Building Better Advice - How Financial Advisers are adapting to the post-pandemic world
Discover the key insights from the 2022 FE fundinfo Financial Adviser annual survey
The 7th FE fundinfo Financial Adviser Survey
This FE fundinfo survey was conducted in November and December 2021. It consisted of 60 questions and was completed by over 200 financial advisers. The survey spanned a broad range of subjects, including retirement strategies, decumulation, client segmentation, ESG investing and the outlook for the advice industry in 2022.
With the end of the Covid-19 pandemic in sight, the opportunities emerging from the post-pandemic world have been far wider reaching than many could have predicted. Demand for advice has never been higher and consequently, advisers looking to stay at the top of their game are increasingly looking to technological and digital solutions to improve efficiencies in their businesses.
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Digitization
With the client-adviser relationship now predominantly online, most advisers see technology as an opportunity to improve efficiencies and attract more business.
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Optimization
Back-office systems are most valued technology in terms of importance to an adviser business, with cashflow-planning and risk-profiling tools the priorities at the client-facing end.
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Innovation
38% of advisers have added new pieces of technology to their propositions for the first time over the past year, with 49% reviewing their tech stack annually.
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Challenge
One in five believe robo advice or DIY investing presents a threat to their business, while a lack of integration, costs and finding the right software are the biggest barriers to greater adoption.
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Standardization
The implementation of centralised retirement propositions increased in 2021. Almost three-quarters of advisers have one or are developing one.
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Underwhelmed
With greater longevity requiring clients to make smaller pension pots last longer, advisers still appear unimpressed with the quality of retirement products on the market.
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Expansion
The rise of ESG investing continues. 72% of advisers now incorporate ESG factors into their propositions, up from 65% last year. A further 21% plan to do so soon.
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Awareness
Almost two-thirds of advisers have seen an increase in the amount of client money invested in ESG. Many feel that clients lack knowledge on ESG investing.
