Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 18, 2026. Quick answer: Betterment Premium is less expensive at $500,000: $3,250 a year, versus $13,750 a year for Raymond James, 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 | Raymond James (annual fee) | Betterment Premium (annual fee) |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $6,875 | $1,625 |
| $500,000 | $13,750 | $3,250 |
| $1,000,000 | $27,500 | $6,500 |
| $2,000,000 | $50,000 | $5,000 |
Raymond James discloses a tiered schedule starting at 2.75% (Raymond James & Associates, Inc. Wrap Fee Program Brochure, Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1, “Maximum Fee Schedule for AMS Managed and IAR Managed Programs”, June 26, 2026); Betterment Premium discloses a tiered schedule starting at 0.65% (Form ADV Part 2A – Betterment Client Brochure (Betterment LLC), 2026-07-31).
What the fee includes, in each firm’s own words
Raymond James (Raymond James & Associates, Inc. Wrap Fee Program Brochure, Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1, “Maximum Fee Schedule for AMS Managed and IAR Managed Programs”, June 26, 2026): “We maintain a fee schedule (“maximum fee schedule”) that outlines the maximum fee rates that can be charged to clients at specific asset-level breakpoints. We calculate maximum Fees on a retroactive basis instead of on an incremental basis. As the aggregated Relationship Value reaches each higher asset tier, or “breakpoint,” the applicable Fee is reduced and assessed retroactively to the first dollar of your account assets. RJCS Equity/Balanced, Schedule A: Up to $1M, 2.75%; $1M-$2M, 2.50%; $2M-$5M, 2.25%; $5M-$10M, 2.00%; $10M+, 1.75%.”
Raymond James’s Consulting Services (RJCS) flagship program is a breakpoint schedule, not a marginal one: your entire account is billed at a single rate, based on which asset-level bracket the whole balance falls into, applied retroactively to the first dollar. The brochure publishes two rate columns for Equity/Balanced accounts, Schedule A and Schedule B, without specifying the eligibility difference between them in the sections reviewed this session; this page uses Schedule A, the higher, first-listed of the two, so the figures shown are a maximum, not a guaranteed rate. Applying each bracket boundary as inclusive of its own labeled ceiling (so a $1,000,000 account is billed at the “Up to $1M” rate and a $2,000,000 account at the “$1M-$2M” rate): $250,000 and $500,000 both fall in the “Up to $1M” bracket at 2.75%; $1,000,000 stays in that same bracket; $2,000,000 falls in the “$1M-$2M” bracket at 2.50%.
Betterment Premium (Form ADV Part 2A – Betterment Client Brochure (Betterment LLC), 2026-07-31): “Retail Clients who receive Betterment Premium Services pay a wrap fee of 0.65% of their account balance in annualized fees, which includes Betterment’s 0.25% annualized wrap fee plus 0.40% for access to Premium Services provided by Betterment’s team of financial consultants (subject to the Discount described in Item 5B. below). Betterment waives the 0.40% fee for Premium Services on account balances above $1 million. … A balance of at least $100,000 is required to be eligible to participate in the Betterment Premium plan.”
Whole-balance (breakpoint) fee, not marginal: the 0.65% combined rate (0.25% base wrap fee + 0.40% Premium access fee) applies to the full balance once the $100,000 Premium minimum is met, up to and including $1,000,000 ($250,000 x 0.0065 = $1,625; $500,000 x 0.0065 = $3,250; $1,000,000 x 0.0065 = $6,500, since the brochure waives the 0.40% Premium fee only on balances ‘above’ $1 million, not at exactly $1 million). Above $1,000,000 the 0.40% Premium fee is waived, leaving only the 0.25% base wrap fee on the entire balance ($2,000,000 x 0.0025 = $5,000). This produces a real fee cliff where a $1,000,000 account pays more in dollar terms than a $2,000,000 account – that is a direct, disclosed consequence of the waiver threshold, not an error.
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, Raymond James runs $13,750 a year and Betterment Premium runs $3,250 a year: a difference of $10,500 a year at that balance.
Want the full breakdown for either firm on its own? Read the Raymond James fee page or the Betterment Premium fee page for the complete tier table and source citations.
Thinking about leaving one of these firms instead of pricing what you would pay to stay? See what it costs to leave Betterment Premium, or read the general mechanics of switching financial advisors.
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- Raymond James & Associates, Inc. Wrap Fee Program Brochure, Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1, “Maximum Fee Schedule for AMS Managed and IAR Managed Programs” (June 26, 2026): https://www.raymondjames.com/legal-disclosures
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Raymond James & Associates, Inc. (CRD #705): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/705
- Form ADV Part 2A – Betterment Client Brochure (Betterment LLC) (2026-07-31): https://files.adviserinfo.sec.gov/IAPD/Content/Common/crd_iapd_Brochure.aspx?BRCHR_VRSN_ID=1053566
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Betterment LLC (CRD #149117): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/149117
Methodology. This page was built September 18, 2026, re-pairing figures already archived and independently verified for Raymond James and Betterment Premium 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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