Wells Fargo Advisors Review
Written by investor.com
Wells Fargo Advisors, registered in 1990, serves 52 state(s) with a licensed staff of 15,975 advisors. Wells Fargo Advisors manages $558.5 billion and provides investment advisory services for 1,352,052 clients (1:85 advisor/client ratio).
Wells Fargo Advisors
Firm information
| Summary |
|
|---|---|
| Average Client Balance | $413,049 |
| Assets Under Management | $558.5 billion |
| Advisor/Client Ratio | 1:85 |
| Website | Visit Site |
| Main Office Address | One North Jefferson Avenue, Mail Code: H0004-063. ST. Louis, MO 63103-2205 |
| Registration Jurisdiction | SEC |
| Form CRS (Client Relationship Summary) | View Filing |
| SEC Filings | View Filings |
Trust Algorithm
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Disciplinary alerts
Alerts identified (18)
Our system has identified the following disciplinary alerts. Click on the + to learn more about each item.
| Disclosure |
|
|
|---|---|---|
| + Activity Restriction - SRO | Yes |
SEC ADV Part 1 | Item 11.E.4 What does this mean? Firm or one of its employees previously has been subject to a suspension or expulsion or other restriction of activities by a Self-Regulating Organization or commodities exchange. Questions to ask What happened? When? How many times did it occur? Will anyone that was involved be involved with my accounts in any capacity? |
| + Attorney/Accountant Authorization Revocation | Yes |
SEC ADV Part 1 | Item 11.F What does this mean? Firm or an advisory affiliate has previously had their authorization to act as an attorney, accountant, or federal contractor revoked or suspended. Questions to ask What happened? When? How many times did it occur? Will anyone that was involved be involved with my accounts in any capacity? |
| + Business License Revocation - SRO | No |
SEC ADV Part 1 | Item 11.E.3 What does this mean? A Self-Regulatory Organization has previously found the firm or an advisory affiliate responsible for having an investment-related business have its authorization to do business denied, suspended, or revoked. Questions to ask What happened? When? How many times did it occur? Will anyone that was involved be involved with my accounts in any capacity? |
| + Business License Revocation - SEC/CFTC | No |
SEC ADV Part 1 | Item 11.C.3 What does this mean? The SEC or CFTC has previously found the firm or an advisory affiliate responsible for having an investment-related business have its authorization to do business denied, suspended, or revoked. Questions to ask What happened? When? How many times did it occur? Will anyone that was involved be involved with my accounts in any capacity? |
| + Business License Revocation - Other Regulatory Agencies | Yes |
SEC ADV Part 1 | Item 11.D.3 What does this mean? A regulatory agency other than the SEC or CFTC has previously found the firm or an advisory affiliate responsible for having an investment-related business have its authorization to do business denied, suspended, or revoked. Questions to ask What happened? When? How many times did it occur? Will anyone that was involved be involved with my accounts in any capacity? |
| + Dismissal upon Settlement - Court | Yes |
SEC ADV Part 1 | Item 11.H.1.C What does this mean? Firm or an advisory affiliate has previously had an investment-related civil action dismissed against them following a cash settlement in court. Questions to ask What happened? When? How many times did it occur? Will anyone that was involved be involved with my accounts in any capacity? |
| + Investment-Related Prohibition - Court | Yes |
SEC ADV Part 1 | Item 11.H.1.A What does this mean? In the past 10 years, a domestic or foreign court has issued an injunction against the firm or an advisory affiliate in connection with an investment-related activity. Questions to ask What happened? When? How many times did it occur? Will anyone that was involved be involved with my accounts in any capacity? |
| + False Statements or Omissions - SRO | Yes |
SEC ADV Part 1 | Item 11.E.1 What does this mean? Firm or an advisory affiliate was previously found to have made false statements or omissions by a self-regulatory organization. Questions to ask What happened? When? How many times did it occur? Will anyone that was involved be involved with my accounts in any capacity? |
| + False Statements or Omissions - SEC/CFTC | Yes |
SEC ADV Part 1 | Item 11.C.1 What does this mean? Firm or an advisory affiliate was previously found to have made false statements or omissions by the SEC or CFTC. Questions to ask What happened? When? How many times did it occur? Will anyone that was involved be involved with my accounts in any capacity? |
| + False Statements or Omissions - Other Regulatory Agencies | Yes |
