What fee-only financial advisors charge (2026)
The typical US fee-only financial advisor who publishes prices charges an ongoing planning fee of $4,500 a year, $2,000 for a one-time plan, $300 an hour, or 1% of assets a year for investment management. 50% of those that state an asset minimum have none.
- Ongoing planning (per year)
- $4,500 median, 775 firms
- One-time financial plan
- $2,000 median, 675 firms
- Hourly rate
- $300 median, 379 firms
- Assets under management (first tier)
- 1% median, 860 firms
- No asset minimum
- 50% of 781 that state a minimum
Fees in the US and Canada
Median, with the range for the middle half of firms below it. Canadian fees are in Canadian dollars.
| Fee | United States | Canada |
|---|---|---|
| Ongoing planning (per year) | $4,500$2,400–$7,200 · 775 firms | C$2,300C$1,200–C$4,000 · 21 firms |
| One-time financial plan | $2,000$845–$3,600 · 675 firms | C$1,900C$950–C$3,000 · 46 firms |
| Hourly rate | $300$250–$350 · 379 firms | C$250C$170–C$298 · 15 firms |
| Assets under management (first tier) | 1%0.95%–1% · 860 firms | Too few firms |
How fee-only advisors charge
Share of 2,574 firms whose websites say how they charge. Most offer more than one way.
| A percentage of assets managed | 62% |
|---|---|
| An ongoing planning fee (subscription or retainer) | 48% |
| One-time plans or projects | 38% |
| A flat fee | 27% |
| By the hour | 27% |
Ongoing planning fees by state
States with at least 12 firms that publish an ongoing fee.
| State | Median per year | Middle half | Firms |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $7,450 | $5,000–$10,000 | 17 |
| California | $6,000 | $3,550–$8,000 | 112 |
| Colorado | $6,000 | $2,900–$9,800 | 35 |
| Illinois | $5,000 | $2,300–$8,000 | 35 |
| Oregon | $5,000 | $4,500–$6,600 | 17 |
| Massachusetts | $5,000 | $2,900–$10,000 | 21 |
| Georgia | $5,000 | $2,400–$7,500 | 25 |
| Virginia | $5,000 | $3,000–$7,200 | 25 |
| Arizona | $4,800 | $3,600–$7,150 | 18 |
| Missouri | $4,750 | $2,350–$6,000 | 18 |
| North Carolina | $4,500 | $2,400–$9,800 | 33 |
| Washington | $4,500 | $3,000–$7,200 | 25 |
| Tennessee | $4,200 | $2,400–$6,000 | 13 |
| Florida | $4,200 | $2,400–$7,050 | 48 |
| Maryland | $3,800 | $1,950–$5,750 | 18 |
| New York | $3,600 | $2,000–$6,000 | 33 |
| Pennsylvania | $3,600 | $2,500–$10,000 | 29 |
| South Carolina | $3,600 | $1,750–$4,000 | 12 |
| Indiana | $3,500 | $2,550–$8,550 | 14 |
| Texas | $3,000 | $2,000–$5,000 | 66 |
| Michigan | $3,000 | $1,150–$4,850 | 20 |
| Ohio | $3,000 | $2,450–$5,500 | 19 |
| Wisconsin | $3,000 | $1,050–$6,000 | 14 |
| Minnesota | $2,100 | $1,200–$3,450 | 16 |
What they specialize in
Share of 4,368 firms whose websites describe their specialties.
Fewer than 1 in 20 fee-only firms name physicians & residents, student loans, pension planning, real estate investors, cross-border (US / Canada), retirement with concentrated positions or crypto & digital assets as a specialty, so people with those needs have fewer options to compare.
Credentials
Share of all 24,501 fee-only advisors in the public graph.
| CFP | 41% |
|---|---|
| CFA | 10% |
| ChFC | 3% |
| MBA | 2% |
| CPA | 1% |
| EA | 1% |
How these figures are built
Wellspent reads a few pages of each fee-only firm's own website (checked October 28, 2026 to October 30, 2026) and keeps a price only when the exact words stating it appear on the page. Figures cover the 2,144 firm websites that publish prices (each firm counted once); firms that don't publish them may charge differently. Advisors that SEC records or dealer affiliations show aren't fee-only are left out. Each figure is a median, the middle half is the 25th to 75th percentile, and a figure appears only with at least 12 firms behind it. The page updates as listings are rechecked. More in the methodology.
Cite as: Wellspent, “What fee-only financial advisors charge (2026),” https://find.wellspent.co/reports/fee-only-advisor-fees/