The average hourly rate a financial adviser charges has dropped by 14% over the last year.

That was the conclusion of the latest study into fees by unbiased.co.uk. Fees charged for an initial financial review remained static at £500, while costs for common advice scenarios were largely unchanged.
The research, conducted among the 15,000 advisers listed on the website, reveals a decrease in the median hourly rate charged by advisers, from £175 per hour in 2013, down 14% to £150 per hour in 2014.
However, whilst the hourly charge has gone down, fees for various specific advice scenarios have remained largely static over the last two years.

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The website provided an example of a more complicated advice scenario to illustrate what kind of charges consumers can expect.

It found advisers would typically charge £3,500 for advising a client, including estate planning, with a £200,000 Sipp, £100,000 of investments, income from a DB pension scheme and a buy to let property with a value of £250,000.
Advisers estimated that they would increase their clients' income by an average of 28% if they sought advice at the point of retirement.
Karen Barrett, chief executive of unbiased.co.uk, said: "Consumers can have the preconception that professional advice is not applicable to their financial situation and that the cost of advice will be unaffordable for them.
"It can also be difficult to find relevant information on typical costs for common advice scenarios.
"Our recent Value of Advice research found that those who had taken advice receive an additional income of £3,654 every year of their retirement, based upon a pension pot of £100,000 – a clear demonstration of the benefit of taking professional advice."

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