Looking at Earned? What to compare before you choose
Earned is one of several firms that work mainly with doctors. Whichever you look at, compare three things: how you're charged, what you need to start, and who looks after the money.
The table below sets out what Earned, WealthKeel and alooola each publish on those three points, in their own documents. They charge in different ways and offer different services, so the right fit depends on your balance and what you want help with.
What are alternatives to Earned for doctors?
Several firms work mainly or only with physicians, and they charge in different ways. Earned charges a percentage of the assets it manages, with a minimum yearly fee. WealthKeel charges a flat subscription. alooola charges a percentage of assets, with no minimum account size.
You aren't limited to firms that focus on doctors. Any registered advisor can work with you, and you can look any of them up on the SEC's search site, adviserinfo.sec.gov.
What should I compare?
How you're charged. A percentage of assets moves with your balance; a flat fee doesn't. Ask for the cost in dollars at your balance today, and as it grows.
What you need to start. A minimum balance or a minimum yearly fee can decide whether a firm is an option at all, especially in residency or your first attending years.
Who looks after the money. Ask which firm gives the investment advice, who your contact is, where your money is held, and who handles tax and planning.
How do Earned, WealthKeel and alooola compare?
| alooola | Earned | WealthKeel | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How you're charged | A yearly percentage of the assets we manage: 0.25% on accounts up to $25,000 and 0.50% on accounts over $25,000. Billed quarterly, pro rata. Fund expenses and some account fees can also apply. | A yearly percentage of the assets it manages, on a sliding scale: 1.50% on the first $250,000, 1.10% on the next $250,000, and lower rates on larger amounts. Charged quarterly, after each quarter. A separate planning engagement can carry a fixed fee, generally $2,500 to $15,000. The firm says it may charge less at its discretion. | A flat fee, not a percentage of assets: a one-time plan creation fee of $3,000 or $7,000, depending on the plan, then a monthly subscription starting at $700. Residents and fellows pay $500 a month while in training. |
| What you need to start | No minimum account size. | Generally a $250,000 minimum portfolio for new wealth management clients, and a minimum yearly fee of $2,400. The firm says it can reduce or waive minimums. | No asset or net worth minimum. |
| Who looks after the money | alooola, LLC manages your accounts and can trade without asking each time. Basic financial planning, such as budgeting and retirement projections, is part of the service. Your money is held at an outside custodian. | Earned Wealth Advisors, LLC gives the investment advice. Earned says it matches you with a Wealth & Tax advisor and a team that works only with doctors. Tax and other services come from Earned's affiliates. Accounts are held at Fidelity and Charles Schwab. | Advisory services and financial planning are offered through Vicus Capital, Inc., which WealthKeel describes as a federally registered investment advisor. WealthKeel says its team includes several Certified Financial Planners and that it offers direct investment management through Fidelity. |
The services aren't the same, so the fees don't line up one for one. A flat fee can cost less than a percentage once your balance is large enough. Against our 0.50% rate, that happens above 200 times the yearly flat fee: at WealthKeel's starting subscription of $700 a month, a balance above $1,680,000, before any plan creation fee.
This page summarizes what each firm publishes about itself. It isn't a recommendation of any firm, including ours. Read each firm's own site and current Form CRS before you decide.
Does Earned have a minimum?
Earned's Form ADV Part 2A says new wealth management clients generally need a portfolio of $250,000, and that there's a minimum yearly fee of $2,400. It also says the firm can reduce or waive minimums at its discretion, so ask them what applies to you.
Is there a financial advisor for doctors with no minimum?
Yes, more than one. WealthKeel says it has no asset or net worth minimum. alooola has no minimum account size, and works with residents and fellows who are just starting to invest; the scope of services may differ.
No minimum doesn't mean no cost. Work out what you'd pay in dollars a year at your balance, including any one-time fee.
Flat fee or percentage: which costs less?
A percentage usually costs less while your balance is small, and a flat fee can cost less once it's large. Flat fee or percentage of assets: which costs a doctor less?
Where can I check what a firm charges?
In its Form CRS, a short summary of services, fees, conflicts and duties, and its Form ADV Part 2A, the longer brochure with more detail on fees. Both are on the SEC's Investment Adviser Public Disclosure site. Search by name or CRD number: Earned Wealth Advisors is 108052, Vicus Capital (WealthKeel's advisory firm) is 116021, and alooola, LLC is 325090. Ours are also at Form CRS and Fees & pricing.
Questions to ask any firm you're comparing
- What would I pay in dollars this year at my balance, and if my balance doubled?
- Is there a minimum account size or a minimum yearly fee?
- Is there a one-time fee to start?
- Which firm gives the investment advice, and who is my contact?
- What does the fee include, and what is billed separately, such as tax preparation?
- Where is my money held?
- How is the person advising me paid, and do affiliates earn anything from my business?
- Can I read your Form CRS and Form ADV Part 2A before I sign?
alooola.com/guides/earned-alternatives/
- Earned, earned.com (home page, advisory disclosure), read Oct 13, 2026.
- Earned, Wealth management (advisor matching, affiliate services, custodians), read Oct 13, 2026.
- Earned Wealth Advisors, LLC, Form CRS, March 2026, linked from earned.com/legal/form-crs, read Oct 13, 2026.
- Earned Wealth Advisors, LLC, Form ADV Part 2A, Mar 30, 2026, Item 5 (fees) and Item 7 (minimum account size), on the SEC's Investment Adviser Public Disclosure site, read Oct 13, 2026.
- WealthKeel, wealthkeel.com (fee model, minimum, advisory disclosure), read Oct 13, 2026.
- WealthKeel, Services (pricing, residents and fellows, investment management), read Oct 13, 2026.
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Investment Adviser Public Disclosure: Earned Wealth Advisors, LLC (CRD 108052) and Vicus Capital, Inc. (CRD 116021), read Oct 13, 2026.
- alooola, Fees & pricing and Form CRS (fee, billing, other costs, discretionary accounts), read Oct 13, 2026.
- alooola, Form ADV Part 2A, Item 4 (planning included), Item 7 (no minimum account size) and Item 15 (custody), read Oct 13, 2026.
General information, not advice for your situation. Each firm's facts come from its own site or its own filings, dated above. Fees and terms change; check each firm's current Form CRS.
Talk it through with an advisor.
- Pick a time that suits you, by video or phone.
- Bring the question and whatever documents you have to hand.
- Leave with a clear next step. What you do with it is up to you.