Scroll through any financial feed, and you'll eventually hit the same pitch: AUM (assets under management) fees are a ripoff, and only foolish high earners pay them. We think that framing bends the math to sell you something, so we’re breaking down why AUM fees have become the villain in personal finance marketing and giving you a real test for judging whether any advisor is worth the cost.

Key moments:

(03:56) Fees should be judged against service value

(14:43) Separating bad service from bad fee models

(17:23) Flat-fee comparisons can exaggerate AUM costs

(28:02) Busyness and inertia create financial planning mistakes

Resources mentioned:

• Vanguard Advisor’s Alpha study

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Mentioned in this episode:

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