Boston Fee-Only Financial Planner 2026: Advisor Costs

Updated July 6, 2026. Quick answer: a fee only financial advisor Boston or fee-only financial planner Boston quote should be compared in annual dollars before you book an intro call. At $1,000,000, a 0.75% AUM fee is $7,500 per year and a 1.00% fee is $10,000 per year before fund, platform, tax, legal, or separate planning costs.

Use this Boston guide when you are comparing fee only financial advisor Boston, fee only financial planner Boston, Boston retirement planner, flat-fee planning, hourly/project quotes, retainers, AUM costs, equity compensation, taxable gains, real estate, charitable giving, and retirement-income planning across Boston, Cambridge, Newton, Brookline, Wellesley, and the Boston Metro.

Nearby guides

• Massachusetts financial advisor fees
• Boston Metro financial advisor fees
• Boston-Cambridge advisor fees
• Cambridge MA retirement planner fees
• Newton MA retirement planner fees
• Brookline MA advisor fees
• Wellesley retirement planner fees
• Suffolk County MA advisor fees
• Middlesex County MA advisor fees

Fast tools

• Financial advisor fee calculator
• Financial advisor fee comparison chart
• Flat-fee vs AUM break-even calculator
• AUM fees by balance
• Compare financial advisor rates

Fee only financial advisor Boston: cost checks

Fee-only is a helpful filter, but it does not make every quote comparable. Ask each advisor to show the first-year and ongoing annual cost in dollars, then compare the fee with the written planning scope.

Fee only financial planner Boston: what to compare

• AUM: percentage of managed assets, best compared in annual dollars and written scope.
• Flat annual: predictable planning fee that does not automatically rise with portfolio size.
• Hourly/project: useful for a focused retirement, tax, equity, estate, or second-opinion project.
• Retainer: ongoing planning access if meetings, deliverables, and response standards are clear.

Boston retirement planner prompts

Boston-area planning can involve employer equity, concentrated stock, academic or healthcare retirement plans, taxable brokerage accounts, real estate, charitable giving, public-sector benefits, estate coordination, and multistate tax questions. Ask whether the written plan covers the topics that matter in your household.

• If retirement is within 10 years, ask for a written income plan covering Social Security, Roth conversions, RMDs, Medicare/IRMAA, taxable withdrawals, and cash reserves.
• If you have employer equity or concentrated stock, ask how diversification, estimated taxes, charitable giving, and cash reserves are handled.
• If real estate or a move affects the plan, ask whether buy/sell/downsize/rent scenarios are included.
• If the search crosses Boston, Cambridge, Newton, Brookline, Wellesley, and Boston Metro advisors, compare the same scope and annual-dollar fee.

What to compare before an intro call

• Total first-year and ongoing annual fee in dollars.
• Fee-only and fiduciary status for planning, investments, and implementation.
• Included planning topics, excluded work, and separate project fees.
• Meeting cadence, response standard, and who performs the planning.
• Fund, platform, UMA, overlay, custody, tax, legal, and insurance costs.

5 copy/paste questions to ask a Boston advisor

• What is my total first-year cost and ongoing annual cost in dollars?
• Are you fee-only and acting as a fiduciary for planning, investments, and implementation?
• Does your fee include retirement income planning, tax-aware withdrawals, equity planning, estate coordination, and implementation?
• Do you offer flat annual, hourly/project, retainer, or AUM options?
• What work is excluded from the fee and billed separately?

Boston and Massachusetts route

For state context, start with Massachusetts financial advisor fees. Parent and nearby routes include Boston Metro, Boston-Cambridge, Cambridge, Newton, Brookline, Wellesley, Suffolk County, and Middlesex County.

Methodology

This page is a fee-first educational guide for comparing fee only financial advisor Boston, fee-only financial planner Boston, Boston retirement planner, flat-fee, hourly/project, retainer, and AUM advisor quotes. We compare fee models in annual dollars and route readers to nearby Clear Money Guide location pages, calculators, and editorial resources. It is not individualized financial, tax, legal, or investment advice. See our editorial policy, corrections policy, and disclaimer.

This page was materially reviewed on July 6, 2026.