There are words that your “finance guy” thinks but never says. Specifically, this.
“You don’t have enough money.”
That’s right. You’ve done everything right, worked hard, saved everything you could, and now, when the promise of retirement is at its peak… You get nothing. You don’t receive the personal attention or customized advice you’ve been promised and need. You receive a brochure and possibly an AI advisor, and then you're left with radio silence.
Here’s the sad truth:
The middle-class investor has been cut out of the whole conversation.
Let’s talk about it.
Al Beam from Dunamis Capitol has watched the industry evolve since 1996. Later, he moved into retirement with large insurance companies managing municipal plans. In that chapter, everything moved online.
“Back in 1994, Fidelity became the laughingstock of the industry for claiming they didn’t need consultants in the field—they could just serve clients online. That failed so badly it became a joke for years.”
By the time he ended his time with that retirement company, he was still sitting knee-to-knee with people.
They picked up on nervous body language and provided reassurance, but as things shifted to virtual that's no longer happening.
Now, people are being told to go to a computer screen and pick from investment models with little guidance, information, or context. He often works with people knee deep in the current industry who have spent 15 to 25 years building a portfolio close to $1 million, and yet they’re less informed than the clients I used to work with decades ago.
It’s a huge disconnect between what the retirement industry calls "education" and actual understanding.
Larger firms make a lot of money, and they do it by squeezing out fees at every opportunity—even from their own team. One major factor in your limited access to quality financial services is the amount of money your account will generate for them.
For example, a half-million-dollar account might generate $5,000 in annual fees at most.
Advisors and firms aren’t going to allocate time to someone below that threshold.
We trace this problem back to the mid-90s, around 1995. There were changes in legislation, such as the Tully Commission, that altered how advisors were compensated. The industry transitioned from a commission-based model, which had its issues, to an assets-under-management (AUM) or fee-based model. Firms began focusing on profitability per client, and when the AUM model took hold, they started targeting wealthier clients because they generated more revenue with less effort.
When that happened, access to information for people below the asset threshold basically disappeared.
Now, firms like ours can’t simply recommend that someone consult a financial planner, because if they don’t have sufficient funds, the planner may not be willing to work with them. In all reality, they won’t.
And if they do (a big if), they are placed into what they call "lower-tiered" accounts, leaving a huge number of people without access to actual advice. More often, they might be directed toward call centers or automated services, but that doesn’t help them understand how to claim Social Security, how Medicare works, or what to do when their pension becomes available.
It’s not education—it’s just delegation to a robot.
We all have to make money, and the answers are out there, but they are often hidden, blurred, biased, or withheld outright. If you're searching for this information on your own, good luck, because there are significant barriers to entry in this field. The $500,000 mark seems to be the cutoff point.
The saddest part of all of this?
The individuals being excluded are those who actually need the most help. They’re the ones who can’t afford a misstep. If someone has $5 million and messes up their Social Security strategy, they’ll be fine. But if someone has $300,000 and makes that same mistake? It could ruin their retirement. It could ruin your retirement.
They won’t come out and say, “You’re too small for us,” but that’s exactly what’s happening.
These firms make their money by charging fees based on how much you invest. If you don’t hit a certain asset level, they can’t charge enough to make the time worthwhile. It’s not personal — it’s business.
And that’s exactly the problem.
We’ve seen it time and time again:
These aren’t edge cases. This is how the system is designed to work.
Step #1. Find someone who’s independent.
Your best option will be someone who doesn’t work for a major brokerage house and isn’t beholden to a product line from one company. Ask them how they get paid. If they can’t give you a straight answer, walk away.
Step #2. Look for an educator.
We don’t mean find a literal teacher. We advise you to look for individuals who are genuinely involved in education, not sales. If someone spends more time asking about your risk tolerance than explaining how Social Security works, that’s a red flag.
Step #3. Start small (and work with someone who supports that).
It’s OK to start with smaller, focused questions. You don’t need a full retirement plan all at once. Start with the following.
Get answers to those questions from someone willing to take the time. You deserve those answers—no matter how much money you have. There are people out there willing to help—it’s just not always easy to find them. But once you do, it can make a massive difference.
Here at DKAC Retirement, we believe that everyone should be able to enjoy their retirement, no matter their net worth. There are others like us who will work with clients of all shapes and sizes because their business model allows it.
Like us and Dunamis Capitol.
True financial planning isn’t about products or portfolio size. It’s about understanding your life — what matters most to you, what you’re afraid of, what you want the next chapter to look like.
“That’s why when people walk out of our office, they often say, “No one has ever asked me these questions before.” It’s not that the other firms are bad people—it’s just that the system doesn’t give them time to go that deep. They're focused on products, not planning.
When we slow down, we can ask the right questions. We can find out what’s really important to the client, not just financially but personally. What do they want their retirement to feel like? Where do they want to live? What’s going to keep them up at night?
And then we plan for those things.”
True financial planning isn’t about products or portfolio size. It’s about understanding your life — what matters most to you, what you’re afraid of, what you want the next chapter to look like.
“Would you believe that there are wealth managers in the industry who will pay your bills, manage your rentals, coordinate your taxes—you can be on a sailboat in the Pacific, and your entire financial life is being handled.
But you can’t even speak to those managers unless you have $2 to $3 million in assets.
Anyone watching this video should ask themselves: “Hold on. These two guys are offering many of the same capabilities—maybe in a less polished format—but the same service that a $3 million client gets.”
We’re offering real, valuable coordination of retirement, investment, and financial planning.”
You’ve worked your whole life for this. Literally, you’ve been working towards the promise of retirement for decades. Let us help you make it happen. Book your free consultation today, right here.
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