What "fee-only" actually means (and why the website should say it)
Ira Roth
October 6, 2026
Fee-only, fee-based and commission are three different things. Here's the difference, and why a clear fees page builds trust.
Fee-only advisors are paid only by their clients. Fee-based advisors may charge fees and also earn commissions. Commission-based advisors are paid by the products they sell.
None of those words appear on many advisors' websites, and that silence is a missed opportunity. A plain fees page answers the question every prospective client is already asking, and it's one of the pages AI assistants quote when someone asks how an advisor is paid.
This is general education from a fictional firm, not advice for your situation.
fees
transparency
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