Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 25, 2026. Quick answer: At Brighton Jones, a $500,000 account runs $10,000 a year under its own current fee schedule. The three cheapest comparable options we track: Vanguard Personal Advisor ($1,750 a year), a flat-fee or hourly advisor ($2,500-$10,000+/year (flat annual planning), or $150-$500/hour, priced by scope rather than assets), and Acorns ($48 a year, robo/hybrid). Brighton Jones is registered investment adviser (fiduciary); its minimum to open an account is no published minimum account size ($10,000/year fee floor).
Brighton Jones vs. the three cheapest comparable options
| Option | Fee at $500,000 | Minimum | Fiduciary status | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brighton Jones (this firm) | $10,000 | no published minimum account size ($10,000/year fee floor) | Registered investment adviser (fiduciary) | Brighton Jones fees |
| Vanguard Personal Advisor (lower-fee full-service) | $1,750 | $50,000 | Registered investment adviser (fiduciary) | Vanguard Personal Advisor fees |
| Flat-fee or hourly advisor | $2,500-$10,000+/year (flat annual planning), or $150-$500/hour | No AUM minimum; scope-based (project or hourly) | Varies by advisor; many fee-only planners in this category are also registered investment advisers acting in a fiduciary capacity, but confirm each one’s own Form ADV/CRS individually | Compare flat-fee ranges |
| Acorns (robo/hybrid) | $48 | No minimum account size | Registered investment adviser (fiduciary) | Acorns fees |
This site’s own already-published flat-fee guide aggregates common 2026 flat-fee and hourly comparison anchors (see the guide’s own “Flat fee financial advisor cost table”); a flat or hourly quote does not scale with account size the way an AUM percentage does, so no single figure is comparable across all account sizes.
Full detail on Brighton Jones’ own numbers: fee schedule, fiduciary status, and minimum to open an account.
What each alternative actually is
Vanguard Personal Advisor is the cheapest full-service (human-advisor) firm in our fee+fiduciary+minimum universe: $1,750 a year on a $500,000 account, per its own current fee schedule. See its full fee breakdown and fiduciary status.
Flat-fee or hourly advisors charge a stated dollar amount for an agreed scope instead of a percentage of assets: $2,500-$10,000+/year (flat annual planning), or $150-$500/hour. Because the price does not scale with account size, it can be relatively cheaper at higher balances and relatively more expensive at lower ones. See the full flat-fee cost-range table.
Acorns is the cheapest robo/hybrid firm in our fee+fiduciary+minimum universe: $48 a year on a $500,000 account, per its own current fee schedule. See its full fee breakdown and fiduciary status.
Run your own numbers
Price any percentage fee in dollars over time with the Financial Advisor Fee Calculator, or see the full published-fee landscape on the financial advisor fee comparison.
Already a Brighton Jones client and weighing whether to move? See our full Brighton Jones review.
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
- Brighton Jones, LLC Form ADV Part 2A, Firm Brochure (March 31, 2026): https://files.adviserinfo.sec.gov/IAPD/Content/Common/crd_iapd_Brochure.aspx?BRCHR_VRSN_ID=1038999
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Brighton Jones, LLC (CRD #108601): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/108601
- Brighton Jones, LLC, SEC Form ADV filing: https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/reports/ADV/108601/PDF/108601.pdf
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Vanguard Advisers, Inc. (CRD #106715): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/106715
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Acorns Advisers, LLC (CRD #165926): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/165926
- Clear Money Guide, “Flat Fee Financial Advisor” cost-range table: /flat-fee-financial-advisor/
Methodology. This page was built September 25, 2026, drawing on Brighton Jones’ own current fee brochure (linked above) and this site’s own already-published, already independently sourced fee, fiduciary, and minimum-investment pages for the comparable firms named here. The named comparable(s) are the cheapest firm in our tracked full-service and/or robo/hybrid categories by their own published $500,000 fee figure, not a ranked or personalized recommendation. Any distinction we could not independently confirm this session is named as an honest gap rather than presented as verified. Nothing here is personalized financial, tax, legal, or investment advice. We have not used Brighton Jones as a client. Brighton Jones did not pay for, review, or influence this content. See our Editorial Policy, Corrections, Affiliate Disclosure, and Disclaimer.