Financial Advisors & Registered Investment Advisers need professional liability first, then general liability, cyber liability, property coverage once there is an office or equipment, and workers compensation at the first hire. Client contracts are what drive limits up, typically from $1M per claim / $1M aggregate, with many firms adding a fidelity bond to $2M to $5M per claim, plus an the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) fidelity bond sized to 10 percent of plan assets when you serve plans. Who this is for: Advisory firms of any size, from a solo practice to a firm of a hundred.
The short version
- Professional liability is the policy that answers the claim your work actually creates.
- Expect $1,800 to $12,000 a year for professional liability at a small to midsize firm.
- Cyber belongs in the core stack because you hold account numbers.
- Contracts from custodian and platform agreements are what push limits and endorsements, not any statute.
- Carriers rate you on assets under management, revenue, and the product mix you sell.
What advisory firms actually do, and where it goes wrong
Most of the firms we place cover some mix of discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning and retirement income work, 401(k) and retirement plan advisory, insurance and annuity placement, and family office and trust support.
The claims that follow that work are consistent. The three we see most:
- An unsuitable concentrated position for a retiree, where the client claimed $260,000 in losses that a stated risk profile should have prevented.
- A 401(k) plan where the fund lineup was never reviewed for four years, where participants alleged excessive fees and named the advisor as a fiduciary.
- An annuity replacement that triggered a surrender charge, where the client sought $48,000 in charges plus lost income guarantees.
Not one of those is a slip and fall. They are all disputes about whether an allocation, a plan, or a trade was right, which is why professional liability sits at the centre of the program.
The coverages we place for advisory firms
| Coverage | What it does for you | Typical limit | Typical premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional liability | Claims that your work or advice cost a client money | $1M per claim / $1M aggregate, with many firms adding a fidelity bond | $1,800 to $12,000 |
| General liability | Injury or property damage at your office or a client site | $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate | $500 to $1,300 |
| Cyber liability | Breach response, ransomware, funds transfer fraud, client claims | $1M with internal sublimits | $1,200 to $5,500 |
| Business owners policy | Office contents, equipment, and lost income | Contents at replacement cost | $900 to $2,400 |
| Workers compensation | Employee injury, required in nearly every state at the first hire | Statutory plus $1M employers liability | $400 to $1,800 |
| Employment practices liability | Wrongful termination, discrimination, and harassment claims | $1M | $500 to $3,500 |
| Management liability | Partner, investor, and governance disputes | $1M | $1,500 to $6,000 |
Most firms buy the first three immediately and add the rest as headcount, office space, and outside ownership arrive.
What your contracts will demand
The pressure to raise limits almost never comes from a regulator. It comes from custodian and platform agreements, retirement plan sponsor requests for proposal (RFPs), broker dealer affiliation requirements, and referral and solicitor agreements. The recurring asks are professional liability at $1M per claim / $1M aggregate, with many firms adding a fidelity bond, general liability at $1M per occurrence, workers compensation at statutory limits, cyber at $1M, additional insured status and primary and non contributory wording on the general liability policy, and a waiver of subrogation. Larger buyers ask for $2M to $5M per claim, plus an the Employee Retirement Income Security Act fidelity bond sized to 10 percent of plan assets when you serve plans.
Two of those requests routinely need renegotiating rather than buying: additional insured status and primary and non contributory wording on a professional liability policy, which most carriers in this class will not issue at any price.
What drives your premium
- Revenue and service mix. Carriers rate advisory firms on assets under management, revenue, and the product mix you sell.
- Claims history. Two or more open matters in five years narrows the carrier list quickly.
- Contract hygiene. A signed engagement agreement with a limitation of liability clause is one of the strongest credits available.
- Security controls. Multifactor authentication, tested backups, and a payment verification callback now gate cyber terms entirely.
- Continuity. Continuous coverage protects your retroactive date, which is worth more than any discount.
Regulation and licensing to keep in view
For advisory firms the oversight comes from the the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or your state securities division, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) if you have a broker dealer affiliation, and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act when you touch retirement plans. None of that replaces insurance, but it shapes what a claim looks like when it arrives and how quickly you need counsel involved.
What this looks like in practice
Illustrative example. Numbers are typical of claims we see and are not a promise of how any specific claim would be handled.
The setup: A advisory firm carrying $1M per claim / $1M aggregate, with many firms adding a fidelity bond in professional liability.
