The median account minimum across financial advisors is $25,000. That's lower than most people expect—half of all advisors will work with you for $25K or less. We looked at minimum requirements across 235,608 advisors at firms that report this data to the SEC.
What the Data Shows
Here's how account minimums break down across 235,608 advisors at firms with reported minimum data, weighted by advisor count.
| Minimum Requirement | Share of Advisors |
|---|---|
| No minimum ($0) | 9.0% |
| Under $25K | 40.4% |
| $25K–$100K | 14.0% |
| $100K–$250K | 4.3% |
| $250K–$500K | 18.7% |
| $500K–$1M | 6.4% |
| $1M–$5M | 4.2% |
| $5M+ | 3.0% |
The biggest group by far—40.4% of advisors—work at firms with minimums under $25K. Another 9% have no minimum at all. Combined, about half of all advisors are accessible to investors with modest portfolios. On the other end, 18.7% require $250K–$500K, and only about 7% require $1M or more.
Data source: Account minimums reported in Form ADV filings with the SEC. Covers 235,608 advisors at thousands of firms that disclose minimum investment requirements, weighted by advisor count.
Why Minimums Exist
Running an advisory practice costs money. Between compliance, technology, office space, and staff, a typical small firm spends $3,000–$5,000 per client per year just to keep the lights on. If you charge 1% on a $50K account, that's $500 in annual revenue—nowhere near enough to cover costs.
Minimums are how firms filter for clients they can serve profitably. A $250K minimum at 1% generates $2,500 per client. A $1M minimum generates $10,000. The math is simple: advisors need each client relationship to be worth their time.
This isn't greed. It's just economics. An advisor with 100 clients at $50K each manages $5M total and earns $50,000—before paying for anything. The same advisor with 100 clients at $500K each manages $50M and earns $500,000. Same workload, ten times the revenue.
Good News: About Half Have Low Minimums
About 49% of advisors work at firms with minimums under $25K—including the 9% with no minimum at all. That means roughly half the advisor workforce is accessible to someone with modest savings.
The under-$25K bucket is the single largest group at 40.4%. Many of these advisors work at larger firms that set low entry points to attract a wide range of clients. Others charge flat or hourly fees instead of AUM percentages, so your portfolio size matters less. Some are robo-advisory hybrids that can serve small accounts efficiently through technology.
The 9% with truly zero minimums tend to be newer practices building their client base, or firms that genuinely want to serve everyone regardless of portfolio size.
How to Find an Advisor If You Have Less Than $100K
You have more options than you think. Here are a few approaches:
- Filter by minimum. On TrueAdvisor, you can set a maximum account minimum to only see firms that will accept your portfolio size.
- Look at hourly or flat-fee advisors. They charge for their time, not a percentage of your assets, so your portfolio size doesn't matter as much.
- Try newer firms. Advisors in their first few years are often more flexible on minimums because they're still building.
- Ask anyway. Posted minimums aren't always hard rules. Some firms waive them for clients they like, especially if you're young and on a good earning trajectory.