Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Independent Advisor Business Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Ameriprise's independent-advisor franchise lets financial advisors run their own practice under the Ameriprise brand, offering investment, retirement, and financial planning. Franchisees build a book of retail clients and assets under management while handling advice, compliance, and prospecting.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Independent Advisor Business franchise requires a total initial investment of $10K – $138K, including a $2K franchise fee. The 2026 FDD on file does not yield a unit-revenue figure we can publish. SBA 7(a) loans show a 0.3% charge-off rate across 473 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $10K – $138K
- 0th pct Financial Ser…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Per franchisee, not per outlet
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 5,462
- 82nd pct Financial Ser…
- SBA charge-off
- 0.3%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Financial Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Financial Services avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $10K – $138K including a $2K franchise fee.
- RETURNSItem 19 publishes no overall average. The figure shown was the TOP of thirteen production bands — independent advisors billing $1,000,000+ in annual gross dealer concession, 1,628 of 3,751 advisors (printed p.46) — and the bands run down to $25,538. The measure is also per ADVISOR rather than per outlet, and GDC is gross dealer concession before a payout that runs 73.7% to 88.0%; the same row's average gross income is $2,742,768 and its median $1,803,545.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 76/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.3% across 473 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- DECLINESystem contracting at -6.6% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC
- Parent company
- Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
- CEO title
- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (of Parent, Ameriprise Financial, Inc.)
- James M. Cracchiolo
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 200 Ameriprise Financial Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55474
- Auditor
- PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $9.3B
- vs $8.4B prior year
Independent franchisee associations
- Franchise Advisory Council (FAC)
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Overview
About
- CEO
- James M. Cracchiolo
- Headquarters
- MN
- Founded
- 1971
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 51
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 40% below the typical financial services franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown23 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Fee (including initial orientation program)not refundable | $2K | $2K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 monthsnot refundable | $0 | $3K | |
| Association Feenot refundable | $290 | $290 | |
| Business Authorizations and Licensesnot refundable | $500 | $3K | |
| Computer Hardware | $1K | $2K | |
| Computer Software Installation Servicenot refundable | $200 | $200 | |
| Errors and Omissions Feenot refundable | $42 | $208 | |
| Internet Service, Mobile Communication Devices and Services, Phone Service, Printers and Scanners | $2K | $21K | |
| Network Equipmentnot refundable | $1K | $8K | |
| Network Monitoringnot refundable | $25 | $25 | |
| Office Aesthetics and Furnishingsnot refundable | $0 | $50K | |
| Office Cablingnot refundable | $500 | $6K | |
| Office Lease | $0 | $3K | |
| Optional Training Programsnot refundable | $0 | $10K | |
| Other Software Fees and Licensesnot refundable | $20 | $200 | |
| Security Deposits | $0 | $9K | |
| Signagenot refundable | $60 | $9K | |
| Software Licenses and Fees for Staffnot refundable | $135 | $550 | |
| Start-up Suppliesnot refundable | $100 | $100 | |
| Supervisionnot refundable | $258 | $3K | |
| Total initial investment | $9K | $135K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $10K – $138K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $0 – $9K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $2K – $2K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- Franchisor retains a percentage of GDC (Gross Dealer Conc…
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 10.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% |
| Technology fee | $595 |
| Training fee | $5K |
| Transfer fee | $800 |
| Total fee load | 10.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
No Item 19 revenue figure for Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Independent Advisor Business is on file. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Independent Advisor Business unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for annual revenue, royalty rate, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
Item 19 publishes no overall average. The figure shown was the TOP of thirteen production bands — independent advisors billing $1,000,000+ in annual gross dealer concession, 1,628 of 3,751 advisors (printed p.46) — and the bands run down to $25,538. The measure is also per ADVISOR rather than per outlet, and GDC is gross dealer concession before a payout that runs 73.7% to 88.0%; the same row's average gross income is $2,742,768 and its median $1,803,545.
Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures
- Item 19 type
- GDC production bands (gross income before expenses, not net income)
- Sample size
- 3,751 franchisees
- vs category median 94 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $0→$99.2M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2026
- Disclosed in the 2026 filing, covering 2025
- Transparency
- 4 / 10
- vs category median 0 / 10 · above
Compared against 45 Financial Services brands
Item 19 · by group
What the filing does disclose
Item 19 of this FDD reports performance in more than one group. We publish no single average for this brand; the groups the filing does disclose are listed below, quoted from its own Item 19 table.
Each row below is quoted from the FDD's own Item 19 table. Gross sales are not profit.
Per franchisee, not per outletItem 19 detail
Item 19 publishes no overall average. The figure shown was the TOP of thirteen production bands — independent advisors billing $1,000,000+ in annual gross dealer concession, 1,628 of 3,751 advisors (printed p.46) — and the bands run down to $25,538. The measure is also per ADVISOR rather than per outlet, and GDC is gross dealer concession before a payout that runs 73.7% to 88.0%; the same row's average gross income is $2,742,768 and its median $1,803,545.
gdc band
| Segment | Sample (franchisees) | Avg |
|---|---|---|
| GDC $1,000,000+ (Annual GDC in 000s: 1000+) | 1,628 franchisees | $3.1M |
| GDC $900,000-$999,000 | 108 franchisees | $955K |
| GDC $800,000-$899,000 | 137 franchisees | $850K |
| GDC $700,000-$799,000 | 153 franchisees | $750K |
| GDC $600,000-$699,000 | 140 franchisees | $650K |
| GDC $500,000-$599,000 | 129 franchisees | $552K |
| GDC $400,000-$499,000 | 158 franchisees | $447K |
| GDC $300,000-$399,000 | 205 franchisees | $348K |
| GDC $200,000-$299,000 | 216 franchisees | $248K |
| GDC $100,000-$199,000 | 299 franchisees | $143K |
| GDC $50,000-$99,000 | 303 franchisees | $71K |
| GDC $0-$49,000 | 275 franchisees | $26K |
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 10.0% — below the Financial Services average of 16.9%.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands.
