Fee Billing

Fee Billing

Core Concepts

1. Fee Schedule Structures

Advisory firms employ a range of fee structures, often combining several within a single practice.

Flat Fee (Fixed Dollar). A predetermined dollar amount charged per period regardless of account size. Common for financial planning engagements or retainer-based advice. Straightforward to bill but disconnected from asset growth.

AUM-Based (Percentage of Assets). The most prevalent model for registered investment advisers. A single percentage (e.g., 1.00%) is applied to the market value of managed assets. Simple to communicate but can become expensive for large portfolios and cheap for small ones.

Tiered / Breakpoint (Declining Rate). A graduated schedule where successive tiers of assets are billed at progressively lower rates. For example:

Under a true tiered schedule each dollar is billed at the rate for the tier it falls within. Under a breakpoint schedule the entire balance is billed at the rate corresponding to the highest tier reached. The distinction matters significantly for large accounts and must be clearly defined in the advisory agreement.

Flat-Plus-AUM Hybrid. Combines a fixed planning fee with a lower AUM percentage. Useful for firms that want to be compensated for planning work independently of portfolio size.

Hourly. Charges based on advisor time. Rarely used as the sole billing method for ongoing relationships but common for project-based planning engagements.

Financial Planning Fees. One-time or recurring fees for plan creation and updates, often billed separately from investment management fees.

Performance-Based Fees. Permitted only for "qualified clients" under SEC Rule 205-3. Under the SEC's 2026 inflation adjustment (order issued April 2026, effective June 29, 2026), a qualified client must have at least $1.4 million in AUM with the adviser or a net worth exceeding $2.7 million — up from the $1.1 million / $2.2 million thresholds set in 2021. The SEC adjusts these thresholds for inflation every five years, and prior thresholds generally continue to apply to pre-existing contracts; verify current values. Requires a high-water mark or similar mechanism to prevent double-charging after drawdowns. Rarely used by typical RIAs due to complexity and regulatory constraints.

Family / Household Billing Aggregation. Assets across related accounts (spouses, trusts, custodial accounts, IRAs) are combined for fee-tier determination, then the calculated fee is allocated back to individual accounts. This gives the household the benefit of breakpoint pricing. The aggregation definition (who qualifies as "household") must be documented in the advisory agreement.

2. AUM Valuation for Billing

The accuracy and consistency of AUM valuation directly determines billing accuracy.

Valuation Date Selection. The most common approaches are:

• Quarter-end value: Assets valued as of the last business day of the billing quarter. Simple and widely used.
• Prior quarter-end value: Assets valued as of the end of the preceding quarter. Avoids billing on unrealized gains or losses that occurred during the period just ended. Common for advance billing.
• Period average: The average of daily or month-end values across the billing period. Smooths volatility but is operationally complex.

Market Value vs. Cost Basis. Nearly all advisory agreements specify market value. Cost basis would understate the true value being managed and is almost never used.

Held-Away Assets. Assets the adviser monitors but that are not custodied at the primary custodian (e.g., 401(k) plans, outside brokerage accounts, annuities). Whether these are included in the billable AUM depends on the advisory agreement. If included, obtaining timely and accurate valuations is a persistent operational challenge.

Accrued Income. Bond accrued interest and declared but unpaid dividends may be included or excluded. Most custodian feeds include accrued interest in the total market value, so the default is typically inclusion unless the fee schedule specifies otherwise.

Margin Debit Treatment. If a client uses margin, the question arises whether to bill on gross assets or net equity. The advisory agreement should specify. Most firms bill on net equity (gross market value minus margin balance).

Cash Inclusion / Exclusion. Some agreements exclude cash or money market positions from billable AUM, particularly if the adviser is not actively managing those balances. This is uncommon but must be handled when present.

New Account Proration. Accounts opened mid-period require proration. The standard method is to calculate the fee based on the number of days the account was open relative to the total days in the billing period. Some firms use a simpler approach and bill for the partial quarter only if the account was opened before the midpoint of the period.

3. Billing Cycle Mechanics

Quarterly Billing. The dominant cycle for RIAs. Billing quarters typically align with calendar quarters (Jan-Mar, Apr-Jun, Jul-Sep, Oct-Dec), though some firms use fiscal quarters.

Monthly Billing. Less common for investment management but used for financial planning retainers or firms that want to smooth revenue. Requires more operational overhead.

Annual Billing. Occasionally used for flat-fee or financial-planning-only arrangements. May be billed as a single payment or split into installments.

Advance vs. Arrears Billing.

• Advance (in advance): Fees are billed at the start of the period for services to be rendered. Creates a deferred revenue liability on the firm's balance sheet. Requires refund calculation for accounts terminated mid-period. Most common for RIAs.
• Arrears (in arrears): Fees are billed at the end of the period for services already rendered. Simpler from a revenue-recognition standpoint (revenue is earned when billed) but delays cash collection. Growing in popularity due to its alignment with the service delivery timeline.

Pro-Ration Rules. Events requiring proration include:

• Account openings mid-period
• Account closings or terminations mid-period
• Large contributions (some firms apply a materiality threshold, e.g., only prorate for contributions exceeding $10,000 or 10% of account value)
• Large withdrawals (same materiality threshold logic)
• Transfers between accounts within the same household (should be revenue-neutral)

The standard proration formula is:

Prorated Fee = Full-Period Fee * (Days in Period Account Was Active / Total Days in Period)

Billing Period Alignment. When a firm converts billing cycles (e.g., from quarterly to monthly), a transition period is needed. Clients should not be double-billed or under-billed during the switch. A reconciliation calculation comparing what was billed under the old cycle against what is owed under the new cycle is essential.

4. Fee Calculation Engine

A systematic fee calculation follows these steps:

Step 1: Determine Household Composition. Identify all accounts linked to the billing household. Include all account types per the advisory agreement (individual, joint, IRA, Roth IRA, trust, UGMA/UTMA, entity accounts).

Step 2: Retrieve Account Valuations. Pull market values as of the valuation date from the custodian or portfolio management system. Apply any exclusions (cash exclusion, held-away asset inclusion, margin debit netting).

Step 3: Aggregate Household AUM. Sum the billable market values across all accounts in the household to determine the household-level AUM for tier determination.

Step 4: Apply Fee Schedule. Using the household's assigned fee schedule, calculate the annual fee. For a tiered schedule:

Household AUM: $1,800,000