The AUM accounts for total discretionary and non-discretionary assets managed by the firm, and can be used as an indicator of the firm’s history of success. As a general rule, try to find financial firms with large assets. High numbers tend to correspond with significant earnings or a lot of clients (among other things), which shows the firm’s ability to make lucrative decisions and successfully manage many clients. Keep in mind, however, that firms with larger funds are less flexible and adaptable to changing market conditions.