SEC ADV Part 1 | Item 11.D.1 What does this mean? Firm or an advisory affiliate was previously found to have made false statements, omissions, or being dishonest and unfair by a regulatory agency other than the SEC or CFTC. Questions to ask What happened? When? How many times did it occur? Will anyone that was involved be involved with my accounts in any capacity? |
| + Felony Conviction | Yes |
SEC ADV Part 1 | Item 11.A.1 What does this mean? In the past ten years, firm or an advisory affiliate has been convicted of or pled guilty or nolo contendere ("no contest") in a domestic, foreign, or military court to a felony. Questions to ask What happened? When? How many times did it occur? Will anyone that was involved be involved with my accounts in any capacity? |
| + Misdemeanor Conviction | Yes |
SEC ADV Part 1 | Item 11.B.1 What does this mean? In the past ten years, firm or an advisory affiliate has been convicted of or pled guilty or nolo contendere ("no contest") in a domestic, foreign, or military court to a misdemeanor involving: investments or an investment-related business, or any fraud, false statements, or omissions, wrongful taking of property, bribery, perjury, forgery, counterfeiting, extortion, or a conspiracy to commit any of these offenses. Questions to ask What happened? When? How many times did it occur? Will anyone that was involved be involved with my accounts in any capacity? |
| + Monetary Penalty - SEC/CFTC | Yes |
SEC ADV Part 1 | Item 11.C.5 What does this mean? Firm or an advisory affiliate has previously been fined or ordered to cease and desist activity by the SEC or CFTC. Questions to ask What happened? When? How many times did it occur? Will anyone that was involved be involved with my accounts in any capacity? |
| + Order Entered - SEC/CFTC | Yes |
SEC ADV Part 1 | Item 11.C.4 What does this mean? The SEC or CFTC has previously entered an order against this firm or an advisory affiliate in connection with an investment-related activity. Questions to ask What happened? When? How many times did it occur? Will anyone that was involved be involved with my accounts in any capacity? |
| + Order Entered - Other Regulatory Agencies | Yes |
SEC ADV Part 1 | Item 11.D.4 What does this mean? In the past ten years, a regulatory agency other than the SEC or CFTC has previously entered an order against this firm or an advisory affiliate in connection with an investment-related activity. Questions to ask What happened? When? How many times did it occur? Will anyone that was involved be involved with my accounts in any capacity? |
| + Regulation Violations - SRO | Yes |
SEC ADV Part 1 | Item 11.E.2 What does this mean? A self-regulatory organization or commodities exchange has found firm or an advisory affiliate to have been involved in a violation of its rules. Questions to ask What happened? When? How many times did it occur? Will anyone that was involved be involved with my accounts in any capacity? |
| + Regulation Violations - SEC/CFTC | Yes |
SEC ADV Part 1 | Item 11.C.2 What does this mean? The SEC or CFTC has found firm or an advisory affiliate to have been involved in a violation of its rules. Questions to ask What happened? When? How many times did it occur? Will anyone that was involved be involved with my accounts in any capacity? |
| + Regulation Violations - Other Regulatory Agencies | Yes |
SEC ADV Part 1 | Item 11.D.2 What does this mean? A federal regulatory agency, a state regulatory agency, or a foreign financial regulatory authority other than the SEC or CFTC has found firm or an advisory affiliate to have been involved in a violation of investment-related statutes or regulations. Questions to ask What happened? When? How many times did it occur? Will anyone that was involved be involved with my accounts in any capacity? |
| + Regulation Violations - Court | Yes |
SEC ADV Part 1 | Item 11.H.1.B What does this mean? A domestic or foreign court has previously found firm or an advisory affiliate was involved in a violation of investment-related statutes or regulations. Questions to ask What happened? When? How many times did it occur? Will anyone that was involved be involved with my accounts in any capacity? |
| + Registration/License Revocation - Other Regulatory Agencies | Yes |
SEC ADV Part 1 | Item 11.D.5 What does this mean? A regulatory agency has previously denied, suspended, or revoked the firm’s or an advisory affiliate’s registration or license or otherwise restricted their activities. Questions to ask What happened? When? How many times did it occur? Will anyone that was involved be involved with my accounts in any capacity? |
Conflict alerts
Alerts identified (5)
Our system has identified the following conflict alerts. Click on the + to learn more about each item.
