One of them may be “who should I trust with my money?” » An RIA is a suitable option because it acts as a fiduciary. They are much less likely to hide fees or advise against their client's best interest (Nerdwallet). The downside to having an RIA is that they tend to focus on obtaining high net worth clients. Due to the lack of commission-based income, RIAs have a certain cap on their salary. Their income largely depends on the amount invested by their clients; they earn more when their clients invest more (Barnes). Therefore, if a potential client has a less than desirable portfolio, they may have more difficulty finding representation with an RIA or other fiduciary. Additionally, RIAs are more interested in maintaining and prudently growing their clients' portfolios, so a low net worth client would not benefit much from investing through and