Updated July 6, 2026. Quick answer: an RIA fee schedule or financial advisor fee schedule should show the advisory rate, tier breakpoints, minimum fee, billing frequency, included services, and any separate fund, platform, UMA, overlay, custody, tax, legal, or planning costs. The most important question is whether the schedule is marginal/by-slice or applies one rate to all assets.
Use this guide to read an investment advisor fee schedule before an intro call. It covers AUM tiers, breakpoint examples, minimum fees, blended rates, private wealth schedules, platform layers, and the difference between a clean fee schedule and a vague advisor-rate quote.
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.
A published schedule is what they open with, not what they settle at.
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RIA fee schedule: what should be included?
- Advisory fee rate by balance tier.
- Whether tiers are marginal/by-slice or one rate applies to all assets.
- Minimum annual fee, household minimum, or planning minimum.
- Billing frequency and whether fees are billed in advance or arrears.
- Included planning topics, meeting cadence, and implementation responsibilities.
- Separate fund, platform, UMA, overlay, custody, tax, legal, insurance, or product costs.
- Fiduciary status and compensation conflicts.
Common financial advisor fee schedule example
| Asset tier | Example annual rate | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| First $1,000,000 | 1.00% | Does this include planning or mainly portfolio management? |
| Next $1,000,000 | 0.75% | Is this rate marginal/by-slice or applied to all assets? |
| Next $3,000,000 | 0.50% | Are platform, UMA, overlay, or fund costs separate? |
| Above $5,000,000 | Negotiated or lower tier | What private wealth services justify the all-in fee? |
Tiered AUM fee schedule: by-slice example
In a tiered AUM fee schedule that uses by-slice billing, each tier applies only to the assets inside that tier. On a $2,500,000 portfolio, the first $1,000,000 might be billed at 1.00%, the next $1,000,000 at 0.75%, and the remaining $500,000 at 0.50%.
| Slice | Rate | Annual dollars |
|---|---|---|
| First $1,000,000 | 1.00% | $10,000 |
| Next $1,000,000 | 0.75% | $7,500 |
| Remaining $500,000 | 0.50% | $2,500 |
| Total | Blended effective rate: 0.80% | $20,000 |
Compare that result with the financial advisor cost guide, financial advisor fee calculator, AUM fees by balance, and financial advisor rates guide.
All-assets schedule vs by-slice schedule
Some schedules apply one rate to the entire balance once you cross a breakpoint. The AUM fee breakpoint examples at $250k, $500k, $1M, and $3M show how an all-assets rate differs from by-slice tiers. The difference can be material, especially around $1,000,000, $2,000,000, $5,000,000, and $10,000,000 balances.
- By-slice: each tier applies only to the assets inside that tier.
- All-assets: one rate may apply to the whole balance once you qualify for a tier.
- Blended effective rate: total annual fee divided by total assets.
Minimum-fee and breakpoint watchouts
A fee schedule can look low but still carry a high effective cost if the firm uses a minimum annual fee. For example, a $5,000 minimum fee on a $250,000 portfolio is effectively 2.00% per year before any fund or platform costs.
Ask about minimum fees, household aggregation, retirement-plan assets, held-away accounts, outside accounts, cash balances, model fees, platform fees, and whether the same schedule applies to every account type.
California RIA fee schedule at $5 million
If you are comparing a California RIA fee schedule at $5 million, do not stop at the percentage. Ask whether the schedule includes tax-aware withdrawals, equity-compensation planning, concentrated-stock work, charitable giving, estate coordination, and platform or UMA layers. At $5,000,000, 0.50% is $25,000 per year and 0.75% is $37,500 per year.
How to compare a fee schedule before an intro call
- Ask for the schedule in writing.
- Convert your exact balance into annual dollars.
- Ask whether the schedule is by-slice or all-assets.
- List every separate cost that is not included.
- Compare the schedule with financial advisor fee structures, average advisor fee benchmarks, and average wealth management fees.
Copy/paste: ask for the fee schedule in dollars
- Can you show the fee schedule applied to my exact portfolio balance in annual dollars?
- Is the tiered schedule marginal/by-slice or all-assets?
- What is the minimum annual fee and when does it apply?
- Which fund, platform, UMA, overlay, custody, tax, legal, insurance, or product costs are separate?
- What planning work is included with the schedule?
- How does the fee change if assets grow, fall, or move to another custodian?
Related guides
- Financial advisor fee structures
- Financial advisor fee comparison chart
- Financial advisor fee calculator
- Compare financial advisor rates
- Average financial advisor fees
- Average wealth management fees
- AUM fees by balance
- Robo advisor fees
The line item no fee schedule shows
A fee schedule prices the advisory relationship. It never prices the state, and for a retiree the state can be the larger number: income tax on withdrawals every year, then estate tax, inheritance tax, and probate cost at the end. Ask for the schedule in dollars, then price the residency question separately at retirement tax relocation, or compare two candidate states with the two-state comparison tool.
Methodology
This guide explains advisor and RIA fee schedules by converting tiered rates, minimums, breakpoints, and platform layers into annual dollars. It is educational, not individualized financial, tax, legal, or investment advice. See our editorial policy, corrections policy, and disclaimer.
This page was materially reviewed on July 6, 2026.
Retainer fee benchmark route
Use the average financial advisor retainer fee to benchmark monthly and annual quotes, then compare the written service calendar and out-of-scope charges.
Negotiate a fee schedule or breakpoint
When the stated tiers, minimum, or bundled charges do not fit the written scope, use the financial advisor fee negotiation guide to request a breakpoint, cap, flat fee, or service adjustment.
Minimum-fee check: Pair this schedule with the advisor minimum-assets guide to confirm the opening requirement, minimum annual fee, eligible assets, and effective percentage in dollars.
Schedule sits inside a UMA? Check the UMA platform cost guide so the platform and sleeve-manager layers do not ride silently on top of the advisory fee.
Two places crypto tax works backwards from stock
The same two Code sections that govern securities reach a different answer for digital assets, in opposite directions:
- The wash sale rule does not reach crypto — section 1091 is a stock-or-securities section
- A coin-for-coin swap is taxable — section 1031 is now a real-property section
- Where a large cash balance sits, and why the state-tax treatment can matter more than the yield