Planning for retirement can get complicated when you’re trying to get the most out of your money. Fees for transactions, financial analysis, and simple poor investments can eat away at your savings. John Oliver’s latest video explains many of the things to watch for.


As the video points out, services that advertise “financial advisors” can be worse for you if they’re packing in a ton of hidden fees. Managed investments also mean that a person is trying to make guesses to beat the market but, as is too often the case, they can fail costing you money in the long run.

The simplest thing to do is, as we’ve said a million times before, invest in low-cost index funds. Index funds try to match the market, instead of beating it. You won’t race ahead of everyone else to become a millionaire, but you’re also way less likely to end up blowing away your returns on fees for financial advice you might not even need.


Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Retirement Plans | HBO