Sean Walters Discusses Client Confidence and Advanced Credentials on InvestmentNews
Oct 16, 2026 7:00:00 PM
October 16, 2026 - Denver, CO — Sean Walters, CEO of Investments & Wealth Institute, joined InvestmentNews anchor Gregg Greenberg on “In the Nasdaq” to discuss what high-net-worth investors want from their advisors and how advanced certifications factor into client confidence.
Advisors have long judged success by client satisfaction, loyalty, and referrals. Walters said the measure that matters most is how confident clients feel about their financial future.
He drew on the 2026 High-Net-Worth Investor Research: The Connection Between Confidence, Expertise, and Growth, a survey of 1,000 high-net-worth investors conducted by the Institute and Absolute Engagement, which found a link between that confidence and advanced credentials.
Of high-confidence clients, 46% said their advisor holds a Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®), Certified Private Wealth Advisor® (CPWA®), or Retirement Management Advisor® (RMA®) certification, compared with 19% of low-confidence clients. Among low-confidence clients, 51% didn’t know whether their advisor held any advanced certification.
In the segment, Walters also covers how advisory teams can use specialization to compete for high-net-worth clients, what AI can and can’t do in an advisory firm, and his advice to younger advisors hoping to be named as successors.
Watch the full interview on InvestmentNews
For more information, contact Carly Augeri, Director of Marketing Communications, Investments & Wealth Institute, at +1 707-681-1243 or at caugeri@i-w.org.
About the Research
The Investments & Wealth Institute has partnered with Absolute Engagement on investor research for the past 10 years. The 2026 Client Research was conducted through an online survey, which included 1,000 U.S. investors between February 28 and March 1, 2026. All respondents work with a financial advisor and are involved in household financial decision-making. The margin of error is 3.1%.
The sample included a range of investable asset levels, with 50% of respondents reporting household investable assets between $500,000 and $999,999, 36% between $1 million and $4.99 million, and 14% at $5 million or more.
About Investments & Wealth Institute
Founded in 1985, the Investments & Wealth Institute is the premier professional association, education provider, and standards body for financial advisors. Through its award-winning events, publications, courses, and acclaimed certifications-Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®), Certified Private Wealth Advisor® (CPWA®), and Retirement Management Advisor® (RMA®) certifications-the Institute delivers Ivy league-quality, highly-practical education to more than 30,000 practitioners.
Learn more at https://investmentsandwealth.org.