Study Says Tapping High-Net-Worth Business Requires Right Message

Wealthy investors are confident about the economy and the market, and wealth managers' marketing should speak to that confidence, a Forrester Research survey report concludes.

Eighty-six percent of the 2,505 respondents -- North American households with investable assets of at least $1 million -- said they felt financially secure, an increase from 74% a year ago.

Forty-eight percent said they believed the economy would turn around soon, and 8% predicted a long recession.

Forrester conducted the survey in July and issued its report, "Winning the Affluent in a Downturn," last week.

Ekaterina Walsh, a senior analyst at Forrester, said wealth managers using "fear-inducing" advertising are sending the wrong message. "Turbulent markets haven't fazed" the affluent, she said.

Forrester further recommends targeting "the next wave of affluent clients." It says that by year-end, two million U.S. households will have joined the ranks of those with $1 million of investable assets.

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Money Management Executive
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