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Waddell & Reed is a large registered investment advisory firm as well as a broker-dealer. This dual designation means advisors can continuously manage client portfolios for a fee, or clients can pay their advisor each time they buy or sell an investment product. Headquartered near Kansas City, Kan., Waddell & Reed has over 350 offices across the United States, with 1,700 employees in total, all of whom serve in investment advisory and research roles. Most of these advisors can also sell insurance products.
The bottom line: Waddell & Reed is a nationally registered firm that primarily serves individuals, including those who are high net worth, though clients note potentially high fees and conflicts of interest.
| Assets under management (AUM): $33,244,548,436 | |
| Minimum investment: Varies by program, starting at $5,000 | |
| Individual investor to advisor ratio: 110:1 | |
| Fee structure: A percentage of AUM, fixed fees | |
| Headquarters: 6300 Lamar Avenue Overland Park, Kansas 66202-4200 Website: waddell.com Phone: 913-236-2000 |
All information included in this profile is accurate as of September 14, 2021. For more information, please consult Waddell & Reed’s website.
Waddell & Reed’s roots date to 1937, when two World War I veterans, Chauncey Waddell and Cameron Reed, founded the firm.
Prior to 2021, Waddell & Reed was a subsidiary of Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc., a standalone public company that also provided other services such as investment advisory and mutual funds offerings, including the affiliated Ivy Funds and Ivy InvestEd Portfolios. In April of 2021, there was a change of ownership: Waddell & Reed’s wealth management division was purchased by the public company LPL Financial, which is part of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. and also partners with a number of other financial institutions.
Today, Waddell & Reed’s team of 1,700 employees who perform research and advisory work are located nationwide. In total, the firm is responsible for managing over $33 billion in assets.
Most of the firm’s assets under management come from individual investors. The largest cohort of Waddell & Reed’s clients are individuals who are not high net worth, though the firm does serve a smaller group of high net worth individuals, defined by the SEC as individual investors with more than $750,000 to invest or a net worth of at least $1.5 million.
The minimum investment required to work with the firm ranges from as little as $5,000 to about $25,000, depending on the program. This makes the firm accessible to a wide range of investors.
Waddell & Reed offers investment management and financial planning to its individual clients. In particular, the firm says it focuses on planning. Advisors can assist clients in navigating myriad financial and life issues involving topics such as retirement, estates, taxes, businesses, education and disability and long-term care insurance. Financial planning clients receive a formal financial plan with specific recommendations.
Separately, all advisors at Waddell & Reed are licensed as broker-dealers. Thus, in addition to offering clients ongoing account management, advisors can also recommend specific stocks or other products and earn fees per transaction. Most of the firm’s advisors can also sell insurance.
Here is a full list of services offered by Waddell & Reed:
Waddell & Reed clients can choose from a long menu of investment programs. To start, clients can decide how involved they want to be in the day-to-day management of their account. They can opt to give advisors discretionary control over their accounts, meaning they do not have to approve each individual trade, or they can retain that power. Most clients work with the firm through non-discretionary relationships.
The list of programs available to clients ranges from accounts that invest only in affiliated mutual funds, to accounts invested in strategies overseen by outside managers. Alternatively, clients can have their specific financial advisor manage their account.
In general, the type of investments that may be recommended for use in clients’ portfolios include:
Clients interested primarily in mutual funds and ETFs can opt for asset allocation model portfolios, which are created for varying levels of risk. Some accounts may be limited to affiliated mutual funds only. Other programs give clients access to individual stocks and bonds. The firm also offers programs that screen investments and assess a company’s impact on certain environmental, social and governance issues. Thus, clients interested in investing in companies with values that align with their own can discuss with their advisor which programs are best suited to incorporate those values into their investing.
Clients also have the option of bundling their advisory fee with trading costs, known as a wrap account, or separating those charges. They also can influence how frequently their account is rebalanced.
Fees for investment management: Clients of Waddell & Reed who opt for continuous management of their investment accounts typically pay a fee calculated as a percentage of assets under management. The rate is negotiated between the advisor and the client, and will vary based on factors such as the client’s goals, the complexity of their situation and how much money they are investing. Thus, clients may pay different fees for the same services from different advisors.
Fees also vary by program. The firm does institute a maximum fee, however, which includes the advisor fee plus the sponsor’s charges. Maximum rates range from 1% to 2.80%, depending on the program and the amount invested. The sponsor’s charge is nonnegotiable.
Keep in mind that on top of advisory fees, clients may still be on the hook for additional investment-related costs, such as underlying fund fees, trading fees or other brokerage costs.
Fees for financial planning: Similar to investing, charges for financial planning vary by advisor and are negotiated directly with each advisor. Factors influencing how much you’ll pay include the complexity of your needs and goals as well as the experience of your advisor.
The maximum fees allowed for financial planning are generally as follows, though there may be exceptions:
Sometimes an advisor may include planning at no additional cost.
Waddell & Reed discloses regulatory disciplinary actions in the prior decade. The firm has no civil or criminal disclosures. Its regulatory actions listed in its Form ADV filed with the SEC that occurred within the last 10 years include the following:
For reference, the SEC requires all registered investment advisory firms to disclose to the public all criminal, civil and regulatory actions against the firm, its employees and its affiliates in the prior decade that a client would find material when evaluating the firm and the integrity of its leaders. To learn more about Waddell & Reed’s disclosures, visit its IAPD page.
Interested clients can reach out to Waddell & Reed in the following ways:
If you decide to move forward with one of the firm’s advisors, you can generally expect to go through the following process:
Waddell & Reed is headquartered in Overland Park, Kan., with an additional 350 offices around the country. The firm’s Form ADV states specifically it has locations in these states, although this list is not necessarily exhaustive so search for a location near you even if your state is not included here:
Waddell & Reed serves individual investors, including some high net worth individuals, who are looking for help with retirement, education, taxes, insurance and other types of financial planning. Clients who want a choice of how their money is managed, as well as what types of products they’re invested in, may consider this firm. Given the firm’s large nationwide network, it’s likely you may find a local advisor in your area.
That said, clients who would rather not call multiple advisors to learn their fees may want to look for another firm that sets a standard fee schedule. Additionally, clients should note that advisors can earn money from investment firms for selling their products, which could pose potential conflicts of interest.
It’s important to find a financial advisor you’re comfortable working with, which requires doing your research and asking questions about everything from compensation to communication.
Amanda GenglerAmanda Gengler has been researching and writing about finance for more than 15 years. She honed her personal finance writing as a journalist at Money magazine for a decade.
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