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Creative Planning is one of the US’s most prominent financial advisory firms.
Creative Planning offers various services for individuals and organizations, including wealth management, financial planning, estate planning, and an Automated Investment Program.
The firm uses an annualized, asset-based fee structure, which charges lower fees for clients with more assets under management.
Creative Planning, LLC is a financial planning firm and SEC-registered investment advisor based in Overland Park, Kansas, offering wealth management, financial planning, retirement, tax, and estate services to households across the US and abroad.
What services do Creative Planning offer?
Creative Planning offers a wide range of wealth management and financial planning services, including:
Investment management
Financial planning
Retirement planning
Estate planning
Tax planning
Insurance and risk management
401(k) and workplace retirement plan management
Debt management
Fiduciary and institutional advisory services
Wealth management for high-net-worth clients
The firm also provides personalized investment strategies and ongoing financial planning tailored to each client's goals.
What is Creative Planning’s pricing and fee structure?
Creative Planning fee structure
Creative Planning charges a tiered annual fee based on assets under management, billed quarterly. The percentage falls as your portfolio grows, and the fee covers advice and portfolio management but not underlying fund costs.
Creative Planning fee schedule
The table below is Creative Planning's fee schedule for portfolio management. Rates apply to each band, not to the whole portfolio, so the effective rate is a blend.
Creative Planning Portfolio Management Fees
Value of assets under management
Annual fee (charged quarterly)
First $500,000
1.20%
$500,001 – $2,000,000
1.00%
$2,000,001 – $5,000,000
0.85%
$5,000,001 – $10,000,000
0.80%
$10,000,001 – $25,000,000
0.70%
$25,000,001 – $50,000,000
0.40%
$50,000,001 – $100,000,000
0.30%
Over $100,000,000
0.25%
Creative Planning Estimated Portfolio Management Service Fees
Estimated annual fees for different portfolio sizes are shown below. These exclude fund, brokerage, custodial, and other third-party costs.
Value of managed assets
Estimated annual fee*
$500,000
$6,000
$1 million
$11,000
$5 million
$46,500
$10 million
$86,500
What are the pros and cons of Creative Planning?
There is a range of potential advantages and disadvantages to using the firm’s services.
Tiered fees: Annual fees decrease as your assets under management grow.
Team-based advice: Clients benefit from a collaborative team of specialists.
Fiduciary standard: Legally required to act in clients' best interests.
⭕ Cons of Creative Planning
High minimum investment: Financial planning typically requires at least $500,000 in investable assets.
Past regulatory issue: The firm has one disclosed ethics-related advertising violation.
Additional costs: Brokerage, custodial, third-party manager, and fund fees may apply on top of portfolio management fees.
Is Creative Planning a fiduciary?
Creative Planning, LLC is an SEC-registered investment advisor, so it's a fiduciary — legally required to act in its clients' best interests and to disclose material conflicts of interest.
That fiduciary duty applies across the whole advisory relationship, not just to individual recommendations.
Creative Planning
Creative Planning offers various services for individuals and organizations, including wealth management, financial planning, estate planning, and an Automated Investment Program.
Assets under management:
$700B
Number of advisors:
1300
Time in business:
Founded 1983
Fee structure:
AUM-based tiered, decreasing with higher assets.
Fee-based firm no commissions on advisory services.
Fees:
1.20% (first $500K) decreasing to 0.25% (over $100M)
Minimum account sizes:
$500,000
Comprehensive wealth management services
Investment / portfolio management
Financial planning services
Tax planning and preparation
Estate and trust services
Retirement planning solutions
International tax and cross-border planning
Business owner advisory services
Risk management and insurance planning
Family office-style services
Goal-based investment strategy (aligned to long-term objectives and financial plan)
Risk-managed portfolio construction (focus on downside protection)
Use of ETFs, mutual funds, and individual securities
Ongoing portfolio monitoring and rebalancing
Integrated with financial planning (tax, estate, and cash flow considerations)
Creative Planning wealth management services include a wide range of offerings, including portfolio management and extensive financial planning.
The firm uses an industry-standard fee structure that decreases as you invest more assets.
Creative Planning adopts a team-based wealth management approach.
This firm is generally regarded as trustworthy, upholding stringent fiduciary duty at all times.
Creative Planning's minimum investment for financial planning services may be higher than other similar service providers.
The firm has one report of failing to uphold its code of ethics for radio advertisements.
Portfolio management fees may be higher than expected, as Creative Planning charges extra variable brokerage, custodial, third-party manager, and other fees in addition to its standard portfolio management fees.
High-net-worth individuals and families typically $500K+ investable assets.
Clients seeking comprehensive wealth management investment, tax, estate, retirement in one plan.
Those with complex financial situations multi-layered tax, legacy, or business needs.
Investors wanting a fiduciary advisor independent RIA, client-first advice.
Long-term, planning-focused investors goal-based strategies over time.
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Frequently asked questions
Fiduciary, client-first advisory model
Planning-led wealth management approach
Comprehensive, integrated services
In-house multidisciplinary team
Customised, goal-based strategies
Team-based advisory model
Strong tax integration
Family office-style capabilities
Independent RIA structure
Large national (and growing global) presence
Yes. Creative Planning is a legitimate, SEC-registered investment advisor founded in 1983. It manages billions of dollars in client assets, employs more than 1,000 financial advisors, and provides wealth management and financial planning services to individuals, families, and businesses across the US.
Yes, Creative Planning, LLC is a fiduciary. As an independent, registered investment advisor (RIA), they are legally obligated to act in their clients' best interests.
Creative Planning is a fee-based firm, meaning they don't receive commissions for advisory services from third parties.
The minimum investment at Creative Planning is $500,000 in investable assets per household. Their fees are based on an annualized, asset-based structure, meaning the more assets a client invests, the lower their fees may be.
As of December 31, 2023, Creative Planning and its affiliates manage and advise over $300 billion in combined assets across all 50 states and 90 countries.
Creative Planning builds personalized investment portfolios based on each client's financial goals, risk tolerance, time horizon, and liquidity needs.
Portfolios typically include stocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds, and alternative investments, with strategies tailored to factors such as taxes, inheritances, stock options, and other complex financial situations.
Our team of writers, who have decades of experience writing about personal finance, including investing and retirement, are here to help you find out what you must know about life’s biggest financial decisions.