A new survey suggests financial planners at non-aligned planning practices earn more than their aligned peers.

A survey by financial press Money Management drew data from over 450 planners and employees.

It dispelled the notion that managing the wealth of others is a highly profitable career.

Over half the respondents reported annual incomes under $110,000.

The survey had a near 50:50 split in the aligned/non-aligned planner respondents, and found that non-aligned planners often earned in excess of $190,000.

Twice as many non-aligned planners reported an income exceeding $500,000 a year than their peers at aligned groups.

While a greater proportion of non-aligned planners at the high end of the income spectrum reported earning more than aligned planners, non-aligned planners also took up a larger percentage of planners earning less than $70,000 a year, at 14 per cent, compared with 12 per cent for aligned planners.

In response to questions about how much planners should be paid, the majority felt they deserved more.

Twenty-one per cent of those working for non-aligned firms said their salary should be more than $190,000 a year, compared to 18 per cent of their non-aligned peers.