Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated October 3, 2026. Quick answer: Charles Schwab is less expensive at $500,000: $4,000 a year, versus $7,500 a year for Fisher Investments, computed from each firm’s own SEC-filed fee disclosure. At $250,000 it is the other way round, $4,000 versus $3,750. 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 | Charles Schwab (annual fee) | Fisher Investments (annual fee) |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $4,000 | $3,750 |
| $500,000 | $4,000 | $7,500 |
| $1,000,000 | $8,000 | $12,500 |
| $2,000,000 | $15,500 | $23,750 |
Charles Schwab discloses a tiered schedule starting at 0.80% (Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. Disclosure Brochure for the Schwab Wealth Advisory Wrap Fee Program, June 30, 2026 (Standard SWA Fee Schedule effective October 1, 2024)); Fisher Investments discloses a tiered schedule starting at 1.50% flat (Fisher Investments Form ADV Part 2A, “Private Client” Brochure, February 11, 2026).
What the fee includes, in each firm’s own words
Charles Schwab (Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. Disclosure Brochure for the Schwab Wealth Advisory Wrap Fee Program, June 30, 2026 (Standard SWA Fee Schedule effective October 1, 2024)): “Standard SWA Fee Schedule (effective October 1, 2024): Amounts up to US$1 million, 0.80%; Next US$1 million (more than US$1M up to US$2M), 0.75%; Next US$3 million (more than US$2M up to US$5M), 0.70%; Next US$5 million (more than US$5M up to US$10M), 0.50%; Next US$15 million (more than US$10M up to US$25M), 0.30%; Assets over US$25 million, 0.30% (or less, as negotiated). The SWA Fee is subject to a quarterly minimum, which represents the minimum amount charged for the advisory services provided during a quarter. The quarterly minimum is equal to the lesser of: $1,000, or 1.60% of your total billable assets, calculated on a quarterly basis.”
Schwab Wealth Advisory (SWA) bills a marginal (tiered) schedule, but every account is also subject to a quarterly minimum equal to the lesser of $1,000 or 1.6% of that quarter’s billable assets, which for any balance above about $62,500 works out to a flat $1,000-a-quarter ($4,000-a-year) floor. At $250,000, the marginal schedule alone would compute to $2,000 a year, but the $4,000 floor overrides it, so $4,000 is what is actually billed. At $500,000, the marginal schedule and the floor land on the same number, $4,000, by design: Schwab sets SWA’s own account minimum at $500,000. At $1,000,000 and $2,000,000, the marginal schedule exceeds the floor, so the schedule rate applies directly ($8,000 and $8,000 plus 0.75% on the next $1,000,000, or $15,500). Clients enrolled before October 1, 2024 sit on a different, Grandfathered SWA Fee Schedule; the figures here are for current, Standard enrollees.
Fisher Investments (Fisher Investments Form ADV Part 2A, “Private Client” Brochure, February 11, 2026): “FI’s private client basic billing rates for one or more aggregated accounts owned by the same client: Equity and Blended Accounts, Annual Management Fee: First $1 million 1.25%, Next $4 million 1.125%, Additional Amounts Over $5 million 1.000%. FI typically targets clients with at least $1,000,000 in investable assets but will accept smaller client relationships at FI’s discretion which will be billed at an annual rate of 1.50%.”
Below roughly $900,000 to $1,000,000, Fisher bills a flat 1.50% relationship rate; at or above $1,000,000 the marginal Equity and Blended schedule above applies.
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, Charles Schwab runs $4,000 a year and Fisher Investments runs $7,500 a year: a difference of $3,500 a year at that balance.
Want the full breakdown for either firm on its own? Read the Charles Schwab fee page or the Fisher Investments 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 Charles Schwab or what it costs to leave Fisher Investments, or read the general mechanics of switching financial advisors.
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Charles Schwab runs $4,000 a year at $500,000. See what else is available.
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Answer againSources
- Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. Disclosure Brochure for the Schwab Wealth Advisory Wrap Fee Program (June 30, 2026 (Standard SWA Fee Schedule effective October 1, 2024)): https://www.schwab.com/transparency
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (CRD #5393): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/5393
- Fisher Investments Form ADV Part 2A, “Private Client” Brochure (February 11, 2026): https://files.adviserinfo.sec.gov/IAPD/Content/Common/crd_iapd_Brochure.aspx?BRCHR_VRSN_ID=1008280
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Fisher Investments, Inc. (CRD #107342): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/107342
Methodology. This page was built October 3, 2026, re-pairing figures already archived and independently verified for Charles Schwab and Fisher Investments 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.