<prompt> Human: Quick summary - My fiance and I moved at the beginning of the year, bought a new house, and sold my place a little later. After it was all said and done I had about 50k in cash I just parked in a Money Market at my local bank until I got some time to research investing. Fast forward 7 months later - the Money Market has made all of about 40 so far, and I need to move this money and my 401k from my previous company I just left.My banker suggested I talk to their financial advisor, so I went in yesterday for a consultation. As soon as I got there she had all the paperwork ready for what she thought I should move it to, and she was ready to move it all immediately. A summary of her advice as follows:- Keep about 10k in your checking account.- Keep 20k-30k in the banks Money Market account.- Contribute your maximum 5.5k to a new Roth IRA.- Rollover your previous employers 401k into this new traditional 401k plan- Put the remaining amount into this stock brokerage account.Okay, this all sounds good so far; now to look at the accounts themselves. She opens up a folder containing all American Funds Roth, 401k, and brokerage accounts. The return rates look good, At my age 31 she suggests the American Funds Growth Portfolio with slightly conservative to mid-range aggressiveness... Im still good. I ask her, What about Vanguard? It did well for us when we sold off my fiances stock for our home purchase. She replied that Vangaurd has higher fees and expenses. Okay, I thought... my fiances dad has always been great with money so I have some doubt in my mind that he would have invested in the accounts with higher fees. Finally we get the Advisor Network accounts setup and start looking at how much we want to put into each account. Heres where she pulls out the information that brings the whole conversation to an abrupt stop. Each of these new American Funds accounts Roth, 401k, and brokerage are going to cost me a 5.75 upfront buy-in fee. All in all, were talking about 2,200 or so that comes out of my money instantly, and then it can start making some more money mind you, there are still some ongoing expenses with these accounts. I think to myself, It will take me a year or two to even catch up before I will start making any money on this. I told her I need to look into this myself a little more before I allocate any money. As I was leaving she said she could do Vanguard if I absolutely wanted to, but she cares about her clients and would rather see them do better in the long run with American Funds.Today I start researching and that these load fees that American Funds charges are to pay the advisors; Vanguard indexes do not have these fees. Also I read on all the message boards and several reputable news source stories that American Funds expense ratios are actually higher than Vanguard. Also, since American Funds is actively managed and traded there will be more capital gains taxes that hit. Finally, I read that because American Funds is actively managed by a group of people with turnover, the past success doesnt mean they wont get a group of bad managers in the future who could screw things up a bit and not make near as good on returns.I think the answer is clear, politely tell the advisor I have chosen not to do business with her and look at buying into Vanguard directly. Its not because I dont want her to make money from American Funds kickback that she would receive, but because I think she either lied or gave me bad advice when she said Vanguard had higher expenses than American Funds. Of all the long term data Ive seen on American Funds vs Vanguard, the rate of return is almost equal due to the high expenses and taxes of American Funds. And the risk seems a little higher for American Funds actively managed accounts vs Vanguards index funds. Id love to hear your experiences with both Vanguard and American Funds. Also, do you think Im in the wrong by not trusting this advisor any longer?  <response>: If you paid that 2200 as a straight consulting cost to a fee-only, fiduciary financial planner, they would tell you exactly what you are thinking. Front-load is a bunch of bull, vanguard has some of the lowest fees in the industry, and the bank advisor did not have YOUR best interest in mind.But even better, save your 2200 fee, and start reading this sub daily, and read the FAQ thoroughly. In one month, youll have a much better idea what to do, and feel confident doing it. 