Financial Advisor Fees at $500,000 by Firm (2026): 165 Firms Compared

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Updated September 28, 2026. Quick answer: Across 165 advisory firms whose own fee disclosures we have read and published a page for, the median annual fee on a $500,000 account is $7,500 (1.50%). The figures run from $48 a year (Acorns, a flat subscription) to $40,000 (Ballentine Partners, where the firm’s minimum annual fee sets the figure). 44 of the 165 come to $5,000 or less, which is 1.00% or less; 163 charge a percentage of assets and 2 charge a flat monthly subscription. Every figure below is converted from that firm’s own filing, with a link to our page for the firm.

Related guides on this topic: Financial Advisor Fees for a $3 Million Portfolio 2026, Financial Advisor Fees for a $5 million Portfolio (2026, Measured) and Financial Advisor Fees for a $750,000 Portfolio (2026, Measured).

What this roster counts, and what it does not

Each row is the advisory fee the firm’s own published schedule produces on a $500,000 account, converted to annual dollars. Where a firm publishes tiers we apply them as the filing describes; where it publishes only a maximum we report the maximum, so that row is a ceiling rather than a quote (68 firms); and where a firm’s minimum annual fee is higher than its percentage would produce, the minimum is what you would pay, and the row says so (26 firms). Those rows show a high share of $500,000 because a fixed dollar floor is being divided by the balance, not because the firm charges that rate on assets.

The figure is the advisory fee only. Fund expense ratios, and at some firms separate third-party manager or platform fees, are charged in addition; each firm’s own page, linked in its row, sets out what its filing says is and is not included. Most schedules are also negotiable, so treat each figure as the published starting point for the conversation.

The AUM versus flat split

How many firms sit at each price on $500,000

All 165 firms, lowest annual fee first

How to use this against a quote you were given

Convert the quote you have into annual dollars on your own balance, then find where it sits in the table: the median here is $7,500. If the firm quoting you is listed, open its row and check which program the figure prices, because many firms run a lower-cost digital program beside a private client service. If your balance is not $500,000, the advisor firm fee calculator converts a named firm’s schedule at your own number, and the fee comparison hub compares AUM, flat-fee and hourly pricing on one basis. To see what it takes to open an account at the same firms, see the minimum investments by firm roster.

Figures verified against each listed firm’s own archived SEC Form ADV fee disclosure and its linked Clear Money Guide firm page on September 30, 2026. Firm pages published after September 28 (65 more, from research waves 13 to 17) are not yet in this roster, and the 127-firm and 182-firm counts in the two closing links were not re-checked.

Sources

Every fee and filing date on this page comes from the named firm’s own fee disclosure, in most cases its Form ADV Part 2A brochure or wrap-fee program appendix as filed with the SEC, read for each firm individually. The per-firm page linked in each row carries that firm’s citation, the quoted schedule, its archived filing and its CRD number. The roster spans 12 published research waves and is current to September 28, 2026; filing dates differ by firm because firms file on their own schedules.

Methodology

This page is generated from the same per-firm records that produce the 165 linked pages. Before publication each $500,000 figure was recomputed independently from the firm’s schedule and reconciled against both the record and the live page it links to, so the roster and the pages cannot disagree. Counts and the median are computed at build time, never typed. We are not an investment adviser and this is not personalised advice; it is a reading of public filings. See our Editorial Policy, Corrections, Affiliate Disclosure, and Disclaimer.