Arete has provided asset management services since 2007 and has been SEC-registered since 2009. It presents itself as a family of financial companies that includes a full-service broker-dealer (BD), a registered investment advisor (RIA), and an insurance firm.
Arete manages approximately $7 billion in assets under advisement across 60 offices.
What does Arete Wealth’s wealth management service include?
In addition to portfolio management, the service can include financial planning, either comprehensive or limited in scope.
Planning topics may include investments and asset allocation, cash management, insurance/risk management, retirement planning, education planning, estate planning goals, and wealth transfer planning.
Arete also provides retirement plan services for plan sponsors.
Investment implementation
Arete works with client assets across a range of securities and strategies, depending on the agreement and restrictions. Examples of investment types it lists include stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, REITs, options, warrants, and alternative investments.
It also describes the ability to incorporate third-party money managers into certain relationships.
Lifestyle-oriented offering: Art & Wine
Separately from core portfolio management and planning, Arete introduced an “Art & Wine Advisory” program in 2015, intended to connect clients with expert advisors in art, wine, collectibles, and insurance for lifestyle needs, and characterizes it as uniquely positioned among financial services firms.
What are the pros and cons of Arete Wealth?
When choosing a financial advice firm, it’s important to weigh up all the pros and cons before you start working with them.
Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of Arete Wealth to get you started.
Pros of Arete Wealth:
Advisor-led relationship: Clients can choose to delegate day-to-day portfolio management under discretionary authority or retain control through non-discretionary investment consulting, depending on the engagement.
Integrated investment management and financial planning: The service can include ongoing portfolio management alongside comprehensive or limited-scope financial planning, covering retirement, estate planning, insurance considerations, and cash management.
Access to third-party managers and institution-style strategies: Arete can recommend or engage third-party money managers, enabling access to investment approaches more commonly associated with institutional portfolios.
Lifestyle-oriented advisory: Arete’s Art & Wine program is unique in the industry and connects clients with specialists in art, wine, collectibles, and insurance to support lifestyle-related advisory needs.
Cons of Arete Wealth:
Relatively high stated minimum account size: Arete generally requires an initial minimum account balance of $50,000. However, this minimum may be waived based on the individual client’s needs and the engagement's complexity.
Fee structure is not standardized: Arete describes multiple ways advisory fees may be calculated and billed, including AUM-based fees, hourly charges, flat fees, or combinations of these methods. This means total costs can vary by service type and client agreement.
Additional costs beyond advisory fees: Clients may incur custodial charges and investment-level expenses associated with the underlying securities or funds used in portfolios, which are separate from advisory compensation.
Alternative investments add complexity and risk: The firm describes alternative investments as potentially involving limited liquidity, higher risk, leverage, complex tax treatment, and reduced transparency, which may not be appropriate for all investors.
Arete Wealth fees: How much does Arete Wealth cost?
Arete Wealth’s advisory fees are typically an assets-under-management (AUM) percentage with a standard maximum annual schedule that ranges from 3.00% (up to $249,000) down to 1.50% ($5,000,000 and over).
Arete also describes alternatives such as hourly or flat fees (or a combination), with fees billed in advance or in arrears depending on the arrangement.
Investment management fee: AUM-based fee schedule
This is the most common approach.
| Assets under management | Maximum annual fee |
|---|---|
| Up to $249,000 | 3.00% |
| $250,000 – $749,999 | 2.50% |
| $750,000 – $1,499,999 | 2.00% |
| $1,500,000 – $4,999,999 | 1.75% |
| $5,000,000 and over | 1.50% |
Financial planning fees: Hourly or flat fee
For financial planning services, the amount and payment timing are negotiated between the advisor and client (and disclosed in the IAC and/or a Financial Planning Agreement).
Trading-related charges (ticket charges):
Clients are generally charged per-transaction ticket charges set by the custodian arrangement negotiated by the advisor. These charges are described as a pass-through to the custodian and do not generate income for Arete.
Third-party money manager:
If a client uses a third-party money manager, that manager assesses the advisory fee.
Arete generally does not charge its own advisory fee for those services.
Other costs:
Clients may pay additional expenses, such as:
Transaction fees, custodial fees, wire fees, transfer taxes, and other brokerage-account charges.
Internal fund expenses for mutual funds and ETFs (as disclosed in prospectuses).
What is Arete Wealth’s minimum account size?
Arete Wealth Management generally requires an initial minimum account balance of $50,000 for its advisory relationship.
