<prompt> Human: I often hear that Vanguard, Schwab, and Fidelity are all pretty much the same, and you should just choose the one what offers the lowest fees. Vanguard loyalists argue that because Vanguard is investor owned, and is sworn to act in your best interest and operate at-cost, over the long term youll probably wind up ahead by investing there. I was reminded of this when I read a headline in the Wall Street Journal website today. It and the sub-head read: Advisers at Leading Discount Brokers Win Bonuses to Push Higher-Priced Products At Fidelity, Schwab and TD Ameritrade, employees win extra pay and other incentives to put clients in products that are more lucrative for them, and the firmWithout reading the article, I knew Vanguard wouldnt engage in such activity the article does confirm this.Just an example of the benefits of having your investment company on your side. Consider carefully who youre going to trust your life savings to over the next few decades. Assistant: The easy fix here is dont speak to investment advisors, and dont buy anything other than an index fund at your brokerage firm money market and CDs are also ok.Ive heard Vanguard does try to encourage Flagship clients to sign up for their Personal Advisory Service cost 0.30. PAS also provides very cookie cutter recommendations. So in a sense, you get what you pay for. Vanguards PAS isnt even the lowest cost advisory service; Schwabs Intelligent Advisory service charges less 0.28.The real advantage of Schwab and Fidelity over Vanguard is customer service. Also, Schwab has a bank subsidiary, which can be useful if you want to consolidate your accounts.Human: The easy fix here is dont speak to investment advisors,Then the question is - should I trust my life savings with a company I dont dare to call, for fear of being ripped off? Ive heard Vanguard does try to encourage Flagship clients to sign up for their Personal Advisory Service cost 0.30. So this would be like - Vanguard creates a higher fee, but not better advisory service call PAS Gold, then pays its employees to upsell it. PAS also provides very cookie cutter recommendationsThis is getting off topic, but for the record Ive seen their Certified Financials Planners come up with, for example, advanced social security switching strategies, so beg to differ there. In fact, the breadth of the planning they offer tax minimization, real estate for example is astounding. That said, I wouldnt pay this fee, because I dont need it. The real advantage of Schwab and Fidelity over Vanguard is customer serviceCertainly, if you dont like Vanguards customer service, go elsewhere. Theyve been great to me over the past 25 years, other than the fact that they refuse to sell me Vanguard schwag. Also, Schwab has a real bankYes, Ive been a Schwab online bank customer for years. Because the BofA bill pay website is so much better, I only use Schwab when I go abroad, but I would use them exclusively if they improved their website. As I can transfer money easily between BofA, Schwab Bank, and Vanguard, I dont need everything at one place.  <response>: Vanguard customer service for self directed portfolios is not going to try to sell you anything. If they are not providing advisory services, there should be no concern that Vanguard will try to up sell anything.I have been a Vanguard client for over 20 years and I only get the occasional email or letter promoting their advisory services. I cant remember getting a call.But if you do need advisory services, assuming they are competent, that is a very low rate for the service. 