Guides › Switching Financial Advisors
Updated September 28, 2026. Quick answer: you open an account at the receiving firm and sign the transfer form there; the new firm pulls the account through ACATS. WCG Wealth Advisors, LLC’s Form ADV Part 2A states “The advisory relationship can be terminated by the client or by third parties to the contract in accordance with the provisions of the Investment Advisory Agreement.” WCG Wealth Advisors, LLC names three possible custodians in its brochure, with no single default: LPL Financial LLC, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., and Fidelity Brokerage Services, LLC. If you are custodied at Schwab, budget $50.00 per account, per Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.’s own current fee schedule. If you are custodied at LPL Financial, budget $125.00 per account, per LPL Financial LLC’s own current fee schedule. Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC’s own published fee schedule has no comparable line item for a full transfer-out, an honest gap rather than a confirmed $0.
The published numbers
From WCG Wealth Advisors, LLC’s own WCG Wealth Advisors, LLC, “Form ADV Part 2A Brochure” (March 31, 2026), Item 5: Fees and Compensation, Fees for Advisory Accounts (page 16): “The advisory relationship can be terminated by the client or by third parties to the contract in accordance with the provisions of the Investment Advisory Agreement. The client receives a pro-rata refund of any prepaid unearned advisory fees.” The same brochure names its custodians (Item 12: Brokerage Practices (page 34)): “We recommend the brokerage and custodial services of LPL Financial LLC, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., or Fidelity Brokerage Services, LLC.” From Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.’s own Charles Schwab, “Pricing Guide for Clients of Independent Investment Advisors” (July 2026): “Full transfer (out) of assets: $50 per account.” From LPL Financial LLC’s own LPL Financial, “Miscellaneous Account and Service Fees Schedule, RIA” (FS14-RIA, Revised 03/25): “Outgoing Account Transfer, for processing full account transfer of all assets and positions to another financial institution (excludes retirement accounts): $125, Per account.” Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC’s own Fidelity, “Brokerage Commission and Fee Schedule” contains no comparable line item for a full account transfer out; left as an honest gap rather than assumed to be $0.
| What | Figure |
|---|---|
| The Wealth Consulting Group’s own exit charge | $0.00 extra: pro-rated refund of any prepaid fee (Form ADV) |
| Full transfer-out at Schwab | $50.00 per account (Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.’s own Charles Schwab, “Pricing Guide for Clients of Independent Investment Advisors” (July 2026)) |
| Full transfer-out at LPL Financial | $125.00 per account (LPL Financial LLC’s own LPL Financial, “Miscellaneous Account and Service Fees Schedule, RIA” (FS14-RIA, Revised 03/25)) |
| Full transfer-out at Fidelity | Honest gap: no comparable line item found |
| ACATS validation and completion window | 1 day to validate, 3 days to complete under FINRA Rule 11870 (measured in business days) |
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Source: WiserAdvisor’s service descriptionThe sequence
1. Pull a current statement for every account, showing the exact registration, account numbers and complete holdings list. 2. Check the holdings for anything that will not move. Ask the receiving firm directly: “Can you hold every position on this statement?” Anything they cannot hold has to be sold, and in a taxable account that is a realised gain in the year you switch: the categories that commonly do not transfer. 3. Open the receiving account and sign the transfer form there. Under FINRA Rule 11870 the delivering firm then has one business day to validate and three business days after validation to complete. 4. Send a dated termination letter for the record: the generator writes it, and confirm in writing that billing has stopped.
Two things to get right
Cost basis. Under IRC §6045A the delivering broker must furnish a transfer statement carrying basis for covered securities within 15 days of the transfer. Keep your final statements anyway, and check the first statement at the new firm for positions showing a missing or zero basis. Retirement accounts move as a direct transfer, trustee to trustee, not as a distribution to you. Why that distinction matters. Whether a transfer fee is worth paying at all is a question of what you are moving to: our benchmark of published adviser fee schedules puts the weighted median annual cost near $2,000 to $2,500 on $250,000: the benchmark. The general mechanics: switching financial advisors.
Want to know what The Wealth Consulting Group charges before you decide whether to leave? See the dollar breakdown from The Wealth Consulting Group’s own fee disclosure.
Sources
- WCG Wealth Advisors, LLC, “Form ADV Part 2A Brochure” (March 31, 2026): https://files.adviserinfo.sec.gov/IAPD/Content/Common/crd_iapd_Brochure.aspx?BRCHR_VRSN_ID=1036285
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, WCG Wealth Advisors, LLC firm summary (CRD 173194): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/173194
- Charles Schwab, “Pricing Guide for Clients of Independent Investment Advisors” (July 2026): https://disclosures.schwab.com/SchwabDashboard/61256/REG23060SI.pdf
- LPL Financial, “Miscellaneous Account and Service Fees Schedule, RIA” (FS14-RIA, Revised 03/25): https://legacygfa.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/FS14-RIA-LPL-Fee-Schedule-03.25.pdf
- Fidelity, “Brokerage Commission and Fee Schedule”: https://www.fidelity.com/bin-public/060_www_fidelity_com/documents/Brokerage_Commissions_Fee_Schedule.pdf
Methodology. This page was built September 28, 2026, drawing on The Wealth Consulting Group’s own Form ADV/wrap-fee brochure/fee schedule plus each named custodian’s own published fee schedule, with sources linked inline; any figure we could not independently confirm this session on a firm-owned or custodian-owned document is named as an honest gap above rather than presented as verified. Nothing here is personalized financial, tax, legal, or investment advice. See our Editorial Policy, Corrections, Affiliate Disclosure, and Disclaimer.
Leaving a different firm? See the exit guides for all 189 firms, with the four steps every exit shares.