Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 28, 2026. Quick answer: Mostly yes, with one carve-out. Merit Financial Advisors is registered with the SEC only as an investment adviser, so on your advisory account it owes you a fiduciary duty under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Its own Form CRS states: “When we act as your investment adviser, we must act in your best interest and not put our interest ahead of yours.” A limited number of Merit Financial Advisors’ financial professionals are separately licensed to sell brokerage products in a different capacity, where the weaker Regulation Best Interest standard, not a fiduciary duty, applies instead.
How it’s registered
From Form CRS, Customer Relationship Summary, Merit Financial Advisors (August 2024): “Merit Financial Group, LLC (“Merit”) is an investment advisory firm registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).”
The standard of conduct, in its own words
“When we act as your investment adviser, we must act in your best interest and not put our interest ahead of yours.”
On commissions: “Our financial professionals receive a portion of the advisory fees paid by you. Some are paid both a fixed salary and a variable bonus, because of his or her efforts in developing, maintaining client relationships and the amount of assets they may gather. In addition to working as a financial professional for us, your financial professional may also act as a registered representative of a broker-dealer and/or offer insurance as a broker or agent through numerous insurance companies.”
Fiduciary status by capacity
| Capacity | Registration | Standard you’re owed | Can earn commissions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| As your investment adviser (most clients) | SEC-registered investment adviser | Fiduciary duty (Investment Advisers Act of 1940) | No (asset-based advisory fee: up to $12,500 a year, 2.50% on a $500,000 account, the published maximum) | Form CRS, Customer Relationship Summary, Merit Financial Advisors, August 2024 |
| As a dually licensed representative (limited) | Also FINRA-registered broker-dealer representative, separate capacity | Regulation Best Interest (not a fiduciary duty) | Yes | Form CRS, Customer Relationship Summary, Merit Financial Advisors, August 2024 |
What this means for what you pay
Fiduciary status is one input, not the whole picture. Merit Financial Advisors discloses a published fee that runs up to $12,500 a year on a $500,000 account (the published maximum); see the full dollar breakdown from Merit 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.
Compare your next step
Just comparing fees? Keep reading the fee guide.Optional next step
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Compare the services and the full fee before deciding whether to hire anyone.
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Expect questions about your situation, your name, email and phone, and phone verification by text. A match is not guaranteed.
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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How our partner relationships workCompare an adviser match before you decide
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.
- Free matching service
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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
- Form CRS, Customer Relationship Summary, Merit Financial Advisors (August 2024): https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/crs/crs_142457.pdf
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Merit Financial Advisors (CRD #142457): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/142457
- Merit Financial Advisors, SEC Form ADV filing: https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/reports/ADV/142457/PDF/142457.pdf
Methodology. This page was built September 28, 2026, quoting directly from Merit 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.