This minimum may be waived based on the individual client’s needs and the engagement's complexity, with the final terms documented in the client’s Investment Advisory Contract (IAC).
Who should choose Arete Wealth?
Arete Wealth may be a better fit for investors who want an advisor-led relationship and who can meet the $50,000 minimum.
Arete Wealth works well for:
Clients who want art/wine/collectibles support integrated with wealth management: Investors looking for access to specialists in art, wine, and collectibles, including related insurance needs, may find Arete’s Art & Wine program relevant alongside its advisor-led wealth management services.
Investors who want an advisor-led portfolio relationship: The service is commonly delivered on a discretionary basis, with non-discretionary consulting also available for clients who wish to retain final decision authority.
Clients who want planning as part of the relationship: Arete offers financial planning services with fees structured as either hourly or flat (negotiated) and documented in the relevant agreement(s).
Clients who want access to third-party managers: Arete describes recommending third-party money managers in certain cases; when a third-party manager is used, the advisory fee is generally assessed by that manager rather than Arete for those services.
Clients who are comfortable with private, less-liquid investments: Investors who want to consider private strategies beyond public markets—and who are comfortable with lower liquidity—may fit Arete’s alternatives approach (examples include litigation finance, middle-market senior debt, and venture capital)
It may be less suitable for people seeking a low minimum, standardized, self-directed investing experience or a single, simple pricing tier.
Who might not benefit as much:
Investors starting with smaller balances: Arete’s $50,000 initial minimum account balance may price some investors out of the firm.
People who want standardized, simple pricing: Arete describes multiple ways fees may be calculated and billed, which may be overly complex for some.
Clients who prefer to avoid added complexity and limited liquidity: Arete’s description of private/alternative investments emphasizes that they are often less liquid and structurally different from publicly traded investments, which may not match every investor’s preference.
Arete Wealth: Is it secure?
Arete Wealth operates as an SEC-registered investment adviser. It is subject to US regulatory oversight and fiduciary standards, which require the firm to act in clients’ best interests when providing advisory services.
Custody of client assets
Client assets are held with qualified third-party custodians, and clients receive custodial statements that show holdings, transactions, and advisory fees – creating a third-party record clients can use to verify activity and charges.
Client information and online access protections
Arete offers several specific protections for nonpublic personal information and online access, including:
Access controls: Limiting access to nonpublic personal information to personnel with a business need to know, supported by physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards.
Encryption for online sessions: Using SSL technology and 256-bit encryption for secure website sessions.
Login credentials for restricted areas: Access to secure areas via user ID and password, with guidance to log out after use to reduce unauthorized access risk.
Arete Wealth: Customer service
Arete Wealth’s customer service is centered on an advisor-led, relationship-based model, where most ongoing support is provided through a client’s financial advisor rather than a centralized help desk.
In addition to advisor support, the firm lists general contact options, including phone and email, as well as access to physical office locations. These channels allow the firm to be reached outside the advisor relationship for general inquiries.
For account administration, clients receive statements and transaction confirmations directly from the third-party custodian, allowing them to review holdings, activity, and fees independently of advisor communications.
Arete Wealth: Mobile app
Arete Wealth Management offers a mobile app called Arete Telos that serves as a client-facing portal rather than a full-featured, self-directed trading app. It is designed to support Arete’s advisor-led wealth management model, focusing on customized financial portfolios.
You can use the Arete Telos app to:
View managed account performance details
See account balances, net worth, and asset allocation
Add manual (external) accounts for consolidated reporting
Toggle between related households within the platform
Review retirement planning information, including Monte Carlo projections, income modeling, and planning assumptions
Navigate managed personal finance data with improved in-app organization
Access advisor and firm disclosures
Store and view documents through a document vault
Telos is designed to help clients track progress, review planning outputs, and stay informed, rather than trade securities or conduct active investment research.
Is Arete Wealth Management worth it?
Whether Arete Wealth Management is worth it depends largely on your investment style and what you expect from a wealth management relationship.
For investors who want an advisor-led service, Arete can make sense, particularly for those who value a personalized relationship, access to financial planning, and the option to incorporate third-party managers or private/alternative strategies into a broader plan.
Clients with more complex needs, or those interested in lifestyle-oriented support such as art, wine, or collectibles coordination, may also find Arete’s approach appealing.
However, Arete may be less compelling for investors who prefer low minimums, standardized, digital-first investing, or a clearly published, one-size-fits-all pricing model.
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