Jay Williams CFP®, CIMA®, AIF®

I’ve talked to just about 100 financial advisors over the last few months, and I can honestly tell you as an outsider to their industry: 1) They’re not all trying to 'scam' you 2) No matter how they charge (flat fee, hourly, AUM), it usually shakes out to similar rates AUM fees: 1% is common, but it’s a sliding scale. It can range anywhere from ~0.2% to ~2%, depending on portfolio size, services included, and structure. You're focusing on the investment management piece and ignoring the stacked value that proactive advisors could bring you Because in practice, you’re not only paying for “portfolio allocation” You’re paying for someone to proactively handle: 💰 Tax planning (qualified plans, harvesting, projections) 💰 Entity setup & optimization (LLC, S-Corp, etc.) 💰 Trust & estate planning (revocable, irrevocable, grantor trusts) 💰 Insurance review & risk management 💰 Retirement & cash flow modeling 💰 Support during major life events (exits, inheritance, aging parents, divorce, etc.) Could you do it yourself? For sure But honestly: - You’re a founder running a $5M+ SaaS company - 20 employees - A partner, two kids, aging parents I'm sure rebalancing your portfolio or researching 529 plan limits on a Tuesday night is what you're looking forward to. So what are your options? 👉 Hire an advisor: You pay $5k–$25k/year depending on scope 👉 Use a roboadvisor (Betterment, Wealthfront): Costs 0.25–0.5% with minimal personalized help 👉 DIY: Free…unless you count your time, stress, and what you might miss It’s not that advisors are “overpriced”. It’s that a proactive one can give you leverage on taxes, time, decisions, and downside protection. So instead of asking “Is 1% too much?” Ask: ❓ “What am I getting for what I pay?” ❓ “And is that tradeoff worth it to me?” stay out of financial bed with the wrong person, use sam's list :)