium 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 Betterment Premium, or read the general mechanics of switching financial advisors.
Compare your next step
Just comparing fees? Keep reading the fee guide.Optional next step
Explore an adviser match
Compare the services and the full fee before deciding whether to hire anyone.
- No fee to request a match
- No obligation to hire
Expect questions about your situation, your name, email and phone, and phone verification by text. A match is not guaranteed.
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.
Opens here. Nothing loads and nothing reaches Kapitalwise until you press the button.
How our partner relationships workCompare an adviser match before you decide
Ask about the full fee, what it covers and how the adviser is paid. A match is an introduction, not a recommendation from Clear Money Guide.
- Free matching service
- No obligation to hire
The matching service is run by WiserAdvisor, an independent advisor-matching company. It opens on their site, asks for your ZIP code and a few questions, and matches you with 2 to 3 vetted advisors. It is free to you. WiserAdvisor states the service is built for portfolios of $250,000 and above. By submitting, you consent to emails, phone calls and text messages from WiserAdvisor and up to three advisors, so expect to be contacted. Advisers pay for the introduction. Clear Money Guide is paid when you complete the form, whether or not you ever hire anyone. There is no obligation to hire anyone.
Continue to WiserAdvisorOpens on WiserAdvisor’s site in a new tab.
Source: WiserAdvisor’s service descriptionSources
- 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
- 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 18, 2026, re-pairing figures already archived and independently verified for Betterment Premium 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.