How much does a financial advisor cost in Austin?

An assets-under-management fee should cover more than trading. At minimum expect portfolio construction and ongoing management, regular reviews, retirement modeling, and coordination on tax and estate questions. If the fee only buys a model portfolio and an annual phone call, it is expensive at any rate.

Ask what is included before comparing numbers. A 0.75% fee that excludes planning is not cheaper than a 0.95% fee that includes it.

The advisory fee is rarely the whole cost. Underneath it sit fund expense ratios, trading costs, and — in some arrangements — platform or wrap fees. A portfolio of active mutual funds can add 0.50% to 1.00% in fund expenses that never appear on your advisory invoice.

This is the single most common gap we find when reviewing a prospective client's existing setup. People know their advisory rate. Very few know their all-in cost.

Most advisors tier their fees, but tiering works in two different ways. Additive tiering applies each rate only to the dollars in that band, so crossing a threshold never raises the cost of the money below it. Flat-rate-by-tier applies one rate to the whole balance, which creates a cliff.

Ours is additive. The first $500,000 is charged at 0.95% whether you have $500,000 or $5 million.

0.95% on the first $500,000, declining through eight tiers to 0.40% above $10 million. No setup fee, no exit fee, no account minimum, billed quarterly in arrears. Flat-fee planning is $500, $1,500, or $3,000 depending on depth.

The first thirty minutes are complimentary, and you are welcome to bring a statement from your current advisor so we can work out what you are actually paying today.