| Disclosure |
|
|
|---|---|---|
| + 12b-1 Conflict | Ask Firm* |
SEC ADV Part 2 What does this mean and why is this important? Firm offers mutual funds that carry 12b-1 fees, which increases the total annual cost of owning the fund (with no guarantee of higher returns). Some firms receive these fees as payments, which creates an incentive to promote them. Questions to ask Does your firm offer mutual funds that have 12b-1 fees? |
| + Attorney Conflict | No |
SEC ADV Part 1 | Items 6.A.13, 7.A.11 What does this mean and why is this important? Firm or an affiliate actively engages in business as a law firm or lawyer. When operating in this dual capacity, advisors may be incentivized to implement plans as an attorney that could drive higher revenue for themselves as investment advisors. Questions to ask Does your firm, or anyone associated with the firm, practice as a law firm? Is your firm affiliated with a law firm in any capacity? |
| + Broker-Dealer Conflict | Yes |
SEC ADV Part 1 | Items 6.A.1, 7.A.1 What does this mean and why is this important? Firm is a broker-dealer, or is affiliated with one. An analysis of SEC data by investor.com shows that registered investment advisor firms that are also broker-dealers (aka “hybrid firms”) are likelier to have a history of disciplinary actions as well as conflicts of interest. These conflicts can negatively impact clients via hidden fees and overall higher costs. Questions to ask Is your firm a broker-dealer or are you affiliated with one? What conflicts arise from this relationship? How does your firm mitigate them? |
| + Performance-Based Fees Conflict | Ask Firm* |
SEC ADV Part 2 What does this mean and why is it important? Firm offers products that have performance-based fees; the managers of those products may be incentivized to take inappropriate risks to beat their performance benchmark. When performance-based fees are charged, the financial advisor is paid for outperforming a benchmark, typically an index. While this may seem like an attractive compensation structure to ensure your advisor is making your money work for you, often, the managers of those products are incentivized to take inappropriate risks to beat their performance benchmark. For instance, research has shown that mutual funds that use incentive fees take on more risk than funds that do not, and tend to double down and increase their risk following a poor performance. This could be detrimental to a client during down markets. Questions to ask Does the firm offer products that have performance-based fees, or does it accept performance-based fees? Will any of my assets be invested in those products? |
| + Commissions Conflict | Yes |
SEC ADV Part 1 | Item 5.E.5 What does this mean and why is it important? Firm can legally elect to accept commissions for their investment advisory services. These commissions may be earned from the sale of investment or insurance products and are paid by the companies providing the products being sold. While this allows for a broader range of investment options and management styles to be offered by a firm, it can create an incentive for the firm to put their financial interests ahead of your own. Questions to ask What percentage of income does your firm receive from fees versus commissions? Why does your firm believe in offering commission-based services to clients? |
| + Insurance Agent Conflict - Affiliation | Yes |
SEC ADV Part 1 | Item 7.A.12 What does this mean and why is it important? Firm is affiliated with an insurance company or agent who may be motivated to insure clients with products that generate high sales commissions when lower cost alternatives may exist. This arrangement creates a conflict where the firm and its representatives may be motivated to insure clients with products, including annuities and life insurance, that generate high sales commissions when lower-cost alternatives may exist. Questions to ask How does your firm approach insurance sales? What conflicts do I need to be made aware of? |
| + Insurance Agent Conflict - Firm | No |
SEC ADV Part 1 | Item 6.A.6 What does this mean and why is it important? Firm actively engages as insurance brokers or agents, or they are affiliated with an insurance company or agency. This arrangement creates a conflict where the firm and its representatives may be incentivized to insure clients with products, including annuities and life insurance, that generate high sales commissions when lower-cost alternatives may exist. Questions to ask How does your firm approach insurance sales? What conflicts do I need to be made aware of? |
