Is 1% fee for financial advisor worth it? (2024)

Is 1% fee for financial advisor worth it?

But, if you're already working with an advisor, the simplest way to determine whether a 1% fee is reasonable may be to look at what they've helped you accomplish. For example, if they've consistently helped you to earn a 12% return in your portfolio for five years running, then 1% may be a bargain.

“Although the 1% AUM fee is standard, it does not align with the time, energy and expertise required to provide comprehensive financial advice and investment management services at different asset levels,” says Cody Garrett, certified financial planner at Measure Twice Financial.

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.

In most cases, a fee-only advisor is going to be the best choice because they're incentivized to act as a fiduciary for their clients, and typically you won't have to worry about potential conflicts of interest when they're making recommendations.

Generally, having between $50,000 and $500,000 of liquid assets to invest can be a good point to start looking at hiring a financial advisor. Some advisors have minimum asset thresholds. This could be a relatively low figure, like $25,000, but it could $500,000, $1 million or even more.

A financial advisor is worth paying for if they provide help you need, whether because you don't have the time or financial acumen or you simply don't want to deal with your finances. An advisor may be especially valuable if you have complicated finances that would benefit from professional help.

Bottom Line. The average investment management fee is over 1% for $1 million in assets under management. It's important to know what kinds of fees firms may charge and how they structure them.

Get unlimited 1:1 guidance from a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^™ professional, interactive planning tools, and a personalized roadmap for reaching your goals. $25K to start. Pay a one-time planning fee of $300, and just a $30/month advisory fee after that.

What is the downside of using a fiduciary?

Limited investment options: Fiduciary advisors may be limited in the investment options they can recommend, as they are required to prioritize your best interests over their own. This can potentially limit the range of investment opportunities available to you by avoiding high commission products.

In conclusion, working with a financial advisor can be a great way to achieve your financial goals, but it's important to weigh the pros and cons carefully before making a decision. The cost and the risk of conflicts of interest are the main disadvantages of working with a financial advisor.

As David Creekmore, president of Lifetime Financial, puts it, "Fee-only eliminates the huge distortive incentive of product sale commissions, but it's hardly free from conflicts of interest." In other words, this model may provide clarity in terms of costs; however, the absence of commissions doesn't guarantee the best ...

That's the case even though 42% consider themselves “highly disciplined” planners, which is more than twice the percentage of the general population. Odder still, 70% of wealthy Americans work with a professional financial advisor — and yet one-third still worry about running out of money in retirement.

The study found that 70% of millionaires versus 37% of the general population work with a financial advisor. Moreover, 53% of wealthy people consider advisors to be their most trusted source of financial advice. Spouses/partners ranked a distant second at 11%, followed by business news at 10%.

Investors who work with an advisor are generally more confident about reaching their goals. 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.

What Percentage of Financial Advisors are Successful? 80-90% of financial advisors fail and close their firm within the first three years of business. This means only 10-20% of financial advisors are ultimately successful.

But when you're looking for financial advice, then having a fiduciary on your side can help you get the expertise and direction that's best for your situation, making it a better fit than a financial advisor who is not a fiduciary.

Is $20000 a good amount of savings?

Having $20,000 in a savings account is a good starting point if you want to create a sizable emergency fund.

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. You need to decide what you're willing to pay for what you're receiving.

Flat Management Fees

It's important to note that some investment managers may choose to lower this fee as your portfolio increases. For example, if you have less than $1 million under management, your fee might be 1.5%, while someone who has a portfolio between $5 million and $10 million may have a 1.25% fee.

The median fee paid to an advisor is about 1% of the assets they manage for you, according to NerdWallet. If you use a so-called robo-advisor — online services that provide automated investment management — the fee generally ranges from 0.25% to 0.5%.