A smooth crossover.
Betterment's $60 annual flat price equals 0.25% here. Below it, the recurring-deposit setting can change the price. Above it, that setting no longer changes the rate.
fee / microscopeUS robo-advisers · 29.10.26
$5 a month is 6% of a $1,000 account.
$5 × 12$1,000
=6%Annualized advisory charge at a constant balance. A percentage of your money, before investment returns.
Small monthly prices hide big percentages. Betterment Digital's $5 monthly plan costs 24 times its 0.25% rate on a $1,000 balance.
The switch is in the terms: $200 a month in enabled recurring deposits, or a $24,000 household investing balance.
Compare three published advisory schedules. Fund costs and services differ, so these are fee comparisons, not investment rankings.
Put a price on the percentage.
Hold the balance still. Compare one year's annualized advisory charge, then cross the thresholds.
Balance means eligible household assets for Betterment and account assets for the other two. No promotions or fee waivers.
The fee shape matters.
Betterment DigitalWealthfront PortfolioFidelity Go
Balance axis uses equal distance for equal multiples. The vertical marker follows your balance. Lines are calculated from the published fee schedules, not observed customer bills.
A fee cliff.
Fidelity Go moves from no advisory charge to 0.35% on the entire balance. At a constant $25,000, that annualizes to $87.50. Coaching is included at this level.
Inspect the fee atlas: 115 balances, all three schedules
| Balance, USD | Betterment $/yr | Wealthfront $/yr | Fidelity $/yr |
|---|
Uses the recurring-deposit setting above. Includes both sides of the thresholds and Betterment's large-balance marginal tiers.
Both eligibility states, dollars and percentages
Now let the balance move.
Follow the same hypothetical deposits and returns through each tariff. See fees paid and the growth those fees no longer earn.
A simplified monthly fee model, not a provider billing forecast. Assumptions below are yours. The recurring deposit amount here determines Betterment eligibility independently of the snapshot switch above.
$500 to $3m
$0 to $10,000
1 to 40 years
Nominal, divided by 12
Default 0 isolates advisory fees
Your ending balance, year by year.
BettermentWealthfrontFidelity··· No advisory fee
All lines share your hypothetical gross return and fund expense. The dotted counterfactual has no advisory fee. Equal returns isolate the price mechanics; the actual investments and services are different.
Open any monthly entry.
Deposit first. Advisory fee next. Common fund expense next. Growth last. Full precision is retained until display; monthly entries may show one-cent rounding differences.
Read the arithmetic and limits
For each month: assessment balance = opening balance + recurring deposit. Advisory charge = annualized schedule at that assessment balance / 12, capped at the available balance. Fund expense = remaining balance × common annual fund rate / 12. Growth = remaining balance after both charges × nominal gross annual return / 12. Closing balance = assessment balance - advisory charge - fund expense + growth.
Betterment uses 0.25% on the first $1m when eligible, 0.15% on the next $1m and 0.10% above $2m; otherwise $5/month below $24k. Fidelity uses 0.35% on the full balance at or above $25k. The model reassesses eligibility monthly, unlike real billing: Fidelity uses monthly average daily assets and deducts quarterly; Wealthfront accrues daily and deducts monthly; Betterment uses its own daily/monthly billing conventions. All three modeled charges come out monthly here.
The no-advisory counterfactual retains the same common fund expense. Ending shortfall = its closing value minus the tariff's closing value. Foregone net growth = shortfall minus advisory charges paid. With negative returns it can be negative, because money paid away also avoids later losses. No taxes, inflation, trading, transfer fees, withdrawals, promotional waivers or service benefits are modeled. The common fund expense is an assumption, not a quoted product cost. Fidelity Go uses zero-expense-ratio funds; other portfolios' fund costs vary.
Read the price tag.
Compare the advisory rate, the fund expense ratio, any fixed charge, and the balance used to decide which rate applies. A low headline price can depend on a deposit setting or a household threshold.
This is an independent fee explainer for US products, checked 29 October 2026. It is not a recommendation to open or move an account. Services, portfolios and eligibility differ; returns are uncertain.
Primary sources
- Betterment: fees, updated 18 June 2026 and fee disclosure. Digital threshold, recurring-deposit condition and marginal tiers. Fund expenses are additional.
- Wealthfront Portfolio: pricing. Standard 0.25% annual advisory fee. Fund costs are separate; waivers excluded.
- Fidelity Go: pricing and services and program brochure. $25k threshold, 0.35% annual fee and billing convention.
- SEC: subscription-based advisory fees, 6 September 2023. Why fixed monthly charges can weigh heavily on small accounts.