Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 23, 2026. Quick answer: It depends which strategy you pick: Stifel Fee (asset-based wrap fee: Opportunity/IMC, Custom Advisory Portfolio, Solutions/Horizon, Fundamentals, Connect Programs) runs from $5,000 to $500,000, depending on the specific strategy or model portfolio. At the $5,000 low end, Stifel Nicolaus’ own fee schedule works out to $100 a year; strategies at the high end require substantially more.
The minimum, in the firm’s own words
“The following minimum account sizes are generally required to open an account in the available Programs outlined in this brochure. Specific minimums may vary, depending on the Portfolio that you select. Exceptions to the stated minimums can be granted in Stifel’s (and, to the extent applicable, the Manager’s) discretion.”
On waivability: “Exceptions to the stated minimums can be granted in Stifel’s (and, to the extent applicable, the Manager’s) discretion.”
Minimum investment and what it would cost
| Program | Minimum investment | Annual fee at that minimum | Waivable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stifel Fee (asset-based wrap fee: Opportunity/IMC, Custom Advisory Portfolio, Solutions/Horizon, Fundamentals, Connect Programs) (lowest-minimum strategy) | $5,000 | $100 | Yes, at the firm’s discretion |
| Stifel Fee (asset-based wrap fee: Opportunity/IMC, Custom Advisory Portfolio, Solutions/Horizon, Fundamentals, Connect Programs) (highest-minimum strategy) | $500,000 | Varies by strategy | Yes, at the firm’s discretion |
| Source: Wrap Fee Programs Disclosure Brochure, Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, March 31, 2026 | |||
The $5,000 low end (Stifel’s Fundamentals program’s low end) at the firm’s disclosed 2.00% ceiling: $5,000 x 2.00% = $100.
Stifel Nicolaus’ own fee schedule at other balances
| Account balance | Annual fee |
|---|---|
| $250,000 | $5,000 |
| $500,000 | $10,000 |
| $1,000,000 | $20,000 |
| $2,000,000 | $40,000 |
What else to know
Stifel’s wrap-fee programs span five program families, with minimums ranging from $5,000 (its Fundamentals program’s low end) up to $500,000 (its Opportunity and IMC programs’ typical high end), depending on which program a client selects.
What a larger account would cost
The minimum is only the entry point. On a $500,000 account, Stifel Nicolaus’ own published fee schedule runs up to $10,000 a year (the published maximum, which the firm says is negotiable); see the full dollar breakdown from Stifel Nicolaus’ own fee disclosure across several account sizes.
Already a client and thinking about the minimum a different way, like whether you could get a better deal elsewhere? See what it costs to leave Stifel Nicolaus, or read the general mechanics of switching financial advisors.
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- Wrap Fee Programs Disclosure Brochure, Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated (March 31, 2026): https://www.stifel.com/docs/pdf/disclosures/Advisory/Stifel%20-%20Wrap%20Accounts%20Disclosure%20Brochure.pdf
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated (CRD #793): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/793
- Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, SEC Form ADV filing: https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/reports/ADV/793/PDF/793.pdf
Methodology. This page was built September 23, 2026, quoting directly from Stifel Nicolaus’ own current Form ADV Part 2A / wrap-fee brochure, with the source linked above. The annual-fee-at-the-minimum figure applies that same brochure’s own published fee schedule to the disclosed minimum dollar amount; 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 the firm’s own Form ADV Part 2A. See our Editorial Policy, Corrections, Affiliate Disclosure, and Disclaimer.
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