What does United Planners Financial Services do?
United Planners Financial Services is an advisor-led financial planning and investment advisory platform delivered through individual financial professionals.
United Planners is registered with the SEC as both an investment adviser and a broker-dealer, and is a member of FINRA and SIPC. The firm has been a broker-dealer since 1987 and an investment adviser since 2000; as of Dec. 31, 2025, it reported $12.77 billion in assets under management (AUM), most of it non-discretionary.
Key services include:
- Financial planning and consulting
- Portfolio management
- Advisor-managed portfolios
- Third-party manager access
- Retirement plan services
The investment approach is not a single-house portfolio model. Advisors may use different methods, including fundamental, quantitative, technical, economic, cyclical, geopolitical, and momentum analysis. Strategies may include strategic and tactical allocation, income strategies, long- and short-term purchases, options, hedging, and other approaches.
What are the pros and cons of United Planners Financial Services?
Here is a look at the pros and cons of United Planners Financial Services.
Pros of United Planners Financial Services:
- Advisor-led service model: Clients work with individual investment adviser representatives, which may suit investors seeking a personal advisory relationship.
- Broad planning scope: The planning menu can include retirement income, cash flow, budgeting, estate planning, education funding, charitable strategies, and portfolio construction.
- Multiple custody and management options: Accounts may be held at Pershing, approved third-party custodians, directly held sponsors, or third-party money manager platforms.
- Custom portfolio instructions: Clients may ask advisors to incorporate restrictions, such as avoiding certain securities, industries, countries, or other concerns.
Cons of United Planners Financial Services:
- The fee structure can be layered: Clients may pay advisory fees, program fees, administration fees, transaction costs, third-party manager fees, platform fees, and underlying fund expenses, depending on the account.
- No firm-level advisory fee schedule: United Planners does not use a predetermined firm-level advisory fee schedule; advisory fees are negotiated with the advisor and may differ by client, representative, account type, and service complexity.
- Service may vary by advisor: United Planners says the specific advisory services are determined between the client and the individual IAR, and not every IAR offers every advisory service available through the firm.
United Planners Financial Services fees: How much does United Planners Financial Services cost?
United Planners does not publish one simple firmwide advisory fee schedule.
Fees are generally negotiated between the client and advisor, and the final cost depends on the service, platform, custodian, account size, and whether third-party managers are used.
- Financial planning and consulting fees: May be fixed or hourly, one-time or ongoing, and negotiated in the client’s planning agreement.
- Portfolio advisory fee: Negotiated with the advisor; The maximum advisory fee may not exceed 3.0% annually.
- Pershing UPlan program fee: Tiered from 0.19% to 0.05%, with a $125 annual minimum program fee.
- Pershing UPlan II program fee: Tiered from 0.12% to 0.05%, with a $125 annual minimum program fee.
- Pershing DIY program fee: Tiered from 0.19% to 0.05%, with a $125 annual minimum program fee.
- Third-party custodian accounts: Clients may incur transaction costs, other account fees, the advisor’s advisory fee, and, for certain TPC accounts, an $ 8-per-account-per-month Orion administration fee.
For Pershing accounts, separate program fees apply, and the combined advisory fee plus program fee may not exceed 3.0%.
What is United Planners Financial Services’ minimum account size?
United Planners discloses different account minimums by platform.
- Pershing DIY has a $10,000 minimum initial account size,
- UPlan has a $25,000 minimum
- UPlan II has a $100,000 minimum
Who should choose United Planners Financial Services?
United Planners Financial Services is likely a better fit for investors who want a human financial advisor, flexible planning support, and access to various managed-account platforms, rather than a standardized robo-advisor or a low-cost self-directed account.
United Planners Financial Services works well for:
- Investors who want human advice: The service is built around individual financial professionals, not a single digital portfolio.
- Clients who need both planning and portfolio management: Advisors may provide financial planning, consulting, investment modeling, portfolio construction, retirement income planning, and managed-account services.
- Investors who want customization: Advisors may consider risk tolerance, time horizon, tax status, liquidity needs, and special portfolio restrictions.
Who might not benefit as much:
- Very cost-sensitive investors: The total cost can include several layers beyond the advisory fee.
- Investors who want a uniform service experience: Services, fees, and investment approaches may vary by advisor.
- Investors wanting a standardized digital service: The client experience depends heavily on the individual advisor and selected platform.
United Planners Financial Services: Is it secure?
United Planners is a regulated investment adviser and broker-dealer. It is also a member of FINRA and SIPC, and its advisory accounts may be custodied at Pershing or approved third-party custodians.
Pershing is an SEC-registered broker-dealer and a member of FINRA, NYSE, and SIPC, and acts as custodian, executing broker, and clearing firm for certain United Planners accounts.
United Planners also maintains physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to protect confidential client information. Its data privacy materials discuss cybersecurity practices, including device requirements, secure networks, cybersecurity risk assessments, vendor due diligence, awareness training, incident response planning, and cybersecurity insurance.
However, these protections do not eliminate investment risk, and SIPC coverage does not protect clients from market losses.
United Planners Financial Services: Customer service
United Planners’ customer service model is mainly advisor-centered. Clients generally work through their individual financial professional, and the specific services available may vary by advisor.
Is United Planners Financial Services worth it?
United Planners Financial Services may be worth considering for investors seeking a human advisor, flexible planning support, and access to various portfolio management options.
Its main strengths are advisor-led service, customization, and multiple custody or third-party manager choices. The key trade-offs are potentially layered fees, advisor-specific service differences, and account minimums.
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