Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 19, 2026. Quick answer: Wells Fargo Advisors is less expensive at $500,000: $10,000 a year, versus $15,000 a year for Lincoln Financial Advisors, computed from each firm’s own SEC-filed fee disclosure. See the full side-by-side table below for $250,000, $1 million and $2 million.
What each firm charges, side by side
| Account balance | Lincoln Financial Advisors (annual fee) | Wells Fargo Advisors (annual fee) |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $7,500 | $5,000 |
| $500,000 | $15,000 | $10,000 |
| $1,000,000 | $30,000 | $20,000 |
| $2,000,000 | $60,000 | $40,000 |
Lincoln Financial Advisors discloses a maximum, individually negotiated rate of 3.0% (Osaic FA, Inc. Premier Series Wealth Management Program, Form ADV Part 2A – Appendix 1 (Wrap Fee Program Brochure), October 1, 2024); Wells Fargo Advisors discloses a maximum, individually negotiated rate of 2.0% (Wells Fargo Advisors Wrap Fee Brochure (Personalized Unified Managed Account Program), Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1, September 2025 (Rev 76 – 09/25)).
What the fee includes, in each firm’s own words
Lincoln Financial Advisors (Osaic FA, Inc. Premier Series Wealth Management Program, Form ADV Part 2A – Appendix 1 (Wrap Fee Program Brochure), October 1, 2024): “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.
Wells Fargo Advisors (Wells Fargo Advisors Wrap Fee Brochure (Personalized Unified Managed Account Program), Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1, September 2025 (Rev 76 – 09/25)): “The Advisory Fee for the Personalized UMA Program, which is negotiable, is shown below. Advisory Fee (annualized, calculated on your Account Value): 2.00%.”
Wells Fargo Advisors does not publish a dollar-tiered breakpoint table for the Personalized UMA Program (or for its three sibling programs in the same brochure, FundSource, Private Advisor Network, and Customized Portfolios, which each disclose the identical flat 2.00% standard rate); it publishes a single standard, negotiable rate. The figures above apply that 2.00% as a flat rate; your negotiated rate may be lower. A separate third-party Manager Fee (roughly 0.00% to 0.50%, manager-specific) can apply on top if you select a discretionary manager strategy.
How this compares
Our benchmark of published adviser fee schedules puts the weighted median annual cost near $2,000 to $2,500 on $250,000 (the benchmark). At $500,000, Lincoln Financial Advisors runs $15,000 a year and Wells Fargo Advisors runs $10,000 a year: a difference of $5,000 a year at that balance.
Want the full breakdown for either firm on its own? Read the Lincoln Financial Advisors fee page or the Wells Fargo Advisors fee page for the complete tier table and source citations.
Thinking about leaving one of these firms instead of pricing what you would pay to stay? See what it costs to leave Wells Fargo Advisors, or read the general mechanics of switching financial advisors.
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- Osaic FA, Inc. Premier Series Wealth Management Program, Form ADV Part 2A – Appendix 1 (Wrap Fee Program Brochure) (October 1, 2024): https://files.adviserinfo.sec.gov/IAPD/Content/Common/crd_iapd_Brochure.aspx?BRCHR_VRSN_ID=926535
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Osaic Advisory Services, LLC (CRD #171070): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/171070
- Registration note: K74’s own fee page for Lincoln Financial Advisors cites CRD 3978 (Osaic FA, Inc.), whose SEC investment-adviser registration was terminated January 28, 2025. Lincoln’s advisory business today runs through Osaic Advisory Services, LLC (CRD 171070), the entity cited here.
- Wells Fargo Advisors Wrap Fee Brochure (Personalized Unified Managed Account Program), Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1 (September 2025 (Rev 76 – 09/25)): https://www.wellsfargoadvisors.com/disclosures/legal-disclosures.htm
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC (CRD #19616): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/19616
Methodology. This page was built September 19, 2026, re-pairing figures already archived and independently verified for Lincoln Financial Advisors and Wells Fargo Advisors from each firm’s own SEC-filed disclosure; sources linked above. Nothing here is personalized financial, tax, legal, or investment advice. See our Editorial Policy, Corrections, Affiliate Disclosure, and Disclaimer.