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Updated September 28, 2026. Quick answer: Yes, on every account. Washington Trust Wealth Management 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 place our own interests ahead of yours.”
How it’s registered
From Form CRS, Customer Relationship Summary, Washington Trust Wealth Management (January 31, 2026): “Washington Trust Advisors, Inc. (“WTA,” “we,” or “us”) is an investment adviser registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).”
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 place our own interests ahead of yours.”
On commissions: “Our financial professionals receive a fixed annual salary and may also earn an annual bonus, which is partially based on the performance of WTA and its parent company.”
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: $7,500 a year at $500,000. That is the stated $7,500 minimum annual fee, not a rate: the published schedule charges 0.90% on the first $1,500,000.) | Form CRS, Customer Relationship Summary, Washington Trust Wealth Management, January 31, 2026 |
What this means for what you pay
Fiduciary status is one input, not the whole picture. Washington Trust Wealth Management discloses a published fee that runs $7,500 a year on a $500,000 account, per its own current Form ADV Part 2A (March 20, 2026), cited in Sources below. A dedicated fee page for Washington Trust Wealth Management has not been published on this site yet.
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. A dedicated how-to-leave page for Washington Trust Wealth Management has not been published on this site yet.
Other fiduciary-status pages
Read this one, this one too, and one more.
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Source: WiserAdvisor’s service descriptionSources
- Form CRS, Customer Relationship Summary, Washington Trust Wealth Management (January 31, 2026): https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/crs/crs_110407.pdf
- Form ADV Part 2A (March 20, 2026), the primary source for the fee figure above: https://files.adviserinfo.sec.gov/IAPD/Content/Common/crd_iapd_Brochure.aspx?BRCHR_VRSN_ID=1022835
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Washington Trust Wealth Management (CRD #110407): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/110407
- Washington Trust Wealth Management, SEC Form ADV filing: https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/reports/ADV/110407/PDF/110407.pdf
Methodology. This page was built September 28, 2026, quoting directly from Washington Trust Wealth Management’s 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.