The claim: The matter started with an unsuitable concentrated position for a retiree. The client claimed $260,000 in losses that a stated risk profile should have prevented.
The cost: $70,000 in defense costs and $185,000 in settlement, $255,000 in total, paid inside the policy limit after the retention.
The lesson: The claim was about the work, not about anyone getting hurt, so only the professional liability policy responded. That is the pattern in this industry and it is why the program is built around that policy.
Answers to the questions financial advisors ask us most
Every one of these is written for advisory firms specifically.
- What Insurance Do Advisory Firms Need?
- Professional Liability or General Liability? Advisory Firms
- Errors and Omissions or General Liability? Advisory Firms
- International Clients: Are You Covered? (Advisory Firms)
- Primary and Non Contributory: What It Means
- Additional Insured Requests: What to Do
- Waiver of Subrogation: Should You Sign It?
- Claims Made vs Occurrence: What to Know
- Tail Coverage: When Advisory Firms Need It
- Retroactive Dates and Prior Acts Explained
- How Much Professional Liability Do Advisory Firms Need?
- How Much Errors and Omissions Do Advisory Firms Need?
- What Insurance Costs for Advisory Firms
- Do Advisory Firms Need Cyber Insurance?
- Home Office Insurance for Advisory Firms
- Workers Compensation for Advisory Firms: The First Hire
- Auto Exposure for Advisory Firms: Cars You Do Not Own
- Certificates of Insurance for Advisory Firms
- Indemnity Clauses: What Advisory Firms Are Signing
- What Professional Liability Insurance Does Not Cover
- What Errors and Omissions Insurance Does Not Cover
- Do Advisory Firms Need Employment Practices Coverage?
- Do Advisory Firms Need Directors and Officers Insurance?
- Subcontractors and Freelancers: Who Is Liable?
- When to Report a Claim or Circumstance
- Contract Insurance Requirements Checklist
- Meeting High Limit Requirements as a Advisory Firm
- Wire Fraud and Social Engineering Claims
Frequently asked questions
Q: What insurance does a advisory firm need?
Professional liability first, then general liability, cyber liability, property coverage once there is an office or equipment, and workers compensation from the first hire. Everything beyond that is usually driven by client contracts.
Q: How much does it cost?
Professional liability commonly runs $1,800 to $12,000 a year for a small to midsize firm. A full starter program with general liability and cyber added typically totals $3,500 to $15,040.
Q: What limits do clients usually require?
$1M per claim / $1M aggregate, with many firms adding a fidelity bond is the common baseline in client contracts. Enterprise, institutional, and public sector buyers ask for $2M to $5M per claim, plus an the Employee Retirement Income Security Act fidelity bond sized to 10 percent of plan assets when you serve plans, which is normally met with an excess layer rather than by rebuilding the primary program.
Q: Do I need cyber insurance?
Yes, if you hold account numbers. Professional liability will not pay for forensics, notification, ransomware, or a fraudulent wire, and client contracts increasingly require it.
Q: Can Morrow help if I have had a claim?
Yes. One closed claim rarely moves a firm out of the standard market. Two or more open matters narrows the carrier list, which is exactly where a broker with real market access earns their keep.
Q: How fast can I get a certificate of insurance?
Same day for a routine certificate once coverage is bound, and one to three business days if a new endorsement has to be issued by the carrier.
How Morrow helps advisory firms
Morrow is a licensed independent commercial insurance brokerage that specializes in financial advisors & registered investment advisers. Insuring a advisory firm end to end is exactly the kind of question we answer every week, and because we place this coverage every day we know which carriers write it well, which forms are broad, and which contract language actually needs an endorsement behind it.
- We read the contract clause and tell you what your current policy already does and does not do.
- We market your account to carriers that have real appetite for advisory firms rather than whoever answers first.
- We issue certificates the same day a client asks, with the endorsements listed correctly.
- We stay on the file at renewal so limits, retroactive dates, and contract requirements do not quietly drift.
Get in touch and we will see how we can help. Tell us what you do, send over any contract that is driving the requirement, and send us the question and we will tell you where you stand. Start at morrowinsure.com or reach the team through the contact options on that page.
One more thing. This article is general information for advisory firms and is not legal advice, tax advice, or a statement of coverage. Policy wording controls in every case, and forms vary by carrier and by state. Have a licensed advisor review your own policy and your own contract before you rely on any of it.
Last updated: Reviewed by the Morrow commercial lines team. Last updated August 2026.