Median advice fees up 18% to $4,668

Mike Taylor

Managing Editor and Publisher

14 August 2025

Median advice fees have risen 18% to $4,668, according to the latest analysis from Adviser Ratings.

It said this represented a 67% increase over the past five years, “far outpacing the 20.5% inflation rate during the same period”.

The latest Adviser Ratings Australian Financial Advice Landscape report said the “pricing evolution” reflected both the increased cost of delivering complaint advice and the shifting value proposition as advisers focus on more complex client needs and higher-value services.

It also pointed to funds under advice per client having increased by 11% in 2025 to $758,362 while the national average funds under advice per adviser had increased 21% over the last three years.

“This increase reflects a maturing profession that has found equilibrium after years of disruption through implementing the Royal Commission, professional standards and COVID-19 from 2018-2020,” it said.

The Adviser Ratings analysis said the increasing focus on higher value clients is driving practices to develop specialised service models tailored to specific occupational groups.

“This specialisation extends beyond service delivery to marketing strategies, technology selection and even office design, with practices increasingly positioned as exclusive professional spaces rather than retail financial shopfronts” it said.

The Adviser Ratings research said the client engagement model has evolved to match changing advice dynamics with the typical adviser now serving over 100 clients annually.

It said most advisers (55%) meet with clients annually, with only 5% maintaining quarterly engagements reflecting the professionals shift toward more efficient service models.

The analysis noted that the efficiency imperative was further evidenced by the split between recurring and one-off clients over recent year, hovering around the 77%/23% level “suggesting practices have found a sustainable balance between ongoing relationships and transactional advice”.