I have some test the market money with Merill Lynch, it's only 10 k I wanted my guy there to go crazy and invest in high risk high yield stuff... He can't seem to get the picture, in 3-1/2 years it's only made 2.5 k. I need to roll it away from there..imo.. He's to old school, I don't care if we lose some on a high risk, if it pans out we'd throw more money into it.. It's just playing around.. I need to see Floon

You don�t need a money guy to invest 10k in high risk. Just put it all in the next IPO.

You can�t afford Floon. I suggest you invest heavily with Z&D. They�ve done amazing things with my money. Lost most of it, which is pretty amazing, considering everyone else is making money right now.

He gets no commission on Vanguard.

Frank is sad..... because he has no clue what in the world you mean.

Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies and cuts through to the essence of the evolutionary spirit. For twenty dollars I can tell you a lot of things. For thirty dollars I can tell you more. And for fifty dollars I can tell you everything.

Kid, you're on a roll. Enjoy it while it lasts, 'cause it never does.

For a younger individual what is your access to vanguard account money and when do they take their cut? Got a chunk in online but it�s about time to beat 1.8%

I got my Vanguard account set up today as well as the transfer for the initial deposit. Will be happy to be making more than 1.8% now.

Marry me and move to Las Vegas with me and Z? We can start a show with white tigers and be famous and invest in Vanguard. I will buy you all the dirty 30's your heart desires!!

Before I say anything further, American Funds is a great manager. They manage money well, and have for a long, long time. They're easily one of the most respected fund families on the street. There are a few funds of theirs that I own personally and likely always will. There's nothing wrong with owning a portfolio of American Funds products.

That all said, they're not the cheapest to own, and Merrill is known as an American Funds shop. When you walk in the door at Merrill, you pretty much know that's the flavor you're going to get. You'll find a variation of this at all the big wirehouses. That aspect of the wirehouse environment was a huge catalyst in driving me and my partner independent many moons ago. If I'm going to get paid three times as much to sell an American Funds product (or insert other fund family name here), it makes it hard to be objective in my advice. That was the story at places like Merrill, Dean Witter, and Morgan Stanley. That story (plus the 60 hour work weeks) told me all I needed to know, very early on in my career, about why I wasn't cut out for life inside a wirehouse brokerage firm. Conflicts of interest in this business need to be eliminated if you're truly going to be the best advisor you can be for your clients - so that's what we set out to do by giving independent advice.

While I like what American Funds does, we can replicate any of it with no-loads and lower cost exchange traded funds. Saving some of that expense off the top goes a long way toward adding value to that portfolio.

Again, I'd suggest talking to someone. Go sit down and talk with some independent advisors. They'll almost all visit with you for no charge just to hear what your situation is and let you know if/how they can help. Find someone who charges a fee so they get paid no matter what. Don't look for anyone that's 100% chasing commissions - those aren't advisors, they are salesmen. Ask them what their fiduciary responsibilities are to you as a client - if they squirm and act uneasy, make a mental note of that and check them off your prospective list. Find someone that listens and asks you questions. If all they do is talk about them during that visit, take them off your list. It's an interviewing process, for sure, and not everybody will be a fit.

Anyway, the stuff I highlighted in your quoted post are just the types of things you should be telling an advisor. All three of those sentences are significant in how your money should be managed, and they will have an impact on your retirement picture if fully considered.

So...anyhow...that's what I'd do if I were you. Sorry for droning on for 37 paragraphs.

My brother in law has used the same investment guy for years. He says the guy has done great for him but can�t tell you how much better than an indexed mutual fund. He also can�t tell you how much his guy charges him for his services.

A good friend retired 5 years ago. He took his lump sum pension and 401k and had an investment guy set up his retirement investments and income. I asked my friend how much commission he takes. He asked his guy and was told, it�s not that simple, kinda complicated. Couldn�t give him a number which bothers my friend.

I had my company 401k with Vanguard. About 20 years ago, they offered a managed investment program where they would invest my 401k based on my age, risk tolerance, etc. They did an upfront change to my investments and for the next year deducted money each month from my account to �manage� my investments. However, they made no additional changes to my investments. I got tired of it and dropped that feature.

Each person needs to make a decision that�s right for them

You can do a heck of a lot worse than simply putting your retirement assets in the appropriate Vanguard Target Date Retirement Fund and your long-term non-retirement investments in a mix of Vanguard 500 Index Fund, a Vanguard international stock fund (developed markets), the Vanguard Emerging Markets Index Fund and a Vanguard long-term bond fund.