• During the first 6 months of the pandemic, user searches for “financial advisor” on Google increased by 17% over the previous year. This underscores a surge in the number of investors who sought out a financial advisor for the first time during the pandemic.
• 62 percent of investors are now open to working with an advisor remotely, whereas just 48 percent were comfortable with the idea prior to the pandemic. Just five years ago this number was closer to 20% to 30% of investors. Last summer, Microsoft CEO Satya Nandella described this shift as, “Two years’ worth of digital transformation in two months.”
• 33 percent of high net-worth millennials look at an advisor’s posts on social media as part of their evaluation process. The content they most want to receive from advisors includes investment recommendations (78%), market news (53%) and industry updates (43%).
Based on the latest data and research, the future is clear:
• Investors recognize their need for advisors more than in recent years.
• Investors are more comfortable than ever with the idea of virtual engagement with advisors.
• Advisors are expected to be virtual.
• Financial advisors who have made the shift to virtual advising are winning.
• Changes are happening at a rapid rate, and advisors must be proactive.
Prepare For What’ NEXT With The Virtual FA Summit
As an advisor, it’s imperative that you’re always thinking about what’s coming next. And that means staying on top of the latest trends and developments as they emerge so that you can develop preemptive and proactive strategies that help you serve your clients and grow your practice.
On Wednesday, February 10, the Virtual Financial Advisor Summit 2021: NEXT will take a deep dive into the trends, frameworks, strategies, and research that are driving the financial advisory space right now.
There’s never been a more critical inflection point in our industry. If you want to stay ahead, you need to have your finger on the pulse of what’s happening.
Last year’s inaugural Virtual Financial Advisor Summit was attended by 6,110 registered advisors from the U.S. and Canada. They represented a collective $194.88 billion in AUM.
Don’t miss a chance to be a part of this year’s exclusive group of forward-thinking advisors.
Jeremiah Desmarais is a marketer and author at Advisorist, an education platform for insurance and financial advisors and a sponsor of the Virtual Finnancial Advisor Summit: 2021 NEXT.