Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 19, 2026. Quick answer: TIAA Wealth Management is less expensive at $500,000: $4,500 a year, versus $10,350 a year for MassMutual, 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 | MassMutual (annual fee) | TIAA Wealth Management (annual fee) |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $5,175 | $2,250 |
| $500,000 | $10,350 | $4,500 |
| $1,000,000 | $20,700 | $9,000 |
| $2,000,000 | $41,400 | $16,000 |
MassMutual discloses a maximum, individually negotiated rate of 2.07% (MML Investors Services, LLC – MMLIS Wealth Management Services Portfolio Solutions Programs Wrap Fee Brochure (Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1), July 10, 2026); TIAA Wealth Management discloses a tiered schedule starting at 0.90% (TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC – Advice & Planning Services – Private Asset Management Disclosure Brochure (Form ADV Part 2A), March 31, 2026).
What the fee includes, in each firm’s own words
MassMutual (MML Investors Services, LLC – MMLIS Wealth Management Services Portfolio Solutions Programs Wrap Fee Brochure (Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1), July 10, 2026): “The Client Fee includes an Execution, Clearing and Custody Fee of 0.06%, a negotiable Advisory Fee up to a maximum of 1.54%, and any applicable fees to Strategists. … Strategist Fees range from 0.05% to 0.47%.”
MMLIS’s Client Fee for the Portfolio Solutions Programs is built from three disclosed components rather than one published schedule: a fixed 0.06% Execution/Clearing/Custody Fee, a negotiable Advisory Fee capped at 1.54% of AUM, and a Strategist Fee ranging 0.05%-0.47% depending on which asset-allocation model/strategist is selected (or 0% if none). Worst-case ceiling = 0.06% + 1.54% + 0.47% = 2.07%, applied uniformly to compute dollar_at as the maximum a client could be charged (250000*0.0207=5175; 500000*0.0207=10350; 1000000*0.0207=20700; 2000000*0.0207=41400). A client’s actual fee would typically be lower depending on the negotiated Advisory Fee and the Strategist Fee of the specific model chosen.
TIAA Wealth Management (TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC – Advice & Planning Services – Private Asset Management Disclosure Brochure (Form ADV Part 2A), March 31, 2026): “The PAM Fee schedules for the discretionary accounts are provided below. They are subject to change with prior notice to materially impacted clients enrolled in PAM. … PAM Fee Blended Schedule Value Bracket Annual Fee as % First $1,000,000 of market value 0.90% Next $2,000,000 0.70% Next $2,000,000 0.50% Over $5,000,000 0.40%”
Marginal/tax-bracket-style tiers from the PAM Fee Blended Schedule (the Private Asset Management program run by TC Services, TIAA’s high-net-worth wealth-management arm, sub-advised by TIAA Wealth Investment Management LLC). $250k: 250,000 x 0.90% = $2,250. $500k: 500,000 x 0.90% = $4,500. $1M: 1,000,000 x 0.90% = $9,000. $2M: first $1,000,000 x 0.90% = $9,000, plus the next $1,000,000 (of the $1,000,001-$3,000,000 tier) x 0.70% = $7,000, total $16,000. TIAA Wealth Investment Management LLC (CRD 334925, SEC file 801-132296, the WIM sub-adviser entity) has no client-facing fee schedule of its own – it is paid a flat sub-advisory basis-point fee by TC Services/TIAA Trust; the PAM brochure sponsored by TC Services is the entity that actually bills clients and is the correct primary source for a buildable schedule. A separate ‘PAM Fee Exclusively Fixed Income Schedule’ (0.50%/0.35%/0.25%/0.20%/0.15% tiers) applies only to all-fixed-income accounts and was not used here.
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, MassMutual runs $10,350 a year and TIAA Wealth Management runs $4,500 a year: a difference of $5,850 a year at that balance.
Want the full breakdown for either firm on its own? Read the MassMutual fee page or the TIAA Wealth Management fee page for the complete tier table and source citations.
Comparing these two against a full move? Read the general mechanics of switching financial advisors, or use a dated termination letter once you decide.
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- MML Investors Services, LLC – MMLIS Wealth Management Services Portfolio Solutions Programs Wrap Fee Brochure (Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1) (July 10, 2026): https://files.adviserinfo.sec.gov/IAPD/Content/Common/crd_iapd_Brochure.aspx?BRCHR_VRSN_ID=1051357
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, MML Investors Services, LLC (CRD #10409): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/10409
- TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC – Advice & Planning Services – Private Asset Management Disclosure Brochure (Form ADV Part 2A) (March 31, 2026): https://files.adviserinfo.sec.gov/IAPD/Content/Common/crd_iapd_Brochure.aspx?BRCHR_VRSN_ID=1028127
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC (d/b/a Advice & Planning Services, sponsor of the Private Asset Management Program) (CRD #20472): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/20472
Methodology. This page was built September 19, 2026, re-pairing figures already archived and independently verified for MassMutual and TIAA Wealth Management 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.
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