If you're unsure about the hidden costs of your investments, you're certainly not alone. Investment costs are rarely obvious, often buried deep in fine print or disguised behind marketing hype. Understanding these costs is essential, as every dollar spent on fees is a dollar less growing towards your financial future.

Part of Strateon Intelligent Wealth's mission is to illuminate these hidden expenses and help you keep more of your money working for you.

Investment costs primarily fall into two major categories:

• Fund Management Fees

• Custodian and Brokerage (Trading) Costs

Let’s dive deeply into each.

When you invest, you typically use mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs). These funds pool investor money to efficiently buy thousands of individual securities, saving you the hassle of managing investments individually.

The primary fee charged by funds is known as an expense ratio, an annual percentage of your invested assets. Expense ratios can range dramatically:

• Low-cost, broad-market index funds: typically around 0.05% or less (5 basis points).

• High-cost, actively managed funds: often near or above 1% (100 basis points).

Higher fees do not necessarily translate to better returns—in fact, they frequently erode your earnings over time.

Some funds charge extra fees, including:

• Front-end loads: Charged when you buy fund shares.

• Back-end loads (Redemption fees): Charged when you sell shares.

• Contingent deferred sales charges (CDSCs): Additional fees upon selling within certain periods.

Always carefully review fund prospectuses for these fees.

Fund management fees are not directly billed to you. Instead, they're subtly deducted from fund returns, making them easy to overlook—but they still reduce your overall investment performance significantly.

A revealing study, "Obfuscation in Mutual Funds" by leading academics, highlighted how fees affect returns dramatically. Two nearly identical S&P 500 index funds showed gross returns of about 31.47%. However, one fund charged just 0.02%, while another levied a staggering 5.08%. Clearly, lower-cost funds leave more money in your pocket.

Moreover, higher-cost funds often obscure their fees in complex documents, while low-cost funds usually provide transparent and easy-to-understand fee disclosures.

• Identify your goals and select relevant funds.

• Compare expense ratios among similar funds.

• Avoid funds charging loads or excessive fees.

• Favor simplicity and transparency.

Your investment accounts are held by custodians (like Schwab, Fidelity, Robinhood, or Wealthfront). Custodians execute trades through brokers—another potential source of hidden expenses.

• Robinhood was fined $65 million by the SEC for failing to disclose true trading costs linked to payment for order flow practices.

• Bank sweep accounts historically offer lower interest rates than market alternatives, quietly boosting custodian profits.

You could manage these complexities yourself, but Strateon Intelligent Wealth offers something far greater: comprehensive fiduciary financial advice and transparent fees.

• Independent and Fee-only: No hidden incentives or commissions.

• Holistic Wealth Advice: Comprehensive financial planning beyond mere investments.

• Clear, Transparent Fees: Always know exactly what you're paying.

• Tailored investment portfolios matching your goals and risk tolerance.

• Strategic use of insurance to protect your wealth.

• Retirement spending strategies, including tax-efficient withdrawal planning.

• Optimizing Social Security benefits.

• Comprehensive estate planning and beneficiary reviews.

• Business wealth integration, including corporate stock options.

• Tax-efficient charitable giving.

We align entirely with your best interests, not hidden agendas. Our approach minimizes unnecessary costs, optimizes returns, and diligently manages risks—providing measurable value far beyond mere "investment management."

When you choose Strateon Intelligent Wealth, you're selecting a partner dedicated to clarity, efficiency, and your financial well-being. Let us help illuminate and eliminate unnecessary investment costs, freeing you to achieve your most important financial goals.

Strateon Intelligent Wealth works with entertainment professionals on both sides of the camera or microphone, across various disciplines, including movie and television production and post-production crew members, producers, directors, actors, athletes, writers, musicians, choreographers, dancers, and other entertainers and creatives. Strateon Intelligent Wealth knows your challenges & solutions in the media and entertainment industries including film, television, music, multimedia, and sports.