Operator retention
System contracting at -6.6% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven consolidation or franchisee exits.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Financial Services averages
How Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Independent Advisor Business Compares
Per franchisee, not per outlet - the category average is per-outlet only, so no comparison is shown
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 5,462
- Opened
- 52
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 133
- Turnover rate
- 3.6%
- Company-owned
- 1,724
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 68%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -6.6%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -6.6%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 52
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 133
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 521
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Transfer rate
- 9.3%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Termination rate
- 2.7%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 51 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 473
- Loan volume
- $301.5M
- Median loan
- $637K
- average
- Charge-off rate
- 0.3%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 31
- Defaults
- 1
- Typical loan rate
- 6.2%
- avg rate to borrowers
- vs industry
- N/A
- Jobs supported
- N/A
- Lender concentration
- 58%
- top lender's share
Vintage analysis
Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Independent Advisor Business charge-off rate by loan vintage
Shaded area: recent vintages with few resolved loans; rates may change as loans mature.
Top lenders financing Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Independent Advisor Business franchisees
Showing 3 of 31 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Independent Advisor Business's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 10 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 20 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
Instant access. No subscription.
With a 0.3% charge-off rate across 473 loans, banks have historically viewed this brand favorably for lending.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 0.3% — 98% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Ameriprise's declining unit count, opaque royalty structure, extensive regulatory/legal troubles, withheld profitability data, and unprotected territories create elevated risk of franchisee underperformance and franchisor vulnerability.
Litigation (Item 3)
Franchisor is defendant in multiple pending matters including cash sweep class actions (Mehlman/Tripson consolidated), FINRA arbitrations by current/former advisors (Mattson), collection matters (Urban), recruiting-related cases (Oppenheimer, Edward Jones). Past SEC/FINRA settlements: $4.5M (2018 safeguarding), $8.75M total disgorgement+penalty (2017 F-Squared), $850K fine (2016 FINRA wire transfer). Field sales force and advisor client litigation of 5-60 matters/year disclosed as routine.
Largest disclosed settlement: $6,300,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 76 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORDeclining unit count (-3.0% YoY) signals shrinking franchisee base and potential market saturation or dissatisfaction
- 02MINORExtremely wide royalty range (9-28% of GDC) lacks transparency; unclear what determines placement and actual franchisee take-home
- 03HIGHSix active litigation matters including class action, FINRA arbitration, and three regulatory settlements indicate systemic compliance failures in supervision and advertising
- 04MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk from other franchisees and company-employed advisors
- 05MINORLow franchise fee ($1,500) and high investment range suggests upfront capital may be understated or variable costs are substantial
- 06MINORThree-year term is short; renewal risk and franchisor control leverage are high
- 07MINORRecent SEC/FINRA settlements indicate franchisor's own regulatory compliance deficiencies that cascade to franchisees
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 10.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 3 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 3 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | none |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Not allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 1 year |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 14 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | FINRA arbitration (location per agreement) |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | DE |
| Litigation count | 7 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Franchisor is defendant in multiple pending matters including cash sweep class actions (Mehlman/Tripson consolidated), FINRA arbitrations by current/former advisors (Mattson), collection matters (Urban), recruiting-related cases (Oppenheimer, Edward Jones). Past SEC/FINRA settlements: $4.5M (2018 safeguarding), $8.75M total disgorgement+penalty (2017 F-Squared), $850K fine (2016 FINRA wire transfer). Field sales force and advisor client litigation of 5-60 matters/year disclosed as routine.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 10 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- Online and Region (local RVP/FVP office)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 1 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee selects, subject to franchisor approval. Must be in commercial or mixed commercial/residential zone; FINRA registration required.
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- AdvisorCompass
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: AdvisorCompass
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
2,439 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Independent Advisor Business · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Independent Advisor Business franchise?
The total investment to open a Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Independent Advisor Business franchise ranges from $10K – $138K, with an initial franchise fee of $2K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Independent Advisor Business franchise owners earn?
No average owner earnings figure for Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Independent Advisor Business is on file. Item 19 — where a franchisor may disclose what its outlets earn — is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and we have not established what this brand's FDD says. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
What is Item 19 in the Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Independent Advisor Business FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Independent Advisor Business FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Independent Advisor Business's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Independent Advisor Business has a charge-off rate of 0.3% across 473 loans, meaning 0.3% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Independent Advisor Business franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Independent Advisor Business has 5,462 total units in the United States, including 3,738 franchised units and 1,724 company-owned units. 52 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Independent Advisor Business a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Independent Advisor Business as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 76 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Independent Advisor Business, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Other Financial Services franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Financial Services category
Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.