Despite the market volatility in late 2018, a majority of high-net-worth women maintained a deep level of trust and satisfaction with their financial advisor, and they have no intentions of leaving them, according to the latest study by OppenheimerFunds.
The study, the fourth installment of "The Generations Project," was the focus of Christina Boris’ keynote address Monday at the 5th Annual Invest In Women conference in Atlanta, Ga. The three-day conference, which has attracted more than 450 attendees, is being sponsored by Financial Advisor magazine.
Boris, a vice president and client research director at OppenheimerFunds, kicked off the conference Monday with her presentation, "Women, Wealth and Families: Research Reveals What Advisors Need To Know." The study, she said, is a follow-up to three previous surveys, using feedback from each to understand the high-net-worth space.
The study found that 97 percent of HNW women are sticking with their advisors and are comfortable with them calling the shots.
Most HNW women (92 percent), the report said, play an active role in financial decision-making for their household, However, men are more likely to assert themselves as the head of that role. At the same time, married HNW women are more likely than married HNW men to say they share the responsibility.
Noting that HNW women are more risk averse than HNW men, the report pointed out that only 17 percent of women purchased new investments as a way to take advantage of the down market in the second half of 2018 versus 24 percent of men. Both women and men equally did nothing. (42 percent of women did nothing and 43 percent of men rode it out.)
In addition, when asked how much they can withstand before changing investments. Almost half of women say they can withstand a 10 percent loss in one year before switching portfolio investments versus 38 percent of men. Thirty-nine percent of women said they can withstand a 10- to 25-percent loss, and 45 percent of men said they can withstand that amount before changing investments.
“Because there was such a difference between women and men in using the down-market cycle as a buying opportunity, there may be an opportunity for advisors to be a little more proactive during this period and go back to their high-net-worth women clients and talk to them and bring them opportunities that they are seeing in the markets to buy in when prices are lower,’’ Boris said.
Interestingly enough, while women said they trust their advisors to make financial decisions, they are not likely to turn to them for help in resolving family money conflicts, the report said. A third (31 percent) of women, the study found, consulted with other family members. Only 25 percent seek the help of an advisor. On the other hand, 31 percent of men enlist the help of an advisor in resolving family financial matters, and 28 percent turn to other family members.
Boris offered the following tips on how to best serve HNW women: