How much does a financial advisor actually cost?
In Australia in 2026, initial advice typically costs $3,500-$6,000 and ongoing advice $3,000-$8,000+ a year. Almost nobody publishes their numbers, which is why every search for a financial advisor turns into "contact us for a quote". Here are the numbers, including ours.
| What | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| First conversation at LINK Wealth | $0 | Free, no-obligation discovery meeting. We get to know you and your goals. |
| LINK strategy workshop | $660 inc GST | 90 minutes one-on-one with a licensed adviser, modelling your numbers. Value Guarantee: full refund if you don't find it worthwhile. |
| Initial advice document (SoA), industry-wide | ≈ $3,500-$6,000 | Industry surveys put the average cost of initial advice around $5,000-$6,000 in 2025-26. Complexity moves the real number. |
| Ongoing advice, industry-wide | ≈ $3,000-$8,000+ / yr | Annual strategy, portfolio and insurance reviews. Scales with complexity (entities, SMSF, property). |
| Hourly / one-off scoped advice | ≈ $250-$450 / hr | Some firms offer scoped, pay-as-you-go advice on a single question. |
| Free general guidance | $0 | Moneysmart.gov.au (government), your super fund's intra-fund advice line. |
Industry-wide figures are indicative ranges from published adviser fee surveys and move with complexity: a couple with a company, trust and SMSF pays more than a single person with one super fund. Every licensed adviser must disclose their fees in a Financial Services Guide before you commit; ours is linked in the footer.
Richard Leal quotes every engagement himself.Managing Director, AR 327265. The free first meeting and the $660 workshops above are his, and so is the number on any advice quote that follows them.
What moves the fee.
- Entities: companies, trusts and SMSFs multiply the modelling and compliance work.
- Scope: a single question costs less than a full plan across super, investments, debt and insurance.
- Implementation: advice that must be executed (rollovers, structures, insurance underwriting) carries more work than a strategy paper.
- Ongoing vs one-off: a standing relationship costs more per year but catches problems while they are cheap.
The honest version of "is it worth it?"
Paying $5,000 for advice to shuffle a simple index portfolio is poor value. Paying $5,000 before an SMSF property purchase, a business exit, or a decade of debt recycling is usually the cheapest insurance you will ever buy: one structural mistake in any of those costs multiples of the fee. If your situation is simple, start with the free tools: Moneysmart.gov.au, your super fund's advice line, and our own equity and debt recycling calculators. When the numbers get big, get advice.