1% AUM - $10,000 per year
A 1% annual fee multiplied by a $1 million portfolio equals $10,000 before fund expenses or other costs.
Free cost comparison tool
Financial Advisor Fee Calculator
Translate AUM, flat annual, hourly, and project fees into estimated dollars before comparing financial advisors.
Direct answer
How much does a financial advisor cost?
Financial advisor pricing commonly includes a percentage of assets, a flat annual fee, an hourly rate, a project fee, or a combination. A 1% AUM fee costs about $10,000 per year on $1 million. Flat annual planning fees can range widely based on household complexity and included services.
Interactive calculator
Compare common advisor prices
Enter the quotes or assumptions you want to compare. Each result represents a different pricing structure, not necessarily the same scope of service. Your inputs are saved in the shareable page URL.
Estimated result
Annual AUM fee$0
Flat annual fee$0
Estimated hourly cost$0
One-time project fee$0
Assumptions and limitations: This calculator compares stated prices only. Hourly cost equals the hourly rate multiplied by estimated hours. It does not adjust for different services, billing frequency, portfolio changes, taxes, investment returns, or future price changes.
Worked example
What do common advisor fees look like on a $1 million portfolio?
Using the calculator defaults, the prices below show four different billing methods. They are not assumed to include the same work.
Flat fee - $3,600 per year
A stated flat annualized fee stays at $3,600 unless the engagement or price changes.
Hourly - $4,500
Fifteen hours at $300 per hour equals $4,500 for the estimated work entered.
Project - $3,500
A one-time project quote of $3,500 may not include implementation or advice after the project ends.
Compare like with like
Four questions to ask after seeing the price
The lowest number is not automatically the lowest-cost relationship if it leaves important work outside the engagement.
What is included?
Ask whether the price includes investments, taxes, retirement, insurance, estate coordination, implementation, and meetings.
How does it renew?
Confirm whether the fee is ongoing, one-time, hourly, billed quarterly, or recalculated as investments change.
Who does the work?
Know whether you will work with one advisor, a planning team, a call center, or a changing service roster.
What costs extra?
Ask about tax preparation, estate-document platforms, trading costs, fund expenses, custody, insurance commissions, and outside specialists.
Flames pricing
Transparent quarterly memberships, not AUM billing
Flames FP offers three quarterly memberships with no annual commitment: $150 Access, $900 Planning, and $1,650 Premier. The fee does not increase simply because the investment portfolio increases.
Access - $150 per quarter
Personalized foundational planning and professionally managed Flames portfolios.
See Access detailsPlanning - $900 per quarter
Comprehensive ongoing planning with a dedicated Flames advisor across investments, taxes, retirement, insurance, and estate documents.
See Planning detailsPremier - $1,650 per quarter
Advanced planning, implementation, and professional coordination led by your dedicated Flames advisor, plus eligible individual tax-return preparation and filing.
See Premier detailsVerify the relationship
Check fees, registration, conflicts, and professional standards
A calculator makes the price visible. Public regulatory and professional sources help you verify the advisor and understand the relationship behind that price.
Review Form ADV
Investor.gov explains that Form ADV includes an adviser's services, fees, conflicts, disciplinary history, and relationship summary.
Read the SEC's Form ADV guideCheck the advisor
Use the SEC's public IAPD tools to confirm registration and review available background and disclosure information.
Check an investment professionalUnderstand recurring fees
Investor.gov explains how ongoing advisory and investment expenses can affect a portfolio over time.
Review the SEC fee bulletinWatch and learn
Watch the Flat Fee vs AUM Walkthrough
Start with three videos selected for this page, then use the controls to explore every published Flames FP video guide.
Videos 1–3 of 14
-
Flat Fee vs 1% Financial Advisor
See how a percentage fee changes in dollars as a portfolio grows and what to compare beyond the headline rate. -
What Nobody Tells You About Earning $400K a Year
See why a $400K income can still leave too little investable margin and how taxes, lifestyle growth, and deliberate investing change the result. -
The 3-Account System for a $250K Income
Use cash reserves, tax-advantaged accounts, and a taxable brokerage account to turn a strong income into a repeatable wealth-building system. -
The 6 Levels of Wealth for $200K+ Households
Use six stages to separate a high income from the wealth it actually creates. -
The RSU Strategy Most $300K Tech Earners Miss
Understand taxation at vesting, check the withholding gap, and turn each RSU vest into a deliberate diversification and household-planning decision. -
The Most Underrated Retirement Account
How a taxable brokerage account can support retirement flexibility alongside tax-advantaged accounts. -
How to Decrease Your Tax Bill
Review practical tax-planning decisions that can connect income, investments, retirement, and withholding. -
Should You Invest or Spend Your HSA?
A practical framework for deciding how an HSA fits healthcare costs, taxes, and retirement planning. -
Four Common Backdoor Roth IRA Mistakes
Understand contribution, conversion, pro-rata, and reporting mistakes before they create tax problems. -
Direct Indexing vs ETFs in a Taxable Account
Compare diversification, tax management, cost, and complexity before changing an investment strategy. -
My New Favorite Account to Gift Money to Kids and Grandkids
Compare the new child investment account with 529 plans, custodial accounts, Roth IRAs for earned income, and the family's actual goals. -
Estate Planning Documents You May Need
A plain-English review of wills, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, beneficiaries, and trusts. -
How Much Life Insurance Do You Need?
Think through income replacement, debt, children, childcare, education, and family risk. -
Five Money Mistakes High Earners Make
Common coordination gaps involving taxes, cash flow, investments, insurance, and estate planning.
Common questions
Questions About Financial Advisor Fees
What is the average financial advisor fee?
There is no single average that fits every model. Advisors may charge AUM, flat annual, hourly, project, subscription, commission, or blended fees. Compare the actual dollar cost and included scope.
How do I calculate a 1% advisor fee?
Multiply the assets subject to the fee by 0.01. For example, $750,000 multiplied by 0.01 equals an estimated $7,500 annual fee.
Are investment fund expenses included?
No. Advisor fees and investment product expenses are separate unless a firm explicitly says otherwise. Ask for the total cost in dollars, including fund expenses, trading, custody, and planning fees.
What does Flames FP cost?
Flames FP memberships are $150, $900, or $1,650 per quarter, billed in advance with no annual commitment. Membership selection is based on the service scope rather than assets under management.
Compare the complete relationship
See What Each Flames Membership Includes
Compare Flames Access, Planning, and Premier at $150, $900, or $1,650 per quarter, then choose the relationship that matches the help you need.