Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 19, 2026. Quick answer: Buckingham Strategic Wealth is less expensive at $500,000: $6,250 a year, versus $12,500 a year for Osaic, 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) | Osaic (annual fee) |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $3,125 | $6,250 |
| $500,000 | $6,250 | $12,500 |
| $1,000,000 | $12,500 | $25,000 |
| $2,000,000 | $25,000 | $50,000 |
Buckingham Strategic Wealth discloses a maximum, individually negotiated rate of 1.25% (Focus Partners Wealth, LLC Form ADV Part 2A Brochure, April 29, 2026); Osaic discloses a maximum, individually negotiated rate of 2.5% (Osaic Advisory Services, LLC (d/b/a Osaic Advisors) Form ADV Part 2A Brochure, Current as of August 31, 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).
Osaic (Osaic Advisory Services, LLC (d/b/a Osaic Advisors) Form ADV Part 2A Brochure, Current as of August 31, 2026): “The Ally Account has no minimum account size and advisory fees are negotiable. Advisory fees are billed monthly or quarterly and you have the option of choosing the billing methodology (flat, linear, or tiered); these elections are made on your advisory agreement. Advisory fees are negotiable, but the maximum annual fee allowed, regardless of account size, is 2.50%.”
Checked both Osaic Wealth, Inc. (CRD 23131, the broker-dealer-affiliated entity) and Osaic Advisory Services, LLC (CRD 171070, the corporate RIA sub-brand ‘Osaic Advisors’). Osaic Wealth’s Part 2A repeatedly states each Advisory Representative negotiates his/her own client fee schedule with no firm-wide cap disclosed for its general asset-management programs (only narrow caps for a retirement-plan consulting product and an annuity sub-fee, neither a general AUM schedule). Osaic Advisory Services’ Part 2A does disclose a firm-wide ceiling for its flagship Ally Account and repeats an identical 2.50% maximum for its Counsel and Partner wrap programs (Part 2A Appendix 1 brochures, brochureVersionIDs 1056419 and 1056418, also downloaded to sources/osaic/), so that entity/rate is used. No breakpoint table by account size is disclosed – 2.50% is a flat ceiling applied at any balance, individually negotiable downward. dollar_at values are simply balance x 2.50%: $6,250 / $12,500 / $25,000 / $50,000. This is honestly a ceiling, not a graduated schedule.
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 Osaic runs $12,500 a year: a difference of $6,250 a year at that balance.
Want the full breakdown for either firm on its own? Read the Buckingham Strategic Wealth fee page or the Osaic 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 Osaic, 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
- 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
- Osaic Advisory Services, LLC (d/b/a Osaic Advisors) Form ADV Part 2A Brochure (Current as of August 31, 2026): https://files.adviserinfo.sec.gov/IAPD/Content/Common/crd_iapd_Brochure.aspx?BRCHR_VRSN_ID=1056417
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Osaic Advisory Services, LLC d/b/a Osaic Advisors (CRD #171070): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/171070
Methodology. This page was built September 19, 2026, re-pairing figures already archived and independently verified for Buckingham Strategic Wealth and Osaic 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.