2026 top 10 fee structures
Investor Beware
Do You Know What Your Wealth Management Firm Is Allowed to Charge?
Investment performance matters. But so does the amount of that performance you actually get to keep.
Many investors assume the fee they are currently paying is representative of what their wealth management firm charges. But large financial institutions may permit substantially higher advisory fees under certain programs.
According to publicly available Form ADV disclosures and program fee schedules, maximum advisory or program fees at major wealth management platforms can reach approximately:
Wealth Management Firm / Platform: Maximum Disclosed Advisory / Program Fee*
LPL Financial: Up to 2.95%
Raymond James: Up to 2.75%
UBS Wealth Management: Up to 2.50%
Carson Wealth: Up to 2.50%
Cambridge Investment Research: Up to 2.25%
Morgan Stanley: Up to ~2.00% + certain additional fees
J.P. Morgan: Up to 2.00%
Wells Fargo Advisors: Up to 2.00% + certain additional fees
Ameriprise: Up to 2.00% + certain additional fees
AllianceBernstein / Bernstein: Up to 1.85% under certain schedules
A Small Percentage Can Become a Very Big Number
Consider a $1,000,000 portfolio.
A 2.75% annual advisory fee equals:
$27,500 per year
A 0.90% annual advisory fee equals:
$9,000 per year
That’s a difference of: $18,500 in a single year.
And fees don’t just reduce your account today. Every dollar paid in fees is also a dollar that is no longer invested and participating in future growth.
TIP Group Difference
At TIP Group, our maximum allowable wealth management advisory fee is:
0.90%
We believe investors should understand not only what they’re paying, but also what their advisor or wealth management platform is permitted to charge.
Our philosophy is straightforward:
Seek to eliminate, or greatly reduce, volatility, fees and taxes.
Investment fees are one of the few variables investors can identify, measure and actively manage.
Before You Hire—or Keep—an Advisor, Ask:
What is my total annual advisory fee?
Are there additional platform, manager, fund or ETF expenses?
What is the maximum fee your firm allows you to charge me?
Does my fee decrease as my assets increase?
How much could these fees cost me over 10, 20 or 30 years?
Know What You Pay. Know What You Keep.
A difference of 1% or 2% may not sound significant.
On a substantial portfolio compounded over decades, it can represent hundreds of thousands—or even millions—of dollars of potential wealth.
Important Disclosure: The fee percentages above represent maximum or high-end advisory/program fee schedules disclosed in publicly available Form ADV brochures and related program disclosures and may apply only to particular programs, account sizes, strategies or circumstances. They do not represent the fee paid by every client of the listed firms. Advisory fees may be negotiable and may decline at higher asset levels. Certain programs may also involve additional manager, platform, custodial, transaction, mutual fund, ETF or other expenses. Comparisons should consider services provided, investment strategy and total costs. TIP Group’s stated 0.90% figure represents its maximum allowable advisory fee and does not necessarily represent the fee paid by every client. This material is for educational purposes and is not intended to disparage any firm or imply that a lower fee alone produces superior investment results.
