What is a reasonable management fee for an investment account?
Types of Investment Management Fees
The industry typically refers to this as an investment management fee and averages between 1-2% of assets (i.e. A $100,000 investment could cost you between $1,000 - $2,000 annually). In recent years, thanks to technology and higher overall awareness, these fees have fallen closer to an average of 1%.
For portfolios with a $100,000 value, a 1% annual fee can reduce that value by as much as $30,000. “The average investor pays from approximately 1.5% to 2% annually,” says Stuart Boxenbaum, CFP®, investment advisor and president of Statewide Financial Group.
Online advisors have shown that a reasonable fee for money management only is about 0.25% to 0.30% of assets, so if you don't want advice on anything else, that's a reasonable fee, says O'Donnell.
Most of my research has shown people saying about 1% is normal. Answer: From a regulatory perspective, it's usually prohibited to ever charge more than 2%, so it's common to see fees range from as low as 0.25% all the way up to 2%, says certified financial planner Taylor Jessee at Impact Financial.
Many financial advisers charge based on how much money they manage on your behalf, and 1% of your total assets under management is a pretty standard fee.
Many may ask “Is 1.5% too much?” and the answer is that it depends. While 1.5% is on the higher end for financial advisor services, if that's what it takes to get the returns you want then it's not overpaying, so to speak. Staying around 1% for your fee may be standard but it certainly isn't the high end.
A reasonable expense ratio for an actively managed portfolio is about 0.5% to 0.75%, while an expense ratio greater than 1.5% is typically considered high these days. For passive funds, the average expense ratio is about 0.12%.
Financial advisor fees may be negotiable. Whether you're able to get fees reduced can depend on which advisor or firm you're working with. If an advisor is willing to negotiate fees, they must specify that in their Form ADV.
And if hiring help is the difference between getting started as an investor and sitting on the sidelines, just about any fee is worth it, investing experts say. "If you'd have earned 8% and you pay a 1% fee, you're still at 7% net. That's a lot better than the 1% you're earning in your bank account," says Ozanne.
Should you put all your money with one financial advisor?
Having multiple cooks in the kitchen, so to speak, could also be problematic if your advisors take different approaches to tax management. A single advisor may be better positioned to review your entire financial picture and come up with strategies for minimizing your tax liability.
Schwab Wealth Advisory™
Fees start at 0.80% and the fee rate decreases at higher asset levels.
Source: 2021 Fidelity Investor Insights Study. Furthermore, industry studies estimate that professional financial advice can add between 1.5% and 4% to portfolio returns over the long term, depending on the time period and how returns are calculated.
Investments of $500,000 or more range from advisory fees of 0.5% to 1.5% per year. All accounts include access to a phone-based team of advisors, or a dedicated advisor for investments of $500,000 or more. Separately Managed Accounts – The minimum investment amount is $100,000. Advisory fees range from 0.2% to 1.5%.
- "I offer a guaranteed rate of return."
- "Performance is the only thing that matters."
- "This investment product is risk-free. ...
- "Don't worry about how you're invested. ...
- "I know my pay structure is confusing; just trust me that it's fair."
Gross advisory fee applicable to accounts managed through Fidelity® Strategic Disciplines ranges from 0.20% to 0.49% and gross advisory fee applicable to accounts managed through Fidelity® Wealth Services ranges from 0.50%–1.04%, in each case based on a minimum investment of $2 million.
If you're making big decisions that affect your financial security, then you need a fiduciary advisor to give you the best chance at unbiased advice.
Like its account minimum, Merrill's account management fee is higher than most: 0.45% compared to the more typical robo-advisor fee of around 0.25% or less. That means for a $10,000 account balance, you'll pay $45 a year in fees.
For example, 80 percent of your business comes from 20 percent of your clients. By focusing more on those clients, you can increase your profits. This principle extends to other areas, as well—including marketing and client communications.
The wealthy also trust and work with financial advisors at a far greater rate. The study found that 70% of millionaires versus 37% of the general population work with a financial advisor.
Do financial advisors make 6 figures?
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for personal financial advisors was $94,170 in May 2021. It means half of the financial advisors earned more than that, and half earned less. One in ten earned less than $47,570, while one in ten made more than $208,000.
Common investing costs include expense ratios, market costs, custodian fees, advisory fees, commissions, and loads. Research has shown that lower-cost funds tend to have better returns than higher-cost funds.
| Annual Salary | Monthly Pay | |
|---|---|---|
| Top Earners | $147,618 | $12,301 |
| 75th Percentile | $141,200 | $11,766 |
| Average | $101,135 | $8,427 |
| 25th Percentile | $80,800 | $6,733 |
An open-end investment company typically does not charge a management fee, unlike closed-end investment companies, unit investment trusts, and growth funds.
Typical management fees are taken as a percentage of the total assets under management (AUM). The amount is quoted annually and usually applied on a monthly or quarterly basis. For example, if you've invested $10,000 with an annual management fee of 2.00%, you would expect to pay a fee of $200 per year.
