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Defining the Future of Wealth Management

 

The wealth management profession is transforming at a rapid pace. Regulations, competition from new business models, and advances in technology are driving the way we do business and expeditiously changing the delivery of advice to meet client expectations.



 

The Board of Directors at the Investments & Wealth Institute are leading, industry executives.  They have identified the following trends most affecting the financial advice profession:
 

 
  • Service for wealth management is shrinking​ & the continued development of wealth management teams: Teams are also seeing demographic shifts toward a younger, more diverse advisor workforce. 
  • Acceleration of the digital revolution & raised expectations on the role of technology: There is an increase in client's reliance on technology to facilitate an advisory engagement, increase in advisor understanding and integration of technology solutions, increased digital competitors, and a rise in advisor expectations for the technology employed by the organizations which support them.
  • Investment management capabilities will remain at the forefront of client expectations: Advisory professionals will need expanded expertise on all forms of strategies, styles, products, and behavioral biases related to investing.
  • Teams and firms will continue to expand the holistic advisory services they provide their clients: This will be particularly true for those advisors serving high-net-worth clients with private wealth advisory services and mass affluent clients requiring assistance with decumulation strategies.
  • Growth in the Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) sector: The variety and size of registered investment advisory firms will continue to grow, along with the knowledge and capabilities required by RIA firms to compete.
  • Consumer expectations have changed: There is downward pressure on fee structures.
  • Rise in Fiduciary: The battle for discretion and the transition toward fiduciary will continue to penetrate today's service models.
See how the Institute is Evolving to Meet the Needs of the Financial Advisory Community.

The Institute is the premier community for wealth management professionals, and is addressing these challenges....

The Investments and Wealth Institute is defining and shaping the future of wealth management through its research, education, and certification programs which derive from industry-wide analyses. Our members are the leading practitioners within the advisor profession, and we partner with industry experts and premier Universities to identify, craft and codify solutions to today’s advisor and investor challenges. As the industry’s leading provider of education and credentials that address contemporary investment and wealth management challenges, our aim is to improve the professionalism of professional financial advisors by developing and encouraging the practice of high standards of ethics and expertise.

 

As a result of this study, we have developed the following Investment & Wealth Management Capabilities Matrix to outline knowledge and expertise required to succeed within a contemporary wealth management practice today:

 

20_Competency_Matrix

 

Construction  Investment & Wealth Management Capabilities Matrix


This diagram was built upon two (2) Job Task Analysis’ studies which rated a series of knowledge and skill statements using a variety of metrics like importance, time spent performing a task, level of ability required for tasks, and relevance of certain knowledge required to perform the job.

Conducting a job analysis is crucial to not only assessing the pulse of the investments and wealth management industry, but also to gain insight into what advanced competencies are needed to better serve clients today.

The CIMA® certification and CPWA® certification Job Task Analysis’ studies explored the process and outcomes of a job analysis of investment and wealth professionals to determine the advanced competencies professionals need to deliver the highest level of investments and wealth management services.

These JTA’s complements a suite of research conducted on clients, advisors, and teams shows conclusively that the advisory profession is alive and well.

Those who thrive are those who have earned advanced professional designations—They experience (1 ) high client retention, loyalty and engagement, (2) enhanced team performance on a variety of metrics, (3 ) accelerated growth in the client base, and (4) greater job satisfaction.

This research was conducted by the Institute throughout the past 24 months, in partnership with industry leaders; Cerulli Associates, AbsoluteEnagement.com, Human Resources Research Organization and the Investments & Wealth Institute Advisory Council.


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As suggested by AbsoluteEngagement.com’s "2021 Investor Report" findings, a principal way for advisors to close the gap between expectations and results for their clients is the pursuit of advanced education beyond what is legally required.

The survey found that mass affluent and HNW clients prefer their advisors to obtain voluntary standards; 79 percent of respondents said it was very (47 percent) or somewhat (32 percent) important that their advisor hold these designations. Notably, the importance of credentials to clients has grown significantly, particularly in the last two years. Compared to the 2019 study, there was a 62 percent increase in the percentage of clients who listed the value of designations as “very important” if searching for a new advisor today.

In addition to supporting credibility, clients believe that having voluntary certifications as a demonstration of expertise. More than 90 percent say they value voluntary certifications in investment management, 87 percent in retirmenet management, and 81 percent value private wealth advice.

The data also highlights that HNW investors also value multiple designations, with nearly 70 percent indicating that this allows advisors to deliver a broader range of services and nearly 60 percent indicating this is a demonstration of greater technical expertise. More than one-half of respondents indicated it is important for an advisor to have more than one designation.

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Expand your skills and competencies to continue to succeed in the evolving investments and wealth management industry.


CIMA CERTIFICATION    CPWA CERTIFICATION    RMA CERTIFICATION