Advisory Services
Wells Fargo Advisors is committed to providing you choices in how you do business with us. We offer a broad range of advisory programs designed to suit the level of involvement you prefer in the day-to-day management of your investments.
Why choose an advisory program
To help you succeed in today’s complex markets, you need objective advice that you can rely on. Sometimes, the best advice is to hold steady and maintain your investments. Other times, you may need to take immediate action. Above all, you need advice you can trust.
Following a disciplined investment process and working with a financial advisor can give you confidence that your investment portfolio is appropriate for you based on your investment goals, time frame, and risk tolerance and that, with regular monitoring, you remain fully invested to help you meet those investment goals.
Advisory accounts can provide the following benefits:
- Advice on security selection and portfolio construction
- Exposure to asset classes that can potentially offset the ups and downs of market volatility
- Professional money management teams to oversee your investment selection and perform ongoing portfolio monitoring
- Predictable costs based on asset level
What are my advisory choices?
There are essentially two types of advisory programs. The first lets you give another party discretion over your account’s day-to-day management. In other words, you can allow a portfolio manager — possibly your Financial Advisor — to make decisions regarding buying, selling, and holding investments without consulting you.
A majority of our managed portfolios in these types of programs implement research from Wells Fargo Investment Institute. This objective investment advice covers the spectrum from strategic asset allocation (recommended percentage in stocks, bonds, and other asset classes or investments) to the selection of individual stocks, bonds, and money managers.
The second program type allows you to collaborate with your Financial Advisor. He or she will provide information, including objective advice and guidance based on your investment needs, goals, and the other factors noted below. He or she will also take into account today’s investment environment, to help you make your own buy, sell, and hold decisions.
How your portfolio investments are managed in either program type will depend on a variety of factors, in particular:
- What your long-term objectives are
- How much time you have to reach your objectives
- The amount of risk you’re comfortable with
Wells Fargo Advisors offers a broad range of alternatives
Wells Fargo Advisors offers a variety of advisory services programs for you to choose from. Some invest in mutual funds while others employ exchange-traded products (ETPs) or individual investments, such as stocks, bonds, and commodities-based investments.
Based on your particular situation, your Financial Advisor can work with you to determine which program should best help you work toward your goals.
A fee instead of commissions
A key difference between an advisory account and a traditional brokerage account is how you pay for the services you receive. Rather than paying a commission for each transaction, as you would otherwise, with an advisory account you pay a fee, usually charged on a quarterly basis based on a percentage of your account’s value.
Next steps
- Contact a Financial Advisor for more information about advisory accounts.
- Although advisory services are available to many investors, keep in mind there are account minimums to satisfy.
- Get help from a Financial Advisor to determine which advisory program, or programs, is appropriate for your situation.
The fees for advisory programs are asset-based and assessed quarterly in advance. There may be a minimum fee to maintain this type of account. Fees include advisory services, performance measurement, transaction costs, custody services, and trading. These fees do not cover the fees and expenses of any underlying exchange traded fund (ETF), closed-end funds, or mutual funds in the portfolio. Advisory accounts are not designed for excessively traded or inactive accounts and are not appropriate for all investors. Please carefully review the Wells Fargo Advisors advisory disclosure document for a full description of our services, including fees and expenses. The minimum account size for these programs is between $10,000 and $2,000,000.
Wells Fargo Investment Institute, Inc. is a registered investment adviser and wholly-owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., a bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company.