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East Bay Advisor Fees 2026: Planner Cost

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Updated July 8, 2026. Quick answer (2026): Use this East Bay advisor-fee hub to compare Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda County, Contra Costa County, Fremont, flat annual, retainer, hourly/project, and AUM quotes in annual dollars.

Start with East Bay when the search spans Oakland, Berkeley, Fremont, Alameda County, Contra Costa County, employer equity, business-owner income, real estate, or retirement-income planning.

Fast tools

Quick cost benchmarks

Advisor quote Example cost in dollars What to confirm before an intro call
Flat annual planning $6,000–$12,000/year Meetings, written deliverables, renewal terms, implementation help, tax coordination, and what becomes hourly.
Monthly retainer $500–$1,000/month, or $6,000–$12,000/year Service calendar, response time, cancellation terms, and whether investment management is included.
Hourly or project planning $300–$500/hour, or $2,000–$7,500+ per project Not-to-exceed cap, written deliverable, timeline, and whether follow-up questions are included.
AUM comparison 0.75% on $1,500,000 = $11,250/year; 1.00% = $15,000/year Breakpoints, fund/platform costs, overlay fees, tax work, and whether planning scope is comparable.

Choose your East Bay guide

East Bay city routes

Use these pages when the household compares East Bay advisor quotes.

County and Bay Area routes

Use these pages when the search crosses county lines.

Fee-model tools

Use these tools to compare quote types.

What to compare before you book an intro call

  • Total first-year cost: ask for planning, portfolio management, platform, fund, hourly, referral, and product costs in dollars.
  • Scope: confirm whether retirement income, Social Security, Roth conversions, Medicare/IRMAA, RMDs, taxable withdrawals, pensions, employer equity, business-owner planning, real estate, charitable giving, estate basics, and CPA coordination are included.
  • Fee model: ask whether the quote is flat annual, monthly retainer, hourly/project, AUM, commission, fee-only, fee-based, fiduciary at all times, or blended.
  • Deliverables: compare written plan, action list, investment policy, tax-aware withdrawal map, equity-comp checklist, pension decision tree, real-estate scenario, charitable-giving checklist, or only verbal guidance.

East Bay planning prompts

  • For East Bay retirement planner searches, ask whether the advisor covers retirement income, employer equity, real estate, Roth conversions, taxable withdrawals, and CPA coordination.
  • For East Bay advisor fees, compare fiduciary status, compensation, product costs, referral fees, platform fees, and written deliverables in dollars.
  • For Alameda County advisor fees and Contra Costa County advisor fees, compare East Bay with Oakland, Berkeley, Fremont, Bay Area, and California routes.

How to choose in 60 seconds

  1. Start with the closest state, metro, subcluster, or city guide.
  2. Convert every advisor quote into annual dollars.
  3. Compare written scope before comparing price.
  4. Ask for fiduciary status and compensation in writing.
  5. Run the quote through the Financial Advisor Fee Calculator before a second call.

Methodology

  • We group these East Bay, Oakland-Berkeley, Oakland, Berkeley, Fremont, Alameda County, Contra Costa County, Bay Area, and California location guides by practical planning context, including metro area, nearby suburbs, equity compensation, business-owner income, real estate, taxes, and retirement-income questions.
  • We convert flat annual, monthly retainer, hourly/project, and AUM quotes into annual dollars for side-by-side comparison.
  • This hub was materially reviewed on July 8, 2026. It is educational and does not rank, review, endorse, or list advisors.

Editorial standards: Editorial Policy

South East Bay and San Leandro fee route

Compare the South East Bay advisor-fee hub and San Leandro retirement planner fees with Alameda County, Fremont, Hayward, Union City, Newark, and Castro Valley.

Piedmont and Inner East Bay fees

The East Bay route now includes Piedmont retirement planner fees through Oakland-Berkeley and Alameda County comparisons.

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