| + Private Investment Management | Yes |
SEC ADV Part 1 | Item 8.B.2 What does this mean and why is it important? Firm or a related person recommends the purchase of securities where the firm or a related person serves as an underwriter or general or managing partner. This relationship may introduce bias where a firm or related person recommends certain securities with which they are affiliated, rather than others that may have higher returns. Questions to ask Does your firm recommend securities that it or its affiliates underwrite, or in which it serves as general or managing partner? Will any of my assets be invested in those products? |
| + Proprietary Securities or Investment Products | Yes |
SEC ADV Part 1 | Item 8.A.3 What does this mean and why is it important? Firm recommends securities or other investment products to advisory clients in which the firm or a related person has some other proprietary (ownership) interest that isn’t related to trading or holding the security or securities themselves personally. This situation may lead the firm or a related person to recommend investments or products that could generate larger commissions and/or returns than other similar products in which the firm (or related person) doesn’t have an ownership interest. This could also limit the number and diversity of investment options available and may impact their transferability. Questions to ask Regulatory disclosures indicate the firm might recommend investments or products in which the firm or a related person has an ownership interest. Please provide me with a list of the products and a summary of how much your firm earns from them. |
| + Side-by-Side Management Conflict | Ask Firm* |
SEC ADV Part 2 What does this mean and why is it important? Firm performs side-by-side management with accounts that have differing fee structures. Side-by-side management can create an incentive for the advisor to favor the larger funds, potentially leading to unequal trading costs and unfavorable trade executions for their clients. This typically occurs when firms manage mutual funds or hedge funds alongside smaller retail accounts. Questions to ask Does your firm perform side-by-side management? How does your firm mitigate conflicts that arise from managing accounts with differing fee structures? |
| + Soft-dollar Arrangements | No |
SEC ADV Part 1 | Item 8.G.1 What does this mean and why is it important? Firm or related person receives soft-dollar benefits in connection with client securities transactions. Firms that receive soft-dollar benefits could be incentivized to push trades through broker-dealers that provide advantages to the firm instead of through broker-dealers that could provide the best execution for their clients. Questions to ask Does your fim accept soft-dollar benefits? How do these benefits affect the firm’s selection of a broker-dealer partner? |
*This data isn't available via SEC Form ADV Part 1. To determine yes or no, we recommend asking the firm.
FAQs
What fees does Wells Fargo Advisors charge?
Financial advisory firms charge fees in different ways, such as a percentage of your assets (aka AUM, or assets under management), an hourly fee, or a fee for a specific service. Find out what fees Wells Fargo Advisors charges by checking out its Form CRS (“Customer Relationship Summary”), which lists the company’s specific prices. View Filing. To learn more about different types of pricing models, see our article on how much a financial advisor costs.
What services can Wells Fargo Advisors provide?
As a financial advisory firm, Wells Fargo Advisors can provide a variety of financial planning services for Americans. Financial advisors help you achieve your life goals, such as saving for retirement, by creating a comprehensive financial plan and managing your investment portfolio (e.g., stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, bonds).
Financial planning services can include investment planning, tax planning, estate planning, retirement planning, or life-based event planning such as saving for college, getting married, purchasing a home, paying down debt, or planning an inheritance. For further detail, see our articles on different types of advisors and financial advisor services.
