What 'insufficient funds' actually means, the NSF-vs-overdraft fork, why fee schedules changed at many banks — and the four settings that make the whole problem structurally impossible.
Advisory fees, cash sweep spreads, proprietary funds and the brutal math of scale: how robo-advisors earn, and why so many of them shut down.
Cash sweeps move your idle brokerage cash to partner banks overnight — and the interest spread is a quiet revenue engine. The two questions: what rate reaches you, and which insurance applies.
Every SEC-registered adviser files a public Form ADV: AUM, fees, conflicts, discipline. Where to find it, the three numbers in Part 1, and the two brochure sections where the honesty lives.
SEC registration means accountability, not endorsement. What Form ADV registration actually gets you, the three ways the phrase gets abused, and how to check any claim.
SIPC protects you when a member brokerage fails with assets missing — up to $500K. It never covers market losses, bad advice, or non-members. SIPC vs FDIC in plain English.
The 2-minute registry check that filters most investment fraud: SEC IAPD, FINRA BrokerCheck, FCA Register and the warning lists — where to look and what each answer means.
A robo-advisor is mostly index funds plus automation plus a fee. The compounding math of that fee, what it actually buys, and the three questions that settle the choice.