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Lincoln Financial Advisors Review (2026): Fees, Fiduciary Status, and Minimum

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Updated September 19, 2026. Quick answer: Lincoln Financial Advisors is a registered investment adviser. Per its own current fee brochure, a $500,000 account would run up to $15,000 a year (the published maximum) under its published fee schedule; the minimum to open an account is $10,000 to $250,000 for Premier Series Program, depending on strategy. Is it a fiduciary? Yes, as a registered investment adviser, on the advisory services this page covers.

Lincoln Financial Advisors at a glance

FactWhat Lincoln Financial Advisors’ own pages say
Legal entityOsaic FA, Inc. (formerly Lincoln Financial Advisors Corporation; Osaic Holdings, Inc. acquired Lincoln Financial Advisors Corporation on May 6, 2024, and the entity was rebranded/renamed to Osaic FA, Inc. effective June 6, 2024 – same CRD registration, direct legal successor)
RegistrationOsaic 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.
Fee on a $500,000 accountUp to $15,000 a year (the published maximum), per its own current brochure
Minimum to open an account$10,000 to $250,000 for Premier Series Program, depending on strategy
Cost to leave (exit fee)See how to leave Lincoln Financial Advisors

What Lincoln Financial Advisors’ own fee schedule charges

“OFA updated this Brochure and Items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 to reflect the fact that Lincoln Financial Advisors Corporation has rebranded and changed its name to Osaic FA, Inc. effective June 6, 2024. … Prior to the rebrand and name change effective June 6, 2024 as detailed above, Items 4, 6, and 9 of this Brochure were updated on May 28, 2024 as part of an interim updating amendment to reflect the fact that Lincoln Financial Advisors Corporation was acquired by Osaic Holdings, Inc. effective May 6, 2024. … The maximum annual program fee in Premier is 3.00% of the client’s assets under management.”

IMPORTANT CONTEXT: Lincoln Financial Advisors Corporation ceased to exist as a distinct legal entity effective June 6, 2024 – it was acquired by Osaic Holdings, Inc. and renamed Osaic FA, Inc. (same CRD/registration, direct successor). CRD 3978’s SEC investment adviser registration was later terminated, effective January 28, 2025, and Osaic’s advisory business now runs through a different entity, Osaic Advisory Services, LLC (CRD 171070), which is SEC-registered today; both checked against SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure on September 19, 2026. The October 2024 brochure above is the last Premier Series brochure filed under CRD 3978 and is the source for the figures on this page. The Premier Series Program’s combined program fee (Sponsor Fee + Firm Fee + negotiable Adviser Fee + Manager/Strategist Fee + Broker-dealer/Custodian Fee, plus optional Overlay Services Fee) is capped at a disclosed maximum of 3.00% of AUM across all four Premier sub-programs; there is no single fixed published schedule since the Adviser Fee component is individually negotiated per client/IAR. dollar_at applies the disclosed 3.00% ceiling uniformly as the maximum a client could be charged (250000*0.03=7500; 500000*0.03=15000; 1000000*0.03=30000; 2000000*0.03=60000). Actual fees are typically lower and individually negotiated.

Account balanceAnnual fee
$250,000$7,500
$500,000$15,000
$1,000,000$30,000
$2,000,000$60,000

See the full breakdown, including how the figure is calculated, on Lincoln Financial Advisors’ own fee page.

Is Lincoln Financial Advisors a fiduciary?

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.

“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.”

For most advisory services, you will pay an ongoing fee based on the value of cash and investments in your advisory account.

Full detail, including the exact registration type and source: Lincoln Financial Advisors’ fiduciary status, explained.

The minimum to open an account

“The minimum investment amount for Premier Series Program accounts varies by investment program selected and, if applicable, by the Sub-Manager or Strategist selected. Generally, the investment minimums for the Premier Series Program investment programs discussed above are as follows: … Premier SMA Program – $100,000 for each Sub-Manager selected … Premier Unified Portfolio – $250,000 … PMC Strategist Program – $25,000 … Premier Strategist Program – $10,000 to $50,000 for each Strategist selected”

$10,000 to $250,000 for Premier Series Program, depending on strategy. See the full minimum-investment breakdown, including what that minimum would cost per year, on Lincoln Financial Advisors’ minimum investment page.

What it costs to leave

A dedicated how-to-leave page for Lincoln Financial Advisors covers the exit costs in full. The general mechanics of switching financial advisors and a dated termination letter apply regardless of firm.

What we would compare it against

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Sources

Methodology. This page was built September 19, 2026, drawing directly on Lincoln Financial Advisors’ own current fee brochure and Form CRS, both linked above, plus this site’s own already-published fiduciary, minimum-investment, and (where one exists) how-to-leave pages for the same firm, each independently sourced when it was built. 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 Lincoln Financial Advisors’ own Form ADV Part 2A and Form CRS. We have not used Lincoln Financial Advisors as a client. Lincoln Financial Advisors did not pay for, review, or influence this content. See our Editorial Policy, Corrections, Affiliate Disclosure, and Disclaimer.

Comparing firms? See all 182 advisor firm reviews in one table, with each firm’s type and its fee on a $500,000 account.