All-in costs

What are you actually paying, all-in?

Advisors who use actively managed funds add another layer — expense ratios averaging 0.66% that come out of your returns, not your statement. Advisors using index ETFs don't. Most clients don't know which they have.

Morningstar avg. active fund expense ratio ~0.66%; index ETFs typically 0.03%–0.10%. Kitces Research median advisory fee ~1.0% at $500k (SEC Form ADV). Large portfolios above $2M often negotiate down to 0.5%–0.75%. Figures illustrative.

How it works

Three steps. No pitch. No obligation.

STEP 01

Upload your documents

Your tax return alone surfaces most high-impact findings. Add a performance report for deeper fee and return analysis. We pull your advisor's Form ADV from the SEC ourselves. Two minutes to submit. Encrypted transfer.

STEP 02

We run your analysis

Our analysis cross-references your tax return with your advisor's public disclosures to surface fee, performance, and tax-efficiency gaps. Households with $220k+ income receive a personal review from a NerdWallet Wealth Partners advisor (CFP® or CFA®) who verifies findings against your actual documents and adds specific recommendations for your situation.

STEP 03

Read your personalized report

Plain English. Specific action items — not "consider diversifying." For eligible households where a CFP review was completed and a deeper conversation makes sense, your report includes a no-obligation offer for a free 30-minute consultation.

What's in your report

Five things every fiduciary review should cover.

Findings most clients have never seen — from cross-referencing your portfolio with your tax return. A report with this level of individualized detail, reviewed by a CFP® or CFA®, is prepared for eligible households; other submissions receive an automated NerdAI analysis.

01What's already working

A complete picture means documenting what's right, not just what's missing. We cross-reference contribution limits, retirement account balances, and planning signals from your documents — and confirm when your household is on track.

"Both 401(k)s are at the 2026 limit. Your HSA is at the family maximum. No missed contribution opportunities in the current structure."

02Fees you can't see

Total cost — including fund expense ratios, wrap fees, 12b-1s, and custodial markups — compared to peer-group medians for portfolios like yours.

"Your all-in cost is 2.31%. The median for similar portfolios is 1.42%. The gap is $4,450 / year."

03Performance vs. a fair benchmark

Your returns after fees compared to a risk-matched index baseline. Apples-to-apples — not the sales-pitch comparison.

"Your 5-year return is 6.2%. A baseline mix of your same risk level returned 8.1%."

04Conflicts of interest

How your advisor is compensated, what their Form ADV discloses about potential conflicts, and where their incentives may not align with yours.

"Your advisor's ADV discloses revenue-sharing arrangements with their custodian. Here's what that means for you."

05What they should be telling you

The fiduciary table-stakes most brokers skip — visible only when we cross-reference your portfolio with your tax return: 529 funding, backdoor Roth, asset location, charitable structure.

"No 529 plan contributions for your 6-, 5-, and 2-year-olds. The 5-year gift election alone could move $570,000 tax-free (illustrative)."

Ryan Sterling

Lead Reviewing Advisor

CFA® · NerdWallet Wealth Partners

Who's behind your check

A fiduciary RIA — NerdWallet Wealth Partners, LLC.

Advisor Check is a service of NerdWallet Wealth Partners, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Qualifying households receive a report reviewed by a CFP® or CFA® fiduciary advisor on our team before it reaches your inbox; other reports are AI-generated (NerdAI) and labeled as such.

A fiduciary is legally required to act in your interest. Many advisors aren't fiduciaries — they're brokers operating under the lower "suitability" standard. We are. That obligation is what makes a second opinion meaningful.

We're affiliated with NerdWallet, the consumer finance brand. NerdWallet's editorial team operates separately and doesn't review our service. Your relationship — if you choose to have one — is governed by NWP's fiduciary duty to you.

View our Form ADV → Meet the team → Affiliate disclosures →

Your data

What happens to your documents.

Plain English. Not buried in legal terms. Your tax return is treated with the same confidentiality your CPA's office uses.

Encrypted in transit and at rest.

256-bit AES, TLS 1.3. Same encryption your bank uses.

Only your reviewing advisor sees them.

Document access is logged. Your name and account numbers are masked from any benchmarking aggregates.

Deleted 60 days after delivery.

Unless you ask us to keep them on file. We'll remind you. Subject to SEC Books and Records requirements.

We don't sell your data. Ever.

Not to advertisers. Not to other advisors. Not to anyone. Read our full privacy policy.

Common questions

What people ask before uploading.

Will my advisor know I did this?

No. We never contact your advisor. Your check is between you and us — and the documents you upload never leave NerdWallet Wealth Partners' systems.

Why is this free?

We're a fiduciary RIA. We hope that if your check shows real gaps with your current advisor, you'll consider talking to us. If you don't, you keep the report and we move on. We don't sell your data, and our compensation as an advisory firm is fully disclosed in our Form ADV.

How can you analyze my advisor fairly?

