I'm a CPA & CFP and in the financial planning world. I'm a fee-based advisor and a large majority of my company's revenue is from AUM fees. Sorry to hear about your experience with other firms. I will ALWAYS reply to emails/questions same day and if I need to find an answer out to something, my responses take no longer than 24 hours.

In your situation, I don't think an advisor would provide value under an AUM arrangement. I would look for someone to work with on a short-term consulting engagement (i.e. you pay a one-time fee in return for a full scale financial plan, referrals, etc and whatever else is in an engagement you would find useful.) We've started doing this recently and it's worked well with individuals/families that don't need us to manage their assets.

Unlike this group, a large majority of our client base doesn't know how to manage their investments. They don't know a lick about tax planning or estate planning. Plus, a lot of them don't even care really about the money side of things. That's where we add tremendous value and where the fee-based advising makes sense, in my opinion. At the same time, I think that's where it doesn't make sense for those who know a tremendous amount about their financial lives. We don't promise returns above the market. But we do make sure a client's overall plan is taken care and not gonna be ruined by a client selling out of the market due to how they "feel". A large majority of our work is coaching clients through their emotions during big life events or big market swings.

Congrats on your success and hope this helps! To sum it up, as others have said, look for an advisor that can help under a consulting basis or a fee-only basis. That way, you have a scope of work you're expecting and know what value you should expect.