Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 18, 2026. Quick answer: Yes, on your advisory account. Lincoln Financial Advisors’ advisory business now runs through Osaic Advisory Services, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser, so the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 requires it to act as your fiduciary there. That entity’s own Form CRS states: “When acting as your investment adviser, we have to act in your best interest and not put our interest ahead of yours. At the same time, the way we make money creates some conflicts with your interests.” Brokerage accounts in the same corporate family are held at separate Osaic broker-dealer entities, which are not covered by this fiduciary standard; see how that entity-succession happened below.
How it’s registered
From Form CRS (Client Relationship Summary), Osaic Advisory Services, LLC (March 28, 2024): “Osaic Advisory Services, LLC, also doing business as Osaic Advisors (“OAS”, “we”, “our”, or “us”), is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as an investment adviser.”
Lincoln Financial Advisors Corporation was acquired by Osaic Holdings, Inc. in May 2024 and renamed Osaic FA, Inc. (CRD #3978). That entity’s own SEC investment-adviser registration was terminated effective January 28, 2025 (FINRA BrokerCheck now lists Osaic FA, Inc. as Terminated, with no approved SEC, FINRA or state registrations); its advisory clients and business now sit under Osaic Advisory Services, LLC (CRD #171070), the same SEC-registered investment adviser this site separately covers on its Osaic fiduciary page. This page describes that entity’s current Form CRS, the operative document for anyone whose advisory account originated at Lincoln Financial Advisors.
The standard of conduct, in its own words
“When acting as your investment adviser, we have to act in your best interest and not put our interest ahead of yours. At the same time, the way we make money creates some conflicts with your interests.”
On commissions: “For most advisory services, you will pay an ongoing fee based on the value of cash and investments in your advisory account.”
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 $15,000 a year, 3.00% on a $500,000 account, the published maximum) | Form CRS (Client Relationship Summary), Osaic Advisory Services, LLC, March 28, 2024 |
What this means for what you pay
Fiduciary status is one input, not the whole picture. Lincoln Financial Advisors discloses a published fee that runs up to $15,000 a year on a $500,000 account (the published maximum); see the full dollar breakdown from Lincoln Financial Advisors’ 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.
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- Form CRS (Client Relationship Summary), Osaic Advisory Services, LLC (March 28, 2024): https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/crs/crs_171070.pdf
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Osaic Advisory Services, LLC (CRD #171070): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/171070
- Osaic Advisory Services, LLC, SEC Form ADV filing: https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/reports/ADV/171070/PDF/171070.pdf
Methodology. This page was built September 18, 2026, quoting directly from Lincoln Financial Advisors’ 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 Lincoln Financial Advisors’s minimum investment, quoted verbatim from its own Form ADV Part 2A / wrap-fee brochure.
Weighing whether to move ahead? Read the full Lincoln Financial Advisors review, including its fiduciary status and what it costs to leave.
Comparing Lincoln Financial Advisors against other options? See Lincoln Financial Advisors alternatives, including a lower-fee full-service firm, a flat-fee route, and a robo/hybrid.
Already with Lincoln Financial Advisors and weighing a move? How to leave Lincoln Financial Advisors covers what it costs to transfer out.