INVESTORS ATTITUDES TOWARDS ROBO- ADVISORS

Transcription

1 INVESTORS ATTITUDES TOWARDS ROBO- ADVISORS EVIDENCE FROM THE US AND THE UK Data - Analysis Implications and Learnings May 2016 Report Extract Original Report with 48 pages Plus full set of US and UK survey data as Powerpoint Slides and Excel file Carmela Melone Analyst

2 CONTENT TABLE 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY METHODOLOGY REPORT OBJECTIVE SURVEY SAMPLE DEMOGRAPHICS AMOUNT OF INVESTABLE ASSETS CURRENCY CONVERSION SURVEY QUESTIONS DATA ANALYSIS INTRODUCTION UK AND U.S. BREEDING GROUNDS FOR ROBO ADVICE MAIN FINDINGS US FINDINGS: INVESTORS ARE PREDOMINANTLY SELF-DIRECTED WITH A MIXED PICTURE IN TERMS OF SUPPORT FROM AN ONLINE INVESTING PLATFORM UK FINDINGS: THE YOUNGER UK INVESTORS ARE, THE MORE MIXED THEIR INVESTMENT APPROACH THE BIG PICTURE MILLENNIALS ARE RE-SHAPING THE INVESTMENT LANDSCAPE INVESTORS VIEWS ON ONLINE INVESTMENT TOOLS: KEY TAKE-AWAYS DATA RESULTS IN A NUTSHELL IMPLICATIONS / LEARNING POINTS 38 APPENDIX 39 SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE 39 PROVIDERS OF ROBO-ADVISORS 44 AUTHORS 47 DISCLAIMER 48 To order the full report, please click here. INVESTORS ATTITUDES TOWARDS ROBO-ADVISORS 2

3 TABLE OF CHARTS Hybrid online investment services key benefits 11 Current robo market coverage 12 The growth of the robo-advisor market 13 How robo-advisor terms are trending on Google 14 US investors willingness to pay for robo vs. human financial advice 17 Robo-advisor brand awareness in the US 19 Desirable technical features of online investment tools 21 People s view about replacing in-person advice with digital communication tools 22 UK investors investment experience by age segment 25 How UK investors interact with their financial advisors/institutions by wealth segment 26 What do UK investors think about the likeliness that digital channels will replace in-person advice? 27 UK investors willingness to pay for robo vs. human financial advice 29 Technical features UK investors think robo-advisors should have 30 UK investors satisfaction levels with regard to their wealth managers services 31 Awareness of the robo technology among the respondents (US vs. UK) 32 Willingness to pay for robo advisory services: UK vs. USA 33 What people think about robo-advisors benefits 35 What people think about robo-advisors shortcomings 36 INVESTORS ATTITUDES TOWARDS ROBO-ADVISORS 3

4 SUMMARY The majority of affluent and high-net-worth individuals recognize the potential of robo-advisors and automated investment services to add value to their wealth management services. This is a main finding of MyPrivateBanking s recent quantitative panel survey, with insights from 600 affluent and wealthy investors in the US and the UK. The report analyzes in depth the views and opinions of individual investors with regard to the robo-advisor topic. Besides exploring investors attitudes towards specific features of online investment platforms, the survey tests brand awareness and the target market s level of openness towards innovation in this field. In addition to the comprehensive analysis all results are detailed in extensive data appendices. HIGH-NET-WORTH INDIVIDUALS USE ONLINE INVESTMENT TOOLS MORE THAN OTHER INVESTORS More than 70% of overall respondents think that such tools can positively influence their wealth manager s advice and decision-making process and that automated advice potentially speeds up onboarding processes such as registration and account opening, making these processes more efficient and convenient. This underlines how the young and the wealthy are especially showing a great openness, awareness and knowledge about robo advice. Interestingly, the adoption of automated wealth advice is happening faster in the high-net-worth segment than mass affluent with current usage of online wealth management tools at 43% and 17%, respectively. The report also identifies the major concerns investors have in respect to robo-advisors and how the respondents rate the quality of human advice compared to that of robos. UK AND US INVESTORS ARE BOTH OPEN TO ROBO-ADVICE, BUT DIFFER IN THEIR SENSITIVITY TO PRICE Overall, investors on both sides of the Atlantic show strong similarities in their awareness and openness towards automated / robo advice, which are detailed in the report. Despite the trends both countries have in common, some striking differences were also observed. Among them, this includes the finding that UK investors would pay more for robo (and human-only) advice and in the US, a much higher share of respondents state that they don t think they will use robo advice tools in the future. The report identifies the price point investors would pay and also the various levels of brand awareness current leading robo-advisors have with investors in the US and UK. WEALTH MANAGEMENT INDUSTRY S FUTURE WILL BE IN AUTOMATED ADVISORY SERVICES The report provides clear, empirical evidence on why automated advice and robo services are a significant part of every wealth manager s future. It shows how automation can enhance client satisfaction throughout the different stages of the advisory process and which channels investors like to use to contact their wealth managers. The report also identifies the most important valueadded services investors would like to see in a robo-advisor tool and to which target segments automated services appeal most. INVESTORS ATTITUDES TOWARDS ROBO-ADVISORS 4

5 2.0 METHODOLOGY 2.1 REPORT OBJECTIVE This report aims to reveal affluent and high-networth investors views and opinions with regard to the robo-advisor topic. Besides identifying investors attitudes towards specific features of online investment platforms, the survey tests brand awareness and the target market s level of openness towards innovation in this field. Additionally, we evaluate the