Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 19, 2026. Quick answer: Buckingham Strategic Wealth is less expensive at $500,000: $6,250 a year, versus $11,875 a year for Cetera, 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 | Buckingham Strategic Wealth (annual fee) | Cetera (annual fee) |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $3,125 | $6,250 |
| $500,000 | $6,250 | $11,875 |
| $1,000,000 | $12,500 | $20,625 |
| $2,000,000 | $25,000 | $35,625 |
Buckingham Strategic Wealth discloses a maximum, individually negotiated rate of 1.25% (Focus Partners Wealth, LLC Form ADV Part 2A Brochure, April 29, 2026); Cetera discloses a tiered schedule starting at 2.50% (Cetera Investment Advisers LLC Form ADV Part 2A Brochure, August 12, 2026).
What the fee includes, in each firm’s own words
Buckingham Strategic Wealth (Focus Partners Wealth, LLC Form ADV Part 2A Brochure, April 29, 2026): “Our fees are generally based on a percentage of the client’s assets under management with Focus Partners, generally as much as 1.25%; are negotiable; will vary from client to client, and are based on a number of factors, such as the client’s assets under Focus Partners’ management, scope of services to be provided, origins of the client relationship (including whether the client joined Focus Partners through a merger with another firm), and potential future revenues from the client relationship.”
Buckingham Strategic Wealth, LLC merged its advisory practice into Focus Partners Wealth, LLC on June 30, 2024; former Buckingham clients’ advisory agreements were assigned to Focus Partners, which is now the operating legal entity and CRD of record for what was Buckingham. Focus Partners’ current Form ADV discloses a single ceiling of ‘generally as much as 1.25%’ rather than a breakpoint table; rates are individually negotiated. The dollar figures apply the disclosed 1.25% ceiling as a flat rate to each balance (balance x 0.0125).
Cetera (Cetera Investment Advisers LLC Form ADV Part 2A Brochure, August 12, 2026): “Preferred Asset Management Program Advisory Fee Schedules Preferred Fee Schedule Account Size Maximum Annual Fee First $0 – $250,000 2.50% Next $250,001 – $500,000 2.25% Next $500,001 – $1,000,000 1.75% Next $1,000,001 – $2,500,000 1.50% Next $2,500,001 – $5,000,000 1.25% Next $5,000,001 – Over 1.00%”
This is the maximum allowable fee schedule for Cetera’s Preferred Asset Management Program (used as the representative program; Cetera discloses several similar programs – Prime, Premier, xMA – with slightly different max rates). It is a marginal/tiered schedule like a tax bracket: each dollar slice is billed at its own bracket’s rate and the amounts are summed. $250,000: 250,000×2.50%=$6,250. $500,000: $6,250 + (250,000×2.25%=$5,625) = $11,875. $1,000,000: +$8,750 (500,000×1.75%, the 500,001-1,000,000 slice) = $20,625. $2,000,000: +$15,000 (1,000,000×1.50%, the portion of the 1,000,001-2,500,000 slice up to $2,000,000) = $35,625. Bracket boundaries treated as contiguous $-width slices (e.g. 250,000 wide) for the arithmetic, consistent with how Cetera’s own brochure works a similar blended-fee example elsewhere in the document. Advisor may charge less; this is the stated maximum.
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, Buckingham Strategic Wealth runs $6,250 a year and Cetera runs $11,875 a year: a difference of $5,625 a year at that balance.
Want the full breakdown for either firm on its own? Read the Buckingham Strategic Wealth fee page or the Cetera fee page for the complete tier table and source citations.
Comparing these two against a full move? Read the general mechanics of switching financial advisors, or use a dated termination letter once you decide.
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- Focus Partners Wealth, LLC Form ADV Part 2A Brochure (April 29, 2026): https://focus-financial.files.svdcdn.com/production/documents/Focus-Partners-Wealth-ADV-Part-2A-04.29.26.pdf?dm=1777575178
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Focus Partners Wealth, LLC (successor by merger to Buckingham Strategic Wealth, LLC, effective June 30, 2024) (CRD #159289): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/159289
- Cetera Investment Advisers LLC Form ADV Part 2A Brochure (August 12, 2026): https://files.adviserinfo.sec.gov/IAPD/Content/Common/crd_iapd_Brochure.aspx?BRCHR_VRSN_ID=1054832
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Cetera Investment Advisers LLC (CRD #105644): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/105644
Methodology. This page was built September 19, 2026, re-pairing figures already archived and independently verified for Buckingham Strategic Wealth and Cetera 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.