We don't rank or rate advisors. Your check benchmarks your fees and performance against peer-group averages — portfolios of similar size, similar asset allocation, and similar service models — and against fiduciary best practice. Methodology is documented in every report.

Is uploading my tax return safe?

Yes. Documents — including your tax return — are encrypted in transit (TLS 1.3) and at rest (AES-256). Access is restricted to authorized NWP personnel and fully logged. We never share or sell your documents, and they're deleted 60 days after report delivery unless you ask us to keep them on file, subject to SEC Books and Records requirements. Same standard your CPA's office is held to.

Will I get hammered with marketing emails or calls?

No. We don't run marketing campaigns and we don't make sales calls. We don't even collect a phone number. You'll receive your report and nothing you didn't ask for. Your contact info is deleted 60 days after delivery unless you ask us to stay in touch, subject to applicable record-keeping requirements.

What if my advisor is actually doing a good job?

Most advisors are competent at most things. When that's true, the report says so — explicitly, with the data behind it. Knowing your advisor is actually doing well is worth finding out.

What to expect

What happens on the call

01

A conversation, not a pitch

Thirty minutes with a fiduciary advisor at NerdWallet Wealth Partners. You talk through your situation and your questions. There is nothing to buy and no obligation.

02

Grounded in your actual numbers

Because you shared last year's tax return, your advisor comes prepared — so the time goes to your questions instead of basic intake.

03

You decide what comes next

If it makes sense to keep working together, the advisor will explain how. If not, you have had a useful conversation with a fiduciary at no cost.

Why a fiduciary second opinion

A fiduciary is legally required to act in your interest. NerdWallet Wealth Partners is an SEC-registered investment adviser, and our reviewing advisors hold the CFP® or CFA® credential. That duty is what makes a second opinion worth having.

Common questions

Before you book

What happens on the call?

A 30-minute conversation with a fiduciary advisor about your situation and your questions. No presentation, no products — just a discussion.

Is it really free? Is there any obligation?

The consultation is free and there is no obligation. If you decide not to work with us, you keep what you learned and we part ways.

Are you going to try to sell me something?

No. We are a fiduciary adviser, not a broker — no commissions and nothing to buy on the call. How we are compensated as an advisory firm is disclosed in our Form ADV.

Do I have to leave my current advisor?

No. Many people book simply to get an independent second opinion. Whether you change anything is entirely your decision.

Is my tax return safe?

Yes. Your documents are encrypted in transit and at rest, access is limited and logged, and they are deleted 60 days after your consultation unless you ask us to keep them, subject to SEC record-keeping rules. We never sell your data.

Ready when you are

See if there are planning opportunities your advisor hasn't flagged yet.

Upload your tax return. Two minutes. See if there's anything your advisor hasn't flagged yet.

Get my second opinion →

No phone number needed · No sales calls · Free

Free · From NerdWallet Wealth Partners

Am I on track for the future I want?

Wealth Check helps you answer the question that's easy to ask and hard to know. Answer a handful of quick questions and get a straight read on where you stand and where you can do better.

What you'll walk away with

1What may be worth a look

The opportunities most likely being left on the table for someone in your exact situation — the things that are hard to spot from the inside.

2A goal reality check

A concrete read on your #1 goal — roughly what it takes each month, whether you're on pace, and the levers that move it.

Takes about 3 minutes · Free · No sign-up

Why trust our read

Fee-only fiduciaries

We're paid by you, not by commissions — so our read has no product to sell behind it. Partners, not salespeople.

Credentialed advisors

Built by CFA®, CFP®, and CPA professionals with experience from Goldman Sachs, Fidelity, BNY, and Capital Group.

Built for your stage of life

We specialize in people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s balancing demanding jobs and full personal lives — and helping them manage it all.

Step 1 of 4 · What matters to you

Let's start with where you're headed.

Money is a means to a good life — so we start with the life.

Your biggest goals right now pick up to 3

Step 2 of 4 · About you

A little about you and your income.

Roughly how old are you?

Household income band

Roughly what share of income do you save?

Step 3 of 4 · Your finances

A few quick questions with big consequences.

Emergency cash on hand

Roughly how much do you have in invested assets outside retirement accounts? brokerage, cash beyond your buffer

401(k) or similar — where do you land?

Do you have equity compensation? select any

Step 4 of 4 · Equity & IPO

A closer look at your equity.

Where high earners have the most at stake — and often the least clarity.

Your Wealth Check

What we heard

What may be worth a look

On your goal

This Wealth Check is a free educational self-assessment based only on the ranges you selected. It is general information, not personalized financial, investment, tax, or legal advice, and it is not a financial plan or a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. Any figures shown are rough illustrations, not projections or guarantees; your results will differ. NerdWallet Wealth Partners, LLC is a fiduciary registered investment adviser compensated on a fee-only basis. Advisory services are offered only under a written agreement. See our Form ADV 2A and Form CRS for details.

A second opinion on your financial advisor.