Needshelp: I'm not sure if you're replying to me or another... but if it's for me, I do have an advisor, simply because I wanted to buy American Fund. However, I am not sure how beneficial it is to have an "advisor" assuming people will not have changes too often in their portfolio. Meaning, you can buy "age-based" funds just as well as the advisors without the commission. Now, for the purpose of tax planning and when it comes close to withdrawal time, it would be helpful to have an advisor, I think.
Example: Fidelity has the New Hampshire plan, which is advisor sold, and also direct sold plans for Arizona, Massachusetts, and Delaware. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think all these plans have the same underlying funds with very similar performance. Now, if your advisor buys you a NH 2024 fund, what main difference is it from a DE 2024 or MA 2024 fund, other than the fact that the advisor probably got a little bit of commission. Unless, of course, Fidelity pays internal commission when you don't have an advisor (which is what I heard they do for regular investment brokerage accounts).
Please comment, thanks!