73.1% of advisors may soon offer assistance with the “softer” aspects of retirement, up from 44.1% today
New York, (May 10, 2010) – In response to the changing needs of their clients, financial intermediaries are planning to augment the services that they offer, according to results released today from kasina and Horsesmouth’s FA Vision service. The results are based on a survey about retirement income that was conducted as part of FA Vision. 550 responses were gathered between February 17th and February 24th, 2010.
Currently, only 44.1% of financial intermediaries offer their clients assistance with the “softer” aspects of retirement (e.g. nursing home placement, second careers, etc.), but 29.0% of advisors are considering offering these services. Similarly, while only 57.9% of advisors help clients to analyze their Social Security income, 28.8% of advisors are considering adding this offering to their practice.
“Advisors’ practices are evolving in response to their clients’ needs and it is critical for asset management and insurance companies to understand these changes,” says Lee Kowarski, Principal at kasina. “While the vast majority of advisors have experience with goal setting and estimating retirement needs, advisors are not as comfortable with the intricacies of Social Security, estate planning, and other retirement-specific topics. Asset managers and insurers have an opportunity to help support advisors with meaningful tools and education – from the details of various annuity riders to information about longevity risk to insights into the psychology that goes along with clients’ economic and lifestyle transitions.”
In addition to the services mentioned above, financial intermediaries are also considering offering other retirement-oriented services such as the following:
- 17.6% of advisors are considering adding budgeting and cash-flow management to their practice (in addition to the 67.5% of advisors that already offer these services)
- 16.1% of advisors are considering helping clients with annuity needs analyses (in addition to the 73.1% of advisors that already offer these services)
- 14.8% of advisors are considering adding estate planning services (in addition to the 75.5% of advisors that already offer these services)
About FA Vision
FA Vision is a service from kasina and Horsesmouth that provides asset managers with unmatched access to financial intermediaries’ behaviors, preferences, and opinions. In the semi-annual FA Vision benchmarking survey, intermediaries evaluate 21 mutual fund companies on a variety of criteria, including products, wholesalers (external and internal), and brand attributes. For more information, visit www.kasina.com/favision.
About kasina
kasina’s commitment to innovating distribution in the financial services industry has made it one of the most influential strategy consulting firms in its sector. kasina works with a wide variety of clients from five continents, including firms representing 90% of the U.S.’s total assets under management. An overview of services offered by kasina is available at www.kasina.com.
About Horsesmouth
Horsesmouth is dedicated to helping financial advisors build better businesses for themselves and their clients. Through its pioneering online service and advisor community, as well as its acclaimed advisor programs and workshops, Horsesmouth is the trusted partner of over 70,000 advisors across the financial services industry. For more information, visit www.horsesmouth.com.