It’s important for entertainment professionals to find a financial advisor who is familiar with fluctuating income, and understands the complexities of having to pay various entities, managers, and business managers with their income. Most financial advisors are only familiar with working with executives and individuals with 9-5 jobs who have a flat salary or know what income and expenses will look like each year. For many entertainment professionals, income and expenses change yearly, monthly, weekly, and even daily, and sometimes those changes can be very drastic. It’s important to have an advisor who understands the dynamics of the finances of an entertainment professional and knows exactly how to manage the planning for somebody working in the entertainment industry.

Below are some scenarios that many entertainment professionals find themselves in as they work in media and entertainment.

Those in the entertainment industry come across unusual business challenges during their career. One such financial challenge is that income might not always be steady from year-to-year. Many entertainment professionals fall under the category of “gig workers.” These professionals don’t know when they’ll be working next or how long the next gig will last. They still need to pay bills, even when they don’t have any income. During times between gigs, they may be collecting unemployment at a considerable lower amount than their usual income. With that unemployment income, they may or may not have federal taxes withheld, and if they do, the 10% federal tax withholding may be considerably less than their actual tax rate. A financial planner can help entertainment professionals determine the correct amount of quarterly estimated taxes to pay to avoid underpayment penalties later during tax season, along with other solutions for handling the dynamics of their income.

Entertainment professionals working as gig workers may be receiving income that is non-employee, usually with a 1099. This type of income has no federal or state tax withholdings, so it’s important to have a financial planner and advisor that understands the type of income that is being received and how to properly plan for paying taxes.

Not only does this non-employee income have no federal or state tax withholdings, there is no Social Security withholding either. This means these entertainment professionals are not earning Social Security credits or having income reported to Social Security to be able to collect higher Social Security benefits in retirement. A financial planner that understands this kind of employment for so many entertainment professionals is important so that they know to pay the correct type of taxes to earn those credits and also to plan for the possibility of lower Social Security benefits in retirement.

Entertainment professionals that typically receive non-employee income also typically do not participate in any employer-sponsored retirement plans, such as a 401(k) or pension. Thus these entertainment professionals must find their own way to save and invest for their retirement.

Even entertainment professionals that may be gig workers, but receive employee income because they’re a member of a union, may find themselves with fluctuating income and a need to plan ahead for retirement due to the uncertainty of future Social Security benefits. They may also be receiving income that is combination of employee income and non-employee income, making it important to properly plan for tax season and avoid underpayment penalties.

Some entertainment professionals, such as actors, directors, writers, and musicians, may suddenly receive a large amount of income, but then not receive additional income later or have a longer period of time before they receive additional income.

Everyone’s heard the stories of celebrities (whether they be actors, athletes, or other entertainers) who made millions in a relatively short period of time, but squandered their sudden fortunes and in later years found themselves broke. Having a lot of money all of a sudden will make anyone want to splurge. The important thing is to maintain control of spending, which is harder than it sounds. A financial planner and advisor can help maintain control of spending by helping to establish a budget and monitoring the entertainment professional’s financial plan to ensure spending stays within limits, as well as finding the right investment plan tailored to the entertainment professional and their situation. This enables the entertainment professional to enjoy their newfound fortune for many years to come, and even pass it on to future generations.

Some entertainment professionals’ careers may be short-lived. This is especially true for many athletes. It’s important to have a game plan in place for what life will be like after retirement from their athletic career so they can live comfortably later in their life and provide for their family for years to come.

Some entertainment professionals have their own business or, especially in many cases with actors, a loan-out company. They call it the entertainment business for a reason, and that’s because it is a business. Like any business, an entertainment-related business needs tax-planning like a business. There may be ways of receiving extra tax deductions by having certain expenses go through the business instead of personal accounts. And business income, depending on the type of business entity, can be taxed differently than personal income. It’s important that the financial planner and advisor understands these differences, as well as how some entertainment-related expenses may actually qualify as a deductible business expense even though they would normally not qualify as a deduction for other individuals.

