Updated on July 3, 2026
Quick answer (2026): To compare financial advisor rates, convert every proposal into annual dollars for the same written scope before judging the headline percentage, hourly rate, retainer, or flat fee. This financial advisor fee comparison starts with common quote anchors: about 0.50%-1.00%+ for AUM, $2,500-$10,000+/year for flat annual planning, $200-$900/month for a retainer, and $200-$400/hour for hourly or project work. On a $500,000 portfolio, 1.00% AUM is about $5,000/year and 0.75% AUM is about $3,750/year before fund, platform, overlay, trading, tax-prep, or implementation costs.
Use this financial advisor fees comparison chart before you book an intro call. For one-year math, run the financial advisor fee calculator; for cumulative fee drag, use the 10-year financial advisor fee comparison. Compare AUM, flat fee, retainer, hourly, and project quotes by total first-year cost, written scope, deliverables, meeting cadence, implementation help, response-time expectations, and what becomes out-of-scope.
Fast tools: Advisor Fee Calculator · Financial Advisor Cost Guide · Find a Financial Advisor · fee-only financial advisor near me · flat fee financial advisor near me · fee-based financial advisor near me · fiduciary financial advisor near me · Average Financial Advisor Fees · Advisor fees by portfolio size · $500k portfolio fees · $1M portfolio fees · $2M portfolio fees · $3M portfolio fees · AUM fees by balance · AUM fee examples · AUM fee breakpoints · Average wealth management fees · Average retainer fee for financial advisor · financial advisor hourly rate · Fixed fee project pricing · AUM Fee Calculator · 10-Year Fee Comparison · Flat Fee vs AUM Break-Even · Robo advisor fees · Which Fee Model Fits Me?
What that rate costs you, in your own dollars
Percentages are hard to feel. The same rate that sounds small as a number is a specific amount of money leaving a specific account every year, and it compounds against you because the dollars taken out stop earning. Enter your balance and the rate you pay or have been quoted, and this converts it into dollars.
Comparing models is step one. Comparing quotes is the step that saves money.
A model comparison narrows the field; only a real quote prices it. Ask two advisers for the same scope in writing and the difference is usually larger than the model difference. It is free to you, and it is not the only way to find an adviser.
Before you start, what actually happens. The form is run by Kapitalwise, our advisor-matching partner. It asks about nine questions — age, investable assets, location — then your name, email and phone number, and verifies the phone by text.
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. Nothing loads and nothing reaches Kapitalwise until you press the button.
Compare fees, scope, conflicts, credentials and fiduciary duty before you hire anyone.
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Compare financial advisor rates in annual dollars
Before an intro call, compare financial advisor rates by converting AUM, flat annual, retainer, hourly, and project quotes into first-year dollars for the same written scope, deliverables, meeting cadence, and implementation help.
Financial advisor fees comparison: quick benchmarks
| Fee model | Common quote | Annual dollars | Best fit | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUM percentage | 0.50%–1.00%+ of assets | $2,500–$5,000+/year on $500,000 | Ongoing portfolio management bundled with planning | Breakpoints, fund costs, platform costs, overlay fees, and whether tiers are billed by slice |
| Flat annual planning | $2,500–$10,000+/year | $2,500–$10,000+/year | Predictable planning relationship with written scope | Service calendar, meetings, deliverables, implementation help, renewal terms, and response time |
| Monthly retainer | $200–$900/month | $2,400–$10,800/year | Subscription-style planning access throughout the year | Cancellation terms, access rules, meeting cadence, and what becomes hourly or out-of-scope |
| Hourly/project | $200–$400/hour or fixed project quote | $1,200–$4,000 for a 6–10 hour project | Second opinions, rollover reviews, RSU questions, Roth-conversion checks, or narrow planning sprints | Not-to-exceed cap, written deliverable, billing increment, and who does the work |
AUM vs flat fee vs hourly: $500k, $1M, and $2M examples
| Example quote | At $500,000 | At $1,000,000 | At $2,000,000 | Important note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00% AUM | $5,000/year | $10,000/year | $20,000/year | Before fund, platform, overlay, trading, and tax-prep costs |
| 0.75% AUM | $3,750/year | $7,500/year | $15,000/year | Ask whether lower breakpoints apply by slice |
| $6,000 flat annual fee | $6,000/year | $6,000/year | $6,000/year | Only comparable if the written scope matches the AUM scope |
| $500/month retainer | $6,000/year | $6,000/year | $6,000/year | Confirm cancellation terms and what becomes out-of-scope |
| $300/hour × 6 hours | $1,800 total | $1,800 total | $1,800 total | Works best for narrow projects, not unlimited ongoing advice |
For a portfolio-size hub across $250k, $500k, $750k, $1M, $2M, and $3M, use Financial Advisor Fees by Portfolio Size. For a dedicated balance-specific walkthrough, use Financial Advisor Fees for a $500k Portfolio, Financial Advisor Fees for a $1 Million Portfolio, Financial Advisor Fees for a $2 Million Portfolio, or Financial Advisor Fees for a $3 Million Portfolio.
For a $2M or $3M portfolio, AUM can become materially more expensive in dollars, so flat annual, retainer, hourly, robo/platform, and dollar-cap alternatives are worth asking about.
