Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 22, 2026. Quick answer: Yes, on every account. Cerity Partners is registered with the SEC only as an investment adviser (it is not a broker-dealer), so the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 requires it to act as your fiduciary. Its own Form CRS states: “When we act as your investment adviser, we are required to act in your best interest and not put our own interest ahead of your interests.”
How it’s registered
From Cerity Partners LLC Client Relationship Summary (Form ADV Part 3) (March 31, 2026): “Cerity Partners LLC is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as an investment adviser.”
This CRS (dated March 31, 2026) never uses the word “commission” anywhere in its text. The only compensation disclosure for financial professionals is AUM-based.
The standard of conduct, in its own words
“When we act as your investment adviser, we are required to act in your best interest and not put our own interest ahead of your interests.”
On commissions: “Our advisors are primarily compensated based on the amount of assets under management that they personally manage.”
Fiduciary status by capacity
| Capacity | Registration | Standard you’re owed | Can earn commissions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| As your investment adviser | SEC-registered investment adviser | Fiduciary duty (Investment Advisers Act of 1940) | No (asset-based advisory fee: up to $7,500 a year, 1.50% on a $500,000 account, the published maximum, which the firm says is negotiable) | Cerity Partners LLC Client Relationship Summary (Form ADV Part 3), March 31, 2026 |
What this means for what you pay
Fiduciary status is one input, not the whole picture. Cerity Partners discloses a published fee that runs up to $7,500 a year on a $500,000 account (the published maximum, which the firm says is negotiable); see the full dollar breakdown from Cerity Partners’ own fee disclosure before deciding whether the standard of conduct here changes your answer.
If the answer above changes your mind about staying, read the general mechanics of switching financial advisors, or use a dated termination letter once you decide.
Compare your next step
Just comparing fees? Keep reading the fee guide.Optional next step
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The form is run by Kapitalwise, our advisor-matching partner. 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. This is free to you and there is no obligation to hire anyone.
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Ask about the full fee, what it covers and how the adviser is paid. A match is an introduction, not a recommendation from Clear Money Guide.
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The matching service is run by WiserAdvisor, an independent advisor-matching company. It opens on their site, asks for your ZIP code and a few questions, and matches you with 2 to 3 vetted advisors. It is free to you. WiserAdvisor states the service is built for portfolios of $250,000 and above. By submitting, you consent to emails, phone calls and text messages from WiserAdvisor and up to three advisors, so expect to be contacted. Advisers pay for the introduction. Clear Money Guide is paid when you complete the form, whether or not you ever hire anyone. There is no obligation to hire anyone.
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Source: WiserAdvisor’s service descriptionSources
- Cerity Partners LLC Client Relationship Summary (Form ADV Part 3) (March 31, 2026): https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/crs/crs_151559.pdf
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Cerity Partners LLC (CRD #151559): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/151559
- Cerity Partners LLC, SEC Form ADV filing: https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/reports/ADV/151559/PDF/151559.pdf
Methodology. This page was built September 22, 2026, quoting directly from Cerity Partners’ own current Form CRS, with the source linked above; 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 CRS. See our Editorial Policy, Corrections, Affiliate Disclosure, and Disclaimer.
What does it actually take to open an account? See Cerity Partners’s minimum investment, quoted verbatim from its own Form ADV Part 2A / wrap-fee brochure.
Weighing whether to move ahead? Read the full Cerity Partners review, including its fiduciary status and what it costs to leave.
Comparing Cerity Partners against other options? See Cerity Partners alternatives, including a flat-fee route and a robo/hybrid, plus a lower-fee full-service firm.
Already with Cerity Partners and weighing a move? How to leave Cerity Partners covers what it costs to transfer out.