Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 23, 2026. Quick answer: Cerity Partners is a registered investment adviser. Per its own current fee brochure, a $500,000 account would run up to $7,500 a year (the published maximum, which the firm says is negotiable) under its published fee schedule; the minimum to open an account is no fixed published minimum for Wealth Management (comprehensive investment management / financial planning fee). Already a client and thinking about leaving? Budget $0 from Cerity Partners itself; about $50.00 if you are custodied at Schwab. Is it a fiduciary? Yes, as a registered investment adviser, on the advisory services this page covers.
Cerity Partners at a glance
| Fact | What Cerity Partners’ own pages say |
|---|---|
| Legal entity | Cerity Partners LLC |
| Registration | Cerity Partners LLC is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as an investment adviser. |
| Fee on a $500,000 account | Up to $7,500 a year (the published maximum, which the firm says is negotiable), per its own current brochure |
| Minimum to open an account | No fixed published minimum for Wealth Management (comprehensive investment management / financial planning fee) |
| Cost to leave (exit fee) | $0 from Cerity Partners itself; about $50.00 if you are custodied at Schwab |
What Cerity Partners’ own fee schedule charges
“Cerity Partners typically charges an annual percentage-based fee for investment management. Our comprehensive wealth management service fee is negotiable based on the factors listed herein and generally would not exceed 1.50% per year of assets under advisement. … If Cerity Partners charges a minimum fee for clients whose fee for assets under management falls below a particular threshold, such fee may exceed 1.50% on assets under management in the advisory account. Any minimum fee will be agreed to with the client.”
Cerity Partners discloses a single individually-negotiated maximum (‘generally would not exceed 1.50%’) with no fixed dollar minimum stated (any minimum is agreed to case-by-case, not disclosed as a number), so dollar_at = balance x 0.015 at each of the four balances, with no floor applied.
| Account balance | Annual fee |
|---|---|
| $250,000 | $3,750 |
| $500,000 | $7,500 |
| $1,000,000 | $15,000 |
| $2,000,000 | $30,000 |
See the full breakdown, including how the figure is calculated, on Cerity Partners’ own fee page.
Is Cerity Partners a fiduciary?
Cerity Partners LLC is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as an investment adviser.
“When we act as your investment adviser, we are required to act in your best interest and not put our own interest ahead of your interests.”
Our advisors are primarily compensated based on the amount of assets under management that they personally manage.
Full detail, including the exact registration type and source: Cerity Partners’ fiduciary status, explained.
The minimum to open an account
“If Cerity Partners charges a minimum fee for clients whose fee for assets under management falls below a particular threshold, such fee may exceed 1.50% on assets under management in the advisory account. Any minimum fee will be agreed to with the client.”
No fixed published minimum for Wealth Management (comprehensive investment management / financial planning fee). See the full minimum-investment breakdown, including what that minimum would cost per year, on Cerity Partners’ minimum investment page.
What it costs to leave
Cerity Partners has no termination fee of any kind in its own Form ADV. It lets clients direct their own custodian; if you are custodied at Charles Schwab, budget $50.00 per account for a full outgoing transfer, and Fidelity publishes no comparable figure.
Full mechanics, sources, and the ACATS transfer process: how to leave Cerity Partners.
What we would compare it against
Before you decide, run the numbers against another firm using the financial advisor fee comparison, or price the dollar cost of any percentage fee over time with the Financial Advisor Fee Calculator and the Fee Drag Calculator.
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- Cerity Partners LLC Form ADV Part 2A (March 31, 2026): https://files.adviserinfo.sec.gov/IAPD/Content/Common/crd_iapd_Brochure.aspx?BRCHR_VRSN_ID=1036756
- Cerity Partners LLC Client Relationship Summary (Form ADV Part 3) (March 31, 2026): https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/crs/crs_151559.pdf
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Cerity Partners LLC (CRD #151559): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/151559
- Cerity Partners LLC, SEC Form ADV filing: https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/reports/ADV/151559/PDF/151559.pdf
Methodology. This page was built September 23, 2026, drawing directly on Cerity Partners’ own current fee brochure and Form CRS, both linked above, plus this site’s own already-published fiduciary, minimum-investment, and (where one exists) how-to-leave pages for the same firm, each independently sourced when it was built. 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, and it is not a substitute for reading Cerity Partners’ own Form ADV Part 2A and Form CRS. We have not used Cerity Partners as a client. Cerity Partners did not pay for, review, or influence this content. See our Editorial Policy, Corrections, Affiliate Disclosure, and Disclaimer.
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