Which fee model fits which planning job?
| Planning need | Often worth comparing first | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Ongoing retirement-income planning | Flat annual, retainer, or AUM | You may need a service calendar, tax-aware withdrawals, Roth-conversion windows, Medicare/IRMAA, RMDs, and implementation help |
| Portfolio management plus planning | AUM vs flat annual | AUM bundles advice with managed assets, but the dollar cost rises as the portfolio grows |
| Second opinion on current advisor fees | Hourly or project fee | A capped review can answer whether the current AUM, flat, or retainer quote is reasonable |
| Rollover decision | Hourly, project, or flat planning | A written stay-vs-rollover memo may be enough if you do not need ongoing management |
| RSUs, stock options, or concentrated stock | Hourly/project for narrow questions; flat annual for ongoing complexity | Tax timing, withholding, sell-to-cover choices, AMT exposure, and staged diversification can expand scope quickly |
Helpful next reads for model comparison: Financial Advisor Fee Schedule · Financial advisor fee structure · Fee-only vs commission vs robo advisor models · Robo advisor fees and costs · Average Flat Fee · Average Retainer Fee · Hourly Advisor Rates · average RIA and investment-advisor fees · AUM Fee Breakpoints
How to compare financial advisor fees across two quotes
- Convert both quotes into first-year dollars. Include AUM, flat annual, retainer, hourly, project, onboarding, fund, platform, overlay, and implementation costs.
- Write down one shared scope. Compare the same deliverables, meetings, portfolio help, tax coordination, implementation help, and response-time expectations.
- Ask who does the work. Confirm whether you work with the lead planner, associate planner, investment team, CPA, attorney, or outside specialist.
- Separate recurring advice from one-time work. A $1,800 hourly project may be cheap for a second opinion but incomplete for year-round planning.
- Get the deliverable in writing. A plan, memo, action list, withdrawal map, investment policy, or fee-comparison summary makes the quote easier to judge.
Common fee-comparison mistakes
- Comparing a narrow hourly project against a full-service AUM relationship.
- Ignoring fund expense ratios, platform fees, overlay fees, trading costs, and tax-prep costs.
- Assuming every AUM tier schedule is applied to the whole balance instead of billed by slice.
- Accepting an hourly estimate without a not-to-exceed cap.
- Choosing the lowest fee without checking whether retirement-income planning, tax coordination, equity compensation, estate-adjacent work, or implementation help is included.
Copy/paste: ask for an apples-to-apples fee comparison
Subject: Advisor fee comparison — total first-year cost and scope Hi — I’m comparing advisor fee models and want to make sure I understand the total cost in dollars. Could you send a short written summary covering: 1) My total first-year advisory fee in dollars for the proposed scope. 2) Your pricing model: AUM, flat annual, monthly retainer, hourly, project fee, or blended. 3) If AUM: the tier schedule, whether tiers are billed by slice, and any fund/platform/overlay costs. 4) If flat or retainer: the annual dollar amount, service calendar, meetings, deliverables, and renewal terms. 5) If hourly/project: the hourly rate, estimated hours, not-to-exceed cap, and written deliverable. 6) What is included, what is excluded, and what becomes hourly or out-of-scope. 7) Who does the work — lead planner, associate planner, investment team, CPA, attorney, or outside specialist. 8) Whether you act as a fiduciary at all times. My goal is to compare AUM, flat-fee, retainer, hourly, and project-fee options apples-to-apples for the same scope. Thanks!
Popular local fee guides
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Balance-specific AUM checks: Compare AUM fees at $500k, AUM fees at $1M, and AUM fees at $2M before you accept a percentage quote.
Comparing advisors but not states?
Two advisor quotes usually differ by a fraction of a percent a year. State retirement tax treatment differs by whole percentage points of every withdrawal, and then again at death through estate tax, inheritance tax, and what probate costs the heirs. If a move is anywhere in the plan, that comparison is worth more than the fee comparison on this page. Run any two states side by side with the two-state comparison tool, or read the corridor guides at retirement tax relocation.
Methodology
- Dollar-first comparison. This page converts AUM, flat annual, retainer, hourly, and project quotes into annual dollars so readers can compare advisor proposals quickly.
- Portfolio examples. AUM examples multiply the listed portfolio value by the stated advisory percentage. They exclude fund expense ratios, platform fees, overlay fees, trading costs, taxes, tax-prep costs, and implementation charges unless stated.
- Scope-first review. A fee is only meaningful when paired with written scope, deliverables, meeting cadence, implementation help, response-time expectations, and exclusions.
- Benchmark ranges. Fee ranges are planning anchors for comparison, not guaranteed advisor quotes or billing schedules.
- Data freshness. This page was last reviewed on July 3, 2026. Fee schedules, fund costs, platform costs, and planning assumptions can change over time.
- Educational only. This is not tax, legal, or investment advice. For personal recommendations, talk to a qualified fiduciary advisor.
Editorial standards: Editorial Policy · Corrections · Disclaimer
Advisor cost route: choose the right fee page
Use the cost guide, fee calculator, rate comparison, and fee-structure pages together so every advisor quote is checked in annual dollars, by written scope, and by what work becomes out-of-scope.
- How much does a financial advisor cost? - first-year dollar ranges for AUM, flat annual, retainer, hourly, project, and robo quotes.
- Financial advisor fee calculator - convert a quote into annual dollars before an intro call.
- Financial advisor fees comparison - compare AUM, flat, retainer, hourly, project, robo, and 10-year fee drag.
- Financial advisor fee structures - translate AUM, flat, retainer, hourly, commission, and blended pricing into the same decision frame.
- Compare financial advisor rates - check whether the quote is high, low, or missing scope details.
Open the compact advisor fee comparison chart
After reviewing the detailed model differences here, use the financial advisor fee comparison chart for a compact view of flat annual, retainer, hourly/project, AUM, robo, and hybrid pricing.
More on what advice costs
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- Flat-Fee Wealth Management (No AUM): Scope, Pricing & SLAs
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