August 30, 2010
You can lump a broker and an investment adviser into the same category. Both get a commission, in one way or another. Neither are versed in commodities or the metals market, which might be a better investment alternative to stocks and bonds. I got out of my IRA, took the IRS tax hit, went into metals before the downturn and am thankful for it. I've made more in a few years than in all the years that I was with Ameriprise. I bought stocks in the past through brokers, who had "The inside Track" and had mixed success. Investment advisers give you the choice of conservative, low risk and high risk. When you find out what companies you are invested in, when their brochure comes out, you say to yourself, "Why would they even think of investing in that company, or those companies?"
I guess, I may be the exception, but I take an interest in following the markets, scouring current events, read balance sheets, can project ahead and find that I have done better than those, "Advisers," both brokers and investment advisers.