Entertainment professionals may travel a lot. This includes movie and television shoots that take crews and actors to other states and countries for long periods of time, athletes traveling for half or more of the year for games, exhibitions, and competitions all around the country and the world, and musicians on tours. It’s easy for finances to get away from you, especially when you're away from home for extended periods of time. A financial planner and advisor can monitor income and expenses to make sure the financial plan stays on track.

Some entertainment professionals are members of unions. For these entertainment professionals, if they work enough hours, they qualify for health insurance and other benefits. However, what if they don’t work enough hours? Well, then they don’t receive health insurance. Entertainment professionals need a plan in place to ensure they are able to have health insurance if they don’t qualify for their union’s benefits. And what if they aren’t in a union and must find health insurance on their own? Strateon Intelligent Wealth can help with the evaluation and selection of the right insurance to meet needs and budget restrictions.

Many professionals working in media and entertainment need to hire a team to help them manage their lives. This can include a day-to-day manager, a business manager, an attorney, agents, and an accountant.

It’s important to find a financial advisor who is comfortable working with an entertainment professional’s attorney and business manager, as well as other members of the team. An attorney will often develop different trusts or entities. It’s important that the financial advisor understands what has been done and created by the attorney as it relates to entertainment professionals. They should have a good working relationship to make sure that the different entities or trusts are properly funded and managed.

Business managers provide record-keeping services, account reconciliation, and tax management, among other services. A financial advisor works closely with a business manager to ensure the financial soundness of the entertainment professional’s business and personal life, as well as in different types of philanthropic giving and gifting options that could affect different short- and long-term goals.

It’s smart to hire a financial planner and advisor early in the team-building process. A financial specialist who focuses primarily on your unique income and tax situation will be able to work with your team more cohesively than an advisor who isn’t familiar with the life of an entertainment professional.

Those are just some of the scenarios that entertainment professionals can find themselves in. As an entertainment professional the reality of your life is unique, so there are surely other issues that you have to deal with. Strateon Intelligent Wealth is used to unique situations and able to adapt to your needs.

Even if you’re not yet earning substantial income from working as an entertainment professional, it’s important to have an advisor who is willing to help educate and empower you to begin your savings journey, who understands your short- and log-term goals, and is there from the beginning to help you build your future as you continue to accrue income.

Myths about working with a financial advisor abound, maybe you've even heard a few:

• "I don't need one"

• "They're for the wealthy"

• "There are lots of hidden fees"

The truth is that financial education around saving and investing money is for everyone. Even though everyone has different perceptions and expectations about a financial advisor’s purpose, the goal remains the same: getting your money to work for you.

The sooner you start, the better. Developing good financial habits now, helps to prevent major catastrophes later. Here are some myths about working with a financial planner and financial advisor that you may have heard or even thought yourself.

Your wealth isn't simply just the sum of the money you have in your checking account. When evaluating wealth, all of your assets are taken into consideration, and a better term to use is net worth.

The reality is, you can’t afford to be without one. A financial planner or advisor helps manage your finances, including student loans, credit cards, retirement savings or real estate investments, and works to put on a path to achieving goals, even those you haven't thought of or considered yet, and living comfortably during your retirement.

They don’t. They put you in a better position for making good financial decisions for short- and long-term planning. There is never a guarantee, and if anyone is telling you they'll get you something for sure, run as fast as you can.

Not true, although market predictions exist, no one knows for sure. Advisors can get you closer to your goal, but you need to understand the risks and measurements of time required.

Ask for complete details on all-in fees for each consultation or transaction. This is your money, your future — don’t be shy about it. Choose wisely and ask questions about the forms of payment. Strateon Intelligent Wealth, as a fee-only financial planning firm and registered investment advisor, has a very simple and transparent fee structure. Strateon Intelligent Wealth also focuses on providing lower cost investments for clients and any additional fees or expense ratios of any investments are always communicated to clients.

