If everything is starting to sound the same, the problem usually isn't the options — it's the frame.
Set the first domino correctly and the field narrows automatically.
Most platform evaluation regret doesn’t come from choosing the wrong firm. It comes from skipping the one question nobody in the process is paid to slow down for.
This is the framework I use with every advisor before they sit down with a single recruiter. Same questions every time, regardless of platform, deal, or offer size.
Platforms don’t get to define the job. You do. Everything else follows.
What’s inside — The recruiting conversation scorecard
- Green: Written fee schedules. Attrition rate shared without being asked.
- Yellow: Verbal estimates. Standard industry language. Vague timelines.
- Red – Deflection on fees or exit terms. “Trust us” answers.
Signal interpretation, action directives, and next steps inside →