Where is Wells Fargo Advisors headquartered? Which states do its financial advisors serve?
The headquarters of Wells Fargo Advisors is One North Jefferson Avenue, Mail Code: H0004-063. ST. Louis, MO 63103-2205. Wells Fargo Advisors currently serves clients in the following states: AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, PR, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VI, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY.
What is the average client balance at Wells Fargo Advisors?
While Wells Fargo Advisors advises clients across a variety of portfolio sizes, the average client balance is currently $413,049. In total, Wells Fargo Advisors manages $558.5 billion in assets.
What is the historical performance of Wells Fargo Advisors?
Neither the SEC nor FINRA tracks portfolio performance metrics for the financial planning industry. As a result, unlike hedge funds, there is no historical performance for any financial advisory firm. Financial plans and investment portfolios are always unique to the client's personal financial situation.
Is Wells Fargo Advisors a fiduciary?
A fiduciary financial advisor must put clients’ best interests first. All Registered Investment Advisers (RIAs) are required to be fiduciaries. However, many RIA firms are also licensed as broker-dealers. When acting as brokers, there is no fiduciary duty.
The best way to know if a financial advisor is a fiduciary all of the time is to ask: "Are you a fiduciary in all of your dealings with me?" Also be sure to review the conflicts of interest and disciplinary actions sections above to see what, if any, conflicts of interest and/or disciplinary actions this firm might have.
Is Wells Fargo Advisors a good company?
One way to tell if a financial advisor firm is a good company is to see if it has conflicts of interest and/or any disciplinary actions against it (scroll up to see whether this firm does). If you see any such entries in the tables above, that doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t hire that company. But it does mean you should ask questions about those entries.
To figure out if a financial advisor firm is a good company for your specific situation, it’s important to ask additional questions — see our article on questions to ask a financial advisor.
Can financial advisors be trusted?
Wouldn't it be nice if we could give you a simple, unequivocal yes to that question? Sadly, the truth is some advisors can't be trusted. Luckily, there are signs that will help you figure out if you're sitting across from a trustworthy financial advisor. At minimum, a trustworthy financial advisor will:
- Answer your questions in a way you understand.
- Explain how they get paid in a way that's clear to you.
- Respond with a simple "yes" when you ask if they're a fiduciary.
- Talk about their approach to risk — without downplaying your concerns.
- Invest in products that you understand.
Can I write a review of Wells Fargo Advisors or file a complaint?
Investor.com relies on regulatory data from the SEC to rate and review financial advisor firms. As a result, we do not support personal reviews on the site. To file a complaint or dispute with this firm, please fill out the SEC Investor Complaint Form.
Firm locations
| Office Locations |
| One North Jefferson Avenue, Mail Code: H0004-063. ST. Louis, MO 63103-2205 |
| 480 N Orlando Ave, Stes 210 And C220 [rbo], Winter Park, Florida 32789 |
| 2141 Rosecrans Ave Ste 4100 [rbo], El Segundo, California 90245 |
| 50 W Fernando St. 15th Fl, Ste 1500 [lk/nh Rbo], San Jose, California 95113 |
| 2001 N Main St Ste 410 [nk/nl-rbo], Walnut Creek, California 94596 |
| 5201 Amelia Earhart Dr 2nd & 3rd Fls [wt & Cst], Salt Lake City, Utah 84116 |
| 3280 Peachtree Rd Ne 3rd & 4th Fls [rbo], Atlanta, Georgia 30305 |
| One N Jefferson Ave, St. Louis, Missouri |
| 101 Federal Pl Ste 101, Tarpon Springs, Florida 34689 |
| 4655 Executive Dr Ste 1000 [sc/sj-rbo], San Diego, California 92121 |
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*SEC data last verified August 02, 2024. For the most up-to-date information, please view the applicable SEC reports above. By visiting this site, you are subject to their terms of use (SEC IAPD). Any data inaccuracies, please contact our team. All requests for updated information should also be reported directly to the SEC.
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