Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated October 3, 2026. Quick answer: Primerica is less expensive at $500,000: $8,550 a year, versus $11,250 a year for Commonwealth Financial Network, 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 | Commonwealth Financial Network (annual fee) | Primerica (annual fee) |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $5,625 | $4,350 |
| $500,000 | $11,250 | $8,550 |
| $1,000,000 | $17,500 | $15,200 |
| $2,000,000 | $30,000 | $27,600 |
Commonwealth Financial Network discloses a tiered schedule starting at 2.25% (Commonwealth Financial Network Form ADV Part 2A Brochure, March 30, 2026); 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
Commonwealth Financial Network (Commonwealth Financial Network Form ADV Part 2A Brochure, March 30, 2026): “PPS Program Fee Schedules Following are the maximum allowable fee schedules for the various PPS programs. PPS Custom Program (Transactions) The maximum allowable annual management fee schedule for a new PPS Custom Program (Transactions) account is: Account Value Maximum Annual Management Fee Greater than or equal to Less than $0 $750,000 2.25% $750,000 $1,000,000 2.00% $1,000,000 $2,000,000 1.75% $2,000,000-1.50%”
This is Commonwealth’s disclosed maximum allowable annual management fee for the PPS Custom Program (Transactions), a whole-balance breakpoint schedule (the single rate for the bracket the account value falls into applies to the entire balance, per the brochure’s own worked breakpoint-schedule example on the preceding page). All Commonwealth advisory program management fees are stated to be negotiable between advisor and client, so this is a maximum, not necessarily what every client pays. The dollar figures in the table apply the schedule’s rates to each balance.
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
The median ria charges roughly 1.0% of assets under management annually (the benchmark). At $500,000, Commonwealth Financial Network runs $11,250 a year and Primerica runs $8,550 a year: a difference of $2,700 a year at that balance.
Want the full breakdown for either firm on its own? Read the Commonwealth Financial Network 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 Commonwealth Financial Network 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.
Primerica runs $8,550 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.
Opens on WiserAdvisor’s site in a new tab.
Compare Commonwealth Financial Network 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
- Commonwealth Financial Network Form ADV Part 2A Brochure (March 30, 2026): https://files.adviserinfo.sec.gov/IAPD/Content/Common/crd_iapd_Brochure.aspx?BRCHR_VRSN_ID=1032557
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Commonwealth Financial Network (CRD #8032): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/8032
- 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 Commonwealth Financial Network 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.