Everyone at some point needs professional help. There’s more to financial planning than making a deposit. It’s about knowing how to manage the funds for growth. Strateon Intelligent Wealth's focus is to help you achieve your goals as efficiently as possible while keeping costs to a minimum. You don't want all your positive returns to be eaten away by excessive fees in your accounts or high expenses ratios of your investments.

Not always true, a successful advisor succeeds when you reach your goal. Their goal is to educate you on the market choices and how to avoid a financial crisis. Strateon Intelligent Wealth exists to help people achieve their goals and have a prosperous future without worrying about money.

This is far from the truth, since most Americans hold assets that continue to outperform the stock market. Your home’s equity, retirement, or savings combined may exceed the average bank balance.

Individual planning is unique to your lifestyle and your situation could have complications. Good advice is not free.

Most of the time, accumulating wealth takes a long time and a lot of work. Working with a long-term financial planner provides a better chance of succeeding with a financially-planned future.

It’s never too late to manage finances, but it helps to start early. The earlier you start saving and investing, the less money you need to save and invest each year to achieve your future goals and accumulate enough wealth to live comfortably in retirement. The longer you wait, the more difficult it will be to achieve your goals.

Not necessarily. Focus on the things you can control and keep an eye on the long-term strategy. Strateon Intelligent Wealth focuses on long-term strategies so that if there is a downturn in the market, you'll have time for recovery.

True financial planning is about developing and building a comfortable long-term financial plan and involves a realistic investment goal. That's what Strateon Intelligent Wealth is all about.

Talk with an advisor and be honest about the budget. There may be a plan to get you started. Strateon Intelligent Wealth has no investment asset minimums and has multiple service tiers to fit different needs. Clients can even change service tiers as their needs change. If you have limited assets and a limited budget for financial planning, you can start with the Starter tier. As your assets grow and your needs change, you can move to higher tiers with more service offerings to help you achieve even greater goals.

Wrong. The key to building a secure future includes budgeting and learning. It involves using different money tools like insurance policies and estate planning, as well as making changes to different aspects of your finances and even your life as your situation and needs change, and your situation and needs will change.

Without financial planning, social security and 401(k) balances may not keep up with the cost of living. The future of Social Security is uncertain, as it's predicted to run out of funding by 2034 at the latest unless Congress steps in to make drastic changes. The drastic changes could range from increasing the full retirement age, changing eligibility, increasing taxes, and/or decreasing how much Social Security will pay in benefits.

Thinking about the future can sometimes be scary, but proper financial planning is about managing circumstances and preparing for life’s transition. Strateon Intelligent Wealth develops comprehensive financial plans that are continuously monitored and updated to adjust for changes in clients lives and with the markets to better ensure that clients can achieve their goals and live a prosperous future.

If your financial planner or advisor doesn’t keep you in the loop, it’s time to change. You need to understand the whole picture, complete with details of what works or why it doesn’t. You need a financial planner or advisor that monitors not just your investment accounts, but your entire plan, so that you know when your on the right track for success and when your sliding off the path and need to adjust to get back on the road to achieving your goals.

Financial planning isn't just about investments. It's about making your finances more efficient so that your money is working for you, so that you're living more comfortably, and so that you have more cash to achieve your goals and enjoy living your life. You can learn to spend less and smarter to accomplish your future goals. With Strateon Intelligent Wealth, regular review meetings are an important part of the financial planning process so that your plan can be adjusted as needed.

It's important that you take part in managing your current finances and planning your future.Financial planning is a collaborative process.

Long-term planning and good financial decisions with the help of a professional financial planner is a managed future. Understanding the basics of the financial advice will help to avoid overwhelming mistakes brought on by these myths.

When it comes to managing your financial future, the quality of advice you receive can make a significant difference in achieving your long-term goals. But how do you know whether an investment recommendation is truly in your best interest? The answer lies in working with a fiduciary financial advisor.