Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated October 3, 2026. Quick answer: Charles Schwab is less expensive at $500,000: $4,000 a year, versus $7,750 a year for Thrivent, 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) | Thrivent (annual fee) |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $4,000 | $4,250 |
| $500,000 | $4,000 | $7,750 |
| $1,000,000 | $8,000 | $14,500 |
| $2,000,000 | $15,500 | $29,000 |
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)); Thrivent discloses a tiered schedule starting at 2.00% (Thrivent Investment Management Inc. Managed Accounts Program Brochure, Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1, July 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.
Thrivent (Thrivent Investment Management Inc. Managed Accounts Program Brochure, Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1, July 2026): “You will be charged a Program Fee for each Account in the Program. The Program Fee will not exceed the applicable rate from the following fee schedule(s). Those maximums are the Advisor, Advisor Guided, SELECT, Income-Focused, Genesis, Shepherd, Impact and Shield schedule: Up to $99,999 2.00%, $100,000-$249,999 1.85%, $250,000-$499,999 1.70%, $500,000-$999,999 1.55%, $1,000,000-$2,999,999 1.45%, $3,000,000-$4,999,999 1.25%, $5,000,000-$9,999,999 1.00%, $10,000,000 and above 0.90%.”
Thrivent uses a breakpoint schedule: the single rate for your bracket applies to the whole balance, not just the amount above the breakpoint. These are the Maximum Program Fee rates on Thrivent’s Advisor, Advisor Guided, SELECT, Income-Focused, Genesis, Shepherd, Impact and Shield schedule, the one covering the programs open to new investors at the $25,000 minimum; the brochure states the Program Fee is negotiable, so an individual account can be lower. Thrivent’s separate SMA/UMA schedule runs higher, to a 2.50% maximum, and its Advantage schedule is closed to new investors. Optional Dedicated Planning Services is a separate fee component, but the brochure states the sum cannot exceed these same maximums. This is Thrivent Investment Management’s Managed Accounts Program (TIMI); the separate Thrivent Advisor Network channel discloses only a ceiling, not these breakpoints.
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 Thrivent runs $7,750 a year: a difference of $3,750 a year at that balance.
Want the full breakdown for either firm on its own? Read the Charles Schwab fee page or the Thrivent 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 Thrivent, 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.
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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
- Thrivent Investment Management Inc. Managed Accounts Program Brochure, Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1 (July 2026): https://www.thrivent.com/files/24839.pdf
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Thrivent Investment Management Inc. (CRD #18387): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/18387
Methodology. This page was built October 3, 2026, re-pairing figures already archived and independently verified for Charles Schwab and Thrivent 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.