Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 18, 2026. Quick answer: Cetera discloses a tiered schedule starting at 2.50% in its Cetera Investment Advisers LLC Form ADV Part 2A Brochure (August 12, 2026). Converted to dollars, that runs $11,875 a year on a $500,000 account; see the full table below for $250,000, $1 million and $2 million.
The published numbers
From the 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%”
- 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%
What you would pay
| Account balance | Annual fee (dollars) | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $6,250 | 2.50% |
| $500,000 | $11,875 | 2.38% |
| $1,000,000 | $20,625 | 2.06% |
| $2,000,000 | $35,625 | 1.78% |
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, Cetera’s own published rate runs $11,875 a year.
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- 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
- Cetera Investment Advisers LLC, SEC Form ADV filing: https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/reports/ADV/105644/PDF/105644.pdf
Methodology. This page was built September 18, 2026, drawing on Cetera’s own SEC-filed disclosure and, where cited, its published fee schedule, with sources linked above; any figure 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. See our Editorial Policy, Corrections, Affiliate Disclosure, and Disclaimer.
Is Cetera a fiduciary? See what its own Form CRS says, and how that compares to what you would pay.
What does it take to open an account? See Cetera’s minimum investment, straight from its own Form ADV Part 2A brochure.
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Comparing Cetera against other options? See Cetera alternatives, including a lower-fee full-service firm, a flat-fee route, and a robo/hybrid.
Thinking about leaving Cetera instead of pricing what you would pay to stay? See what it costs to leave, or read the general mechanics of switching financial advisors.
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