Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 19, 2026. Quick answer: Betterment Premium is less expensive at $500,000: $3,250 a year, versus $12,500 a year for Mariner Wealth 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) | Mariner Wealth Advisors (annual fee) |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $1,625 | $6,250 |
| $500,000 | $3,250 | $12,500 |
| $1,000,000 | $6,500 | $25,000 |
| $2,000,000 | $5,000 | $50,000 |
Betterment Premium discloses a tiered schedule starting at 0.65% (Form ADV Part 2A – Betterment Client Brochure (Betterment LLC), 2026-07-31); Mariner Wealth Advisors discloses a maximum, individually negotiated rate of 2.5% (Mariner, LLC (d/b/a Mariner Wealth Advisors) Form ADV Part 2A Brochure, March 30, 2023).
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.
Mariner Wealth Advisors (Mariner, LLC (d/b/a Mariner Wealth Advisors) Form ADV Part 2A Brochure, March 30, 2023): “The structure and level of our advisory fee will vary by client based upon the services provided and other considerations deemed relevant by us, but typically takes the form of a percentage of assets under management and/or advisement, ranging up to 2.50% per annum. … All fee arrangements are subject to negotiation.”
Mariner does not publish a dollar-breakpoint fee table; its Form ADV states a single ceiling of ‘ranging up to 2.50% per annum,’ individually negotiated per client. The dollar figures apply the disclosed 2.50% ceiling as a flat rate to each balance (balance x 0.025); an actual negotiated rate is very likely lower, especially at higher balances. Note on currency: this is the combined CRS/ADV Part 2A/Privacy document currently live at Mariner’s own published URL; its internal revision date, stated on the cover page, is March 30, 2023 – no more recent public version of Mariner, LLC’s firm-level Part 2A brochure (as opposed to smaller affiliated entities like Mariner Institutional or Mariner Platform Solutions) could be located.
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 Mariner Wealth Advisors runs $12,500 a year: a difference of $9,250 a year at that balance.
Want the full breakdown for either firm on its own? Read the Betterment Premium fee page or the Mariner Wealth 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.
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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
- Mariner, LLC (d/b/a Mariner Wealth Advisors) Form ADV Part 2A Brochure (March 30, 2023): https://www.marinerwealthadvisors.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/MWA-CRS-ADV-PART-2A-PRIVACY.pdf
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Mariner, LLC d/b/a Mariner Wealth Advisors (CRD #140195): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/140195
Methodology. This page was built September 19, 2026, re-pairing figures already archived and independently verified for Betterment Premium and Mariner Wealth 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.