We just renegotiated our custodianship agreement — no new platform costs this year.

"Is the cost ceiling a hard cap or a soft preference? Sometimes 'no new costs' has room for tools that demonstrate clear ROI."

"What if we structured this as a cost-reduction tool — if our platform saves more in operational efficiency than it costs, the net impact on your budget is zero or positive."

"Custodian renegotiation is usually about reducing fees, not about freezing all investment. If a tool improves your operational efficiency enough to offset its cost, it's not a new cost — it's a cost optimizer."