With an increase in inquiries during the pandemic, financial planners are trying to calm their clients’ fears with this advice: “Sit tight. Wait to make any major financial decisions until volatility decreases,” according to a survey by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc.
That’s what 36% of planners said they are doing during this time of great uncertainty when nearly two-thirds of them also describe the general stress level of their clients as high or very high.
The top financial concerns clients expressed are managing volatility (74%), protecting assets (72%), liquidity (35%) and issues of unemployment or reduced income (34%), the survey said.
But the survey of 1,078 professionals, which was conducted between April 6 and April 13, found that planners also are dealing with the emotional factor created by the pandemic. Seventeen percent of respondents said they are maintaining more frequent communications with clients and prospects, and another 17% said clients are leaning on them as therapist first, planner second.
And while the majority are advising their clients to do nothing at this time, 16% of respondents said their primary advice to clients is to rebalance their portfolios and another 16% said they are telling clients to review and update short- and long-term goals.
As they continue to weather the storm, 64% of the planning professionals agree that more Americans will seek professional financial advice in the wake of Covid-19, and 78% said they are seeing that increased demand play out with their current clients in the form of higher volume of inquiries. In addition, 34% indicated they have seen an increase in inquiries from prospective clients over the past 30 days.
Despite the challenges that planners face with their clients during the pandemic, 80% of them said it has not impacted their professional or personal goals.