A financial advisor usually costs 0.5% to 1.25% of the assets they manage per year, $150 to $400 an hour, or $2,000 to $7,500 for a one-time flat-fee financial plan. On a $500,000 portfolio at 1%, the percentage model works out to roughly $5,000 a year. The right number depends on which model you pick and how complicated your money actually is.
We build websites and lead systems for financial advisors and planners, so we read these fee menus constantly. This is the plain-English version of what those fees mean and when an advisor earns them.
The most common model. You pay a slice of what they manage, billed quarterly. One percent is the classic figure, but it usually scales down past $1 million. The catch: the fee grows with your balance even if the work doesn't, so a $2M account paying 1% is handing over $20,000 a year for advice that may not be twice as hard as a $1M account's.
You pay for time, like a lawyer. Good for a specific question — "should I roll over this old 401(k)?" — without handing over your whole portfolio. A focused session or two might run $300 to $1,200 total.
A fixed price for a full financial plan, or an annual retainer ($2,000–$10,000/yr) for ongoing advice. This decouples the fee from your balance, so it often costs far less than 1% AUM once you cross a few hundred thousand in savings.
No visible bill — the advisor earns from the mutual funds, annuities, or insurance they sell you. It feels free and rarely is. This is where conflicts of interest live, which is why many people seek out fee-only fiduciaries instead.
Paying for advice is not always the smart move. Skip it for now if:
An advisor earns the fee at decision points — a windfall, a rollover, retirement timing, a tax-heavy year. The rest of the time, a one-time check-in often beats a permanent percentage.
Prospects research your fee before they ever call, so the way you present it is part of how you win the client. We build clear, trust-first sites for advisors and planners that explain the fee model honestly and capture the lead while they're reading. See our work on financial advisor websites, advisor marketing, and SEO for financial advisors.
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Most commonly 0.5%–1.25% of managed assets, so roughly $5,000 a year on a $500,000 portfolio at 1%. Hourly advice is $150–$400/hour, and a flat-fee plan is $2,000–$7,500.
About 1% of assets is the benchmark, sliding to 0.75%–0.85% above $1 million. Robo-advisors run 0.25%–0.50%.
Worth it at real decision points — a rollover, a sale, retirement timing. For a steady paycheck and an index fund, a one-time flat-fee plan or a low-cost robo usually does the same job for less.
Fee-only advisors are paid only by you, so no product-pushing incentive. Commission advisors earn from what they sell, which can bias the advice. Fee-only fiduciaries are the cleaner choice.
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