Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated October 3, 2026. Quick answer: Charles Schwab is less expensive at $500,000: $4,000 a year, versus $8,550 a year for Primerica, 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 | Charles Schwab (annual fee) | Primerica (annual fee) |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $4,000 | $4,350 |
| $500,000 | $4,000 | $8,550 |
| $1,000,000 | $8,000 | $15,200 |
| $2,000,000 | $15,500 | $27,600 |
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)); Primerica discloses a tiered schedule starting at 1.25% advisory + 0.49% program = 1.74% (PFS Investments Inc. (Primerica Advisors) Wrap Fee Program Brochure, Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1, March 30, 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.
Primerica (PFS Investments Inc. (Primerica Advisors) Wrap Fee Program Brochure, Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1, March 30, 2026): “Advisory fee (Maximum), Account Value: $250,000 or less, 1.25%; $250,000.01-$500,000, 1.25%; $500,000.01-$1,000,000, 1.10%; $1,000,000.01-$3,000,000, 1.00%. Program fee, Account Value: $250,000 or less, 0.49%; $250,000.01-$500,000, 0.46%; $500,000.01-$1,000,000, 0.42%; $1,000,000.01-$3,000,000, 0.38%.”
Primerica Advisors is a breakpoint schedule: only the rate for your bracket applies, to the whole balance. This covers PFS Investments’ Lifetime Investment Program specifically, not Primerica’s much larger commission-based insurance and mutual fund business. An additional Asset Manager fee (0.00% to 0.50%, depending on the model selected) can apply on top.
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 Primerica runs $8,550 a year: a difference of $4,550 a year at that balance.
Want the full breakdown for either firm on its own? Read the Charles Schwab fee page or the Primerica 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 Primerica, or read the general mechanics of switching financial advisors.
Find the right next step for your situation
About how much do you have invested? Pick the range that fits; your next step appears immediately below.
Charles Schwab runs $4,000 a year at $500,000. See what else is available.
If your portfolio is $250,000 or more, this connects you (free, with no obligation to hire anyone) with 2 to 3 vetted advisors.
Before you start, what actually happens. 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. Clear Money Guide is paid when you complete the form, whether or not you ever hire anyone.
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Compare Charles Schwab and Primerica against a fee-based match.
Price the destination before you decide. The matching service below introduces you to advisers who pay to meet you.
Before you start, what actually happens. 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.
The Kapitalwise form opens here; you stay on this page.
What happens when you press the button
It asks about nine questions: age, investable assets, location; then your name, email and phone number, and verifies the phone by text. Nothing loads and nothing reaches Kapitalwise until you press the button.
Prefer flat-fee or hourly pricing instead? Compare ranges here.
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
- PFS Investments Inc. (Primerica Advisors) Wrap Fee Program Brochure, Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1 (March 30, 2026): https://www.primerica.com/public/pdf/PFSI-PriAdvForADVWraFeeProBro.pdf
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, PFS Investments Inc. (Primerica Advisors) (CRD #10111): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/10111
Methodology. This page was built October 3, 2026, re-pairing figures already archived and independently verified for Charles Schwab and Primerica 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.