Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 18, 2026. Quick answer: Primerica is registered with the SEC as both a broker-dealer and an investment adviser. Per its own current fee brochure, a $500,000 account would run $8,550 a year under its published fee schedule; the minimum to open an account is $25,000 for PFS Investments Inc. (Primerica Advisors) Lifetime Investment Program. Already a client and thinking about leaving? Budget $50 per event. Is it a fiduciary? Yes, when it is acting as your investment adviser; when the same representative acts as your broker-dealer instead, the applicable standard is best-interest, not fiduciary, and its own Form CRS states representatives can earn commissions in that capacity.
Head-to-head fee comparisons: Betterment Premium vs Primerica Fees, Lincoln Financial Advisors vs Primerica Fees and LPL vs Primerica Fees.
Primerica at a glance
| Fact | What Primerica’s own pages say |
|---|---|
| Legal entity | PFS Investments Inc. (Primerica Advisors) |
| Registration | PFS INVESTMENTS INC. (“PFSI”) is a broker-dealer and an investment adviser (“IA”) registered with the Securities & Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”). |
| Fee on a $500,000 account | $8,550 a year, per its own current brochure |
| Minimum to open an account | $25,000 for PFS Investments Inc. (Primerica Advisors) Lifetime Investment Program |
| Cost to leave (exit fee) | $50 per event |
What Primerica’s own fee schedule charges
“Advisory fee (Maximum), Account Value: $250,000 or less, 1.25%; $250,000.01-$500,000, 1.25%; $500,000.01-$1,000,000, 1.10%; $1,000,000.01-$3,000,000, 1.00%. Program fee, Account Value: $250,000 or less, 0.49%; $250,000.01-$500,000, 0.46%; $500,000.01-$1,000,000, 0.42%; $1,000,000.01-$3,000,000, 0.38%.”
Primerica Advisors is a breakpoint schedule: only the rate for your bracket applies, to the whole balance. This covers PFS Investments’ Lifetime Investment Program specifically, not Primerica’s much larger commission-based insurance and mutual fund business. An additional Asset Manager fee (0.00% to 0.50%, depending on the model selected) can apply on top.
| Account balance | Annual fee |
|---|---|
| $250,000 | $4,350 |
| $500,000 | $8,550 |
| $1,000,000 | $15,200 |
| $2,000,000 | $27,600 |
See the full breakdown, including how the figure is calculated, on Primerica’s own fee page.
Is Primerica a fiduciary?
PFS INVESTMENTS INC. (“PFSI”) is a broker-dealer and an investment adviser (“IA”) registered with the Securities & Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”).
“Brokerage capacity: “When we provide you with a recommendation, we have to act in your best interest and not put our interest ahead of yours.” Advisory capacity (Primerica Advisors): “When we act as your investment adviser, we have to act in your best interest and not put our interest ahead of yours.””
Generally, PFSI receives compensation (“commissions”) from mutual fund or annuity issuers each time you invest with us.
Full detail, including the exact registration type and source: Primerica’s fiduciary status, explained.
The minimum to open an account
“Participation in the Program requires a minimum investment of $25,000.00. Certain Models have higher minimums.”
$25,000 for PFS Investments Inc. (Primerica Advisors) Lifetime Investment Program. See the full minimum-investment breakdown, including what that minimum would cost per year, on Primerica’s minimum investment page.
What it costs to leave
Primerica prices the account transfer or termination at $50 per event, the same whether the account is a Lifetime Investment Program advisory account or a non-program brokerage account; the Retirement Account Annual Maintenance Fee is also $50 a year.
Full mechanics, sources, and the ACATS transfer process: how to leave Primerica.
What we would compare it against
Before you decide, run the numbers against another firm using the financial advisor fee comparison, or price the dollar cost of any percentage fee over time with the Financial Advisor Fee Calculator and the Fee Drag Calculator.
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Source: WiserAdvisor’s service descriptionSources
- PFS Investments Inc. (Primerica Advisors) Wrap Fee Program Brochure, Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1 (March 30, 2026): https://www.primerica.com/public/pdf/PFSI-PriAdvForADVWraFeeProBro.pdf
- Form CRS (Client Relationship Summary) (November 14, 2025): https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/crs/crs_10111.pdf
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, PFS Investments Inc. (Primerica Advisors) (CRD #10111): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/10111
- PFS Investments Inc. (Primerica Advisors), SEC Form ADV filing: https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/reports/ADV/10111/PDF/10111.pdf
Methodology. This page was built September 18, 2026, drawing directly on Primerica’s 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 Primerica’s own Form ADV Part 2A and Form CRS. We have not used Primerica as a client. Primerica did not pay for, review, or influence this content. See our Editorial Policy, Corrections, Affiliate Disclosure, and Disclaimer.
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