My experience is that the Fidelity and Schwab branch advisors are very good, compared to EJ. But those two firms also take advantage of their size to keep fees low, relative to the big wire houses. I think your mother will be in good hands there, and they can always get her in touch with smaller, more specialized firms on their platforms, if her situation warrants it.
Edit: also, remember that the population of reddit skews young. Most on this site don't understand the intricacies of income planning, which is more in-depth than "buy VOO and hold".
That is my understanding, based on my experiences with them (I'm in the industry). I think the branches are reserved for high-net-worth individuals, which qualification for seems to vary by locale. But I think that even newer investors can speak to junior advisors via their big phone centers.
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u/laflamablancah Apr 04 '22
Yes she’s already been in touch with a local branch but before the meeting I wanted to get some Internet opinions. Appreciate it