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First Citizens Investor Services Minimum Investment (2026): What It Takes to Open an Account

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Updated September 28, 2026. Quick answer: $25,000 for a Wealth Strategies Portfolio Management account. First Citizens Investor Services’ own Form ADV Part 2A brochure states this figure directly, and the brochure does not offer a general waiver for it. At that minimum, First Citizens Investor Services’ own published fee schedule works out to $325 a year.

For a closer look at this firm: Is First Citizens Investor Services a Fiduciary?

The minimum, in the firm’s own words

“FCIS requires a minimum of $25,000 to open a First Citizens Investor Services Wealth Strategies Portfolio Management account and First Citizens Investor Services Representative as Portfolio Manager account.”

Minimum investment and what it would cost

ProgramMinimum investmentAnnual fee at that minimumWaivable?
a Wealth Strategies Portfolio Management account$25,000$325No stated waiver
Source: Form ADV Part 2A Firm Brochure, September 17, 2026

First Citizens Investor Services’ own fee schedule at other balances

Account balanceAnnual fee
$250,000$3,100
$500,000$5,725
$1,000,000$10,225
$2,000,000$18,725

What else to know

The brochure adds: “There are some portfolio models and Portfolio Managers that have minimums higher than the stated program minimum. Each Portfolio Manager will disclose their minimum account size and fees in their Form ADV Part 2A Disclosure Brochure(s).” No general waiver language for the $25,000 program minimum itself appears anywhere in the document.

What a larger account would cost

The minimum is only the entry point. On a $500,000 account, First Citizens Investor Services’ own published fee schedule runs $5,725 a year; see the full dollar breakdown from First Citizens Investor Services’ own fee disclosure across several account sizes. Read our full review of First Citizens Investor Services before you decide.

Already a client and thinking about the minimum a different way, like whether you could get a better deal elsewhere? See how much it costs to leave First Citizens Investor Services, or read the general mechanics of switching financial advisors, or use a dated termination letter once you decide.

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Sources

Methodology. This page was built September 28, 2026, quoting directly from First Citizens Investor Services’ own current Form ADV Part 2A / wrap-fee brochure, with the source linked above. The annual-fee-at-the-minimum figure applies that same brochure’s own published fee schedule to the disclosed minimum dollar amount; any distinction we could not independently confirm this session is named as an honest gap rather than presented as verified. Nothing here is personalized financial, tax, legal, or investment advice, and it is not a substitute for reading the firm’s own Form ADV Part 2A. See our Editorial Policy, Corrections, Affiliate Disclosure, and Disclaimer.