A majority of investors want their advisors to help them stay calm during market maelstroms such as the current one, where slipping returns are being recorded several mornings in a row. That observation comes from a new study released Wednesday by the Investment Management Consultants Association, a nonprofit association and credentialing organization.
“Today’s investors are seeking wide-ranging expertise and guidance from their financial advisors and demanding that they wear many hats," says the association in the survey results. "Providing a calming influence, delivering cutting-edge investing strategies and offering tax-law guidance are among the services investors expect."
Eighty-three percent of respondents say it is important or critical for their advisors to help them stay calm when the market drops.
At the same time, 92 percent say it is important or critical for their advisor to help them maintain a long-term investing approach, and 63 percent say it's important for advisors to provide access to cutting-edge investing strategies.
While 77 percent say it is important for advisors to help them stay up to date on tax law changes, only 53 percent say their advisors do so.
Sixty percent of respondents ranked investment management strategies and expertise as the most important competency they pay their advisor for, while only 25 percent cited holistic financial planning.
Many investors also find independent certifications and training important, according to the survey. Eighty-two percent say it is important for their advisors to meet a rigorous set of standards to be certified, and 72 percent want that certification to come from an objective, nonprofit, third-party certifier.
The survey was based on responses from 1,041 investors with at least $50,000 in investable assets.