Flat‑fee financial advisors offer transparent pricing and predictable costs.

There is a subtle distinction between fee-based and fee-only advisors. Fee-only advisors exclusively offer financial advice but don’t sell any products with commissions. Fee-based advisors also mainly ...

Before you agree to work with a financial advisor, you need to understand exactly how they’re compensated. If you’re afraid you’ll seem rude by asking, don’t worry: Your advisor is required to ...

Understand how payment structures affect costs, incentives and transparency when working with financial advisors Written By Written by Staff Money Writer, WSJ | Buy Side Molly Grace is a staff money ...

When looking for a financial advisor, you’ll encounter various compensation arrangements, including fee-only advisors and fee ...

Listen and subscribe to Decoding Retirement on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. Many people of average means need a financial planner, but they struggle to find ...

Learn what commission is in finance, with examples and key differences between commission-based and fee-based financial advisors.

Investors saved an estimated $5.9 billion in fund expenses last year as the asset-weighted average expense ratio for all US mutual funds and exchange-traded funds ticked down to 0.34% in 2024 from ...

A recent report by research firm Cerulli Associates found that affluent clients are most interested in fee-based planning models. The survey found that 36% of affluent investors say they prefer ...

In 2019, I wrote an article in response to the influx of robo-advisors in the financial planning space. Today’s investors can open an account, answer a few questions about their risk tolerance, and in ...

Question: “I have a financial adviser right now that is charging 1.5 % on a $500,000 portfolio. I am thinking that may be an excessive fee. How do I know if what I’m paying is fair? Should I go ...