I agree that an investment advisor using actively managed funds can be expensive.  The &quot;all-in&quot; cost could in the neighborhood of 2% to 3% as you state.  When using an advisor who actively manages a portfolio of stocks and bonds, however, you pay for just the management without the underlying fees for the investment vehicles used by the advisor.  So, to keep costs down, try to find an advisor who manages individual stocks and bonds, and not expensive mutual funds or ETFs.  This way, the annual management fees should be less.