Wrap Accounts: A Comprehensive Guide for Investors

A wrap account refers to an investment account that is managed by a broker for a flat annual fee. The flat annual fee, which ranges from 1% to 3% of assets under management (AUM)Assets Under Management (AUM)Assets under management (AUM) is the total market value of the securities a financial institution owns or manages on behalf of its clients., covers all expenses related to managing the account, such as administration, commission, management expenses.

Summary

• A wrap account is managed by a broker for a flat annual fee, which ranges from 1% to 3% of assets under management.
• The flat annual fee covers all expenses related to managing the wrap account.
• Wrap accounts are a popular option to prevent churning.

Understanding a Wrap Account

Wrap accounts are a type of managed accountManaged AccountA managed account is a portfolio of stocks or bonds – or a combination of the two – that is owned by a single manager. The investor hires a professional where an investor pays a flat annual fee to investment professionals to (1) manage their investments in that account and (2) gain access to a number of services. The types of applicable services depend on the brokerage firm, but generally includes:

• Financial planning services
• Investment advice services
• Performance monitoring services
• Trading services

Given that wrap accounts are only charged a flat annual fee, they are a popular option to prevent churning. Churning refers to a broker buying and selling investments in an account for the purpose of generating additional commission (for the broker’s benefit) and without consideration for the client’s investment goals. Furthermore, with a flat annual fee based on AUM, brokers are generally highly incentivized to generate the highest returns possible, which would increase the AUM and fees received.

The main disadvantage of a wrap account is that they require a steep minimum investment amount – usually in excess of $50,000. Such a disadvantage is a byproduct of the flat annual fee structure, as brokers would be reluctant to manage a small AUM, which would result in a small flat annual fee for them.

Wrap Account vs. Full-Service Brokerage Account

A common alternative to a wrap account is a full-service brokerage account. A full-service brokerage account is also an investment account that is managed by a broker. However, the difference lies in the fees – full-service brokerage accounts generally charge commission fees per trade in addition to management and administration expenses.

Although a wrap account removes the potential conflict of interest of churningChurningChurning can be defined as the practice of executing trades for a customer’s investment account by a broker or brokerage firm for the sole purpose of, a full-service brokerage account with little to modest trading activity would likely result in lower total expenses versus a wrap account. When determining which account to open, it is important to consider:

3. The level of expected trading activity
4. The wrap account flat annual fee versus the full-service brokerage account fees
5. The type of services included in a wrap account

Investments in a Wrap Account

The types of investments applicable in a wrap account depend entirely on the client’s investment goals. For example, a risk-averse client may have their wrap account consist primarily of bonds, while a risk-seeking client may have their wrap account consist primarily of stocks. The types of investments in a wrap account can range from individual stocks and bonds to mutual fundsMutual FundsA mutual fund is a pool of money collected from many investors for the purpose of investing in stocks, bonds, or other securities. Mutual funds are owned by a group of investors and managed by professionals. Learn about the various types of fund, how they work, and benefits and tradeoffs of investing in them and exchange-traded funds.

Key Considerations

There are two key considerations regarding wrap accounts:

• Fees on fees: If a wrap account holds funds, such as mutual funds, the associated fund fees will be applicable on top of the wrap account flat fee.
• Difficulty transferring Investments out of the wrap account: In the scenario that investments in the wrap account are proprietary to the brokerage firm, the investor may not be able to transfer the investments in that account to an account at another firm.

Learn More

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In order to help you become a world-class financial analyst and advance your career to your fullest potential, these additional resources will be very helpful:

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