Financial advisors have been a calming force during this period of rising inflation and market volatility, as investors express uneasiness with the highs and lows of the market, according to the latest State Street Global Advisors’ Inflation Impact Survey.
The survey found that investors’ comfort level with market volatility has significantly declined from a year ago, with just 31% of investors indicating that they are comfortable with it. That’s down from 51% a year ago and 33% during the height of the pandemic in 2020.
The research, which was conducted online in June and July and included 243 adults with investable assets of $250,000 or more, was the second iteration of the Inflation Impact Survey, which last month found that most investors believe the U.S. economy is headed for a recession in the next six to 12 months and nearly half said rising inflation is causing them stress and anxiety.
The survey found that investors who are turning to their advisors for guidance are happy with the result. Of the 44% of respondents who work with a financial advisor, roughly three-quarters have discussed inflation with their advisor, including how inflation will impact their short-term and long-term investment goals. Nine in 10 said they value their financial advisors’ knowledge and guidance even more in these uncertain times, and 86% believe their advisor has helped them remain confident in this period of rising inflation and market volatility.
Further, 49% of respondents agreed that it is better to work with a financial advisor amid rising market volatility. Sixty-three percent of millennials believe this is a good idea. Baby boomers were next with 47% and Gen X were the least likely (42%) to agree that an advisor was necessary in today’s volatile market.
Millennials also were most likely to believe that now is a good time to invest in the market, with 47% agreeing compared to 34% of Gen Xers and 24% of boomers.
Fifty-two percent of boomers work with financial advisors, more than any other generations, while only 36% of Gen X have an advisor. Forty-six percent of millennials work with advisor, the survey showed.
Although the research showed that Gen X shuns advisors, it also found that they are much more worried (88%) about rising inflation than millennials (72%) and boomers (70%). They also are a less confident (76%) in the overall economic outlook in the next 12 months than millennials (60%) and boomers (65%).
Gen X also expressed more concerns about their personal financial situations and their retirement outlook. More than half (59%) compared to 41% of millennials and 31% of boomers have concerns about being able to retire as planned. Moreover, 56% of Gen X frets that they will not be able to afford expenses in retirement, compared with 41% millennials and 44% boomers.
“Advisors have an opportunity to cultivate trusting, collaborative relationships with Gen X clients who want to remain involved in making their own investment decisions to a greater extent than other generations,” Allison Bonds, head of private wealth management at State Street Global Advisors, said in a statement. “Gen Xers are in their peak earning years and in the accumulation phase of their financial planning, yet they are also juggling multiple financial priorities,” she added, noting that discretionary spending can become stretched because they are taking care of aging parents and are more likely to have children under 18 in the household.