Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 19, 2026. Quick answer: Buckingham Strategic Wealth is less expensive at $500,000: $6,250 a year, versus $11,250 a year for Commonwealth Financial Network, 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) | Commonwealth Financial Network (annual fee) |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $3,125 | $5,625 |
| $500,000 | $6,250 | $11,250 |
| $1,000,000 | $12,500 | $17,500 |
| $2,000,000 | $25,000 | $30,000 |
Buckingham Strategic Wealth discloses a maximum, individually negotiated rate of 1.25% (Focus Partners Wealth, LLC Form ADV Part 2A Brochure, April 29, 2026); Commonwealth Financial Network discloses a tiered schedule starting at 2.25% (Commonwealth Financial Network Form ADV Part 2A Brochure, March 30, 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).
Commonwealth Financial Network (Commonwealth Financial Network Form ADV Part 2A Brochure, March 30, 2026): “PPS Program Fee Schedules Following are the maximum allowable fee schedules for the various PPS programs. PPS Custom Program (Transactions) The maximum allowable annual management fee schedule for a new PPS Custom Program (Transactions) account is: Account Value Maximum Annual Management Fee Greater than or equal to Less than $0 $750,000 2.25% $750,000 $1,000,000 2.00% $1,000,000 $2,000,000 1.75% $2,000,000 – 1.50%”
This is Commonwealth’s disclosed maximum allowable annual management fee for the PPS Custom Program (Transactions), a whole-balance breakpoint schedule (the single rate for the bracket the account value falls into applies to the entire balance, per the brochure’s own worked breakpoint-schedule example on the preceding page). $250,000 and $500,000 both fall in the $0-<$750,000 bracket -> x2.25% = $5,625 and $11,250. $1,000,000 falls in the >=$1,000,000 and <$2,000,000 bracket -> x1.75% = $17,500. $2,000,000 falls in the >=$2,000,000 bracket -> x1.50% = $30,000. All Commonwealth advisory program management fees are stated to be negotiable between advisor and client, so this is a maximum, not necessarily what every client pays.
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 Commonwealth Financial Network runs $11,250 a year: a difference of $5,000 a year at that balance.
Want the full breakdown for either firm on its own? Read the Buckingham Strategic Wealth fee page or the Commonwealth Financial Network 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 Commonwealth Financial Network, or read the general mechanics of switching financial advisors.
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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
- Commonwealth Financial Network Form ADV Part 2A Brochure (March 30, 2026): https://files.adviserinfo.sec.gov/IAPD/Content/Common/crd_iapd_Brochure.aspx?BRCHR_VRSN_ID=1032557
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Commonwealth Financial Network (CRD #8032): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/8032
Methodology. This page was built September 19, 2026, re-pairing figures already archived and independently verified for Buckingham Strategic Wealth and Commonwealth Financial Network 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.