Updated July 22, 2026. Quick answer: Private wealth management fees are usually quoted as a sliding AUM schedule that falls well below the headline 1% as assets grow: blended rates commonly land around 0.50%–0.85% at $5,000,000 (about $25,000–$42,500/year), roughly 0.30%–0.65% at $10,000,000, and lower still above $25,000,000 — while family offices and some UHNW advisors quote flat annual retainers instead. Every serious quote at this level is negotiable, so get the schedule, the breakpoints, and the first-year total in written dollars before you compare anyone.
Fast routes: Average wealth management fees | Fees by portfolio size | $3M portfolio example | Advisor minimums | Advisor fee calculator
What that rate costs you, in your own dollars
Percentages are hard to feel. The same rate that sounds small as a number is a specific amount of money leaving a specific account every year, and it compounds against you because the dollars taken out stop earning. Enter your balance and the rate you pay or have been quoted, and this converts it into dollars.
Compare a written private-wealth quote before an intro call
At $5 million and above, small percentage differences are five-figure annual dollars. Ask every candidate for the full fee schedule with breakpoints, what is billed by-slice versus on all assets, what services are inside the fee, and the first-year total in dollars — then compare structures, not adjectives.
Private wealth management fees: typical schedules by asset level
These are educational ranges for blended, all-in advisory fees (before fund expenses and trading costs), drawn from commonly published RIA and private-bank schedules. Any specific firm’s numbers live in its advisory agreement and Form ADV, which you can check free at the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure site.
| Asset level | Commonly quoted blended range | Annual dollars | What to verify |
|---|---|---|---|
| $5,000,000 | ~0.50%–0.85% | $25,000–$42,500 | Blended vs top-tier rate; which services are inside the fee. |
| $10,000,000 | ~0.30%–0.65% | $30,000–$65,000 | Breakpoint placement; by-slice or all-assets billing. |
| $25,000,000+ | ~0.20%–0.50%, or flat retainer | $50,000–$125,000+ | Whether a flat family-office retainer beats any percentage. |
Ultra-high-net-worth wealth management fees: what changes above $5 million
Three things separate UHNW pricing from the standard schedules on our average wealth management fees page. First, breakpoints matter more than the headline rate: a schedule that drops to 0.40% above $5 million can beat a “discounted” flat 0.75% by tens of thousands of dollars a year. Second, structure varies: private banks often bundle lending and custody relationships into pricing, independent RIAs quote tiered AUM schedules, and multi-family offices lean toward retainers — the same portfolio can be priced three different ways. Third, nearly everything is negotiable at this level, including which assets are excluded from billing (concentrated stock you will not sell, cash, private holdings). If part of the portfolio sits in layered programs, unstack those costs with the UMA platform cost guide before comparing totals.
Private wealth management minimums
Published minimums commonly run $1,000,000–$5,000,000 for private-bank and bank-brand wealth programs, $2,000,000–$10,000,000 for many UHNW-focused RIA groups, and $20,000,000 or more for multi-family offices — though many firms quote a minimum annual fee instead of a strict asset minimum. Our advisor minimums guide covers how to read those thresholds and what to do when you sit between tiers.
Family-office and retainer pricing
Flat retainers for comprehensive UHNW planning and investment oversight are commonly quoted anywhere from $60,000 to $300,000+ per year depending on complexity: entities, trusts, real assets, concentrated positions, bill pay, and coordination with outside CPAs and attorneys. The comparison discipline is the same as at every other asset level on this site: put the retainer next to the percentage schedule in dollars, list what each includes, and make the more expensive option justify itself line by line.
Five copy/paste questions to ask a private wealth manager
- What is my first-year all-in cost in dollars — advisory fee at each tier, platform or program fees, estimated fund expenses, and any custody or reporting charges — itemized?
- Is the schedule billed by-slice or on all assets, and exactly where are the breakpoints?
- Which assets can be excluded from billing, and is the rate negotiable at my asset level?
- What specific services are inside the fee — tax coordination, estate coordination, entity accounting, bill pay — and what costs extra?
- Can you price the same scope two ways: your AUM schedule and a flat annual retainer?
Calculator line: Run any private-wealth quote through the Financial Advisor Fee Calculator, then stress-test it against a flat quote with the Flat Fee vs AUM Break-Even Calculator.
What settlement costs at this asset level
At the balances this page covers, the cost of settling the estate can exceed a year of advisory fees, and unlike the advisory fee it is set by statute rather than negotiated. Seven jurisdictions publish an actual percentage schedule, and in those the fee is computed on gross value — the full value of a house, not the equity in it: California, Florida, Nevada, Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Wyoming. Full comparison: probate cost by state, or price a specific estate with the probate cost calculator.
Methodology
This page was materially reviewed on July 22, 2026. Fee and minimum ranges are commonly quoted educational figures from public disclosures and industry pricing conventions; they are not quotes, and firm pricing varies. Nothing here is personalized financial, tax, legal, or investment advice. See our Editorial Policy, Corrections, Affiliate Disclosure, and Disclaimer.
When the money arrives from selling the business
The price is not one number to the tax law — it is split across the assets, and the split decides what you keep:
- How the price is allocated — a §1060 waterfall in which goodwill is the residual
- Receivables are Class III — and they do not come out as capital gain
- Recapture lands in year one — §453(i) does not let you spread it
- What to hold back for tax — the §6654 safe harbour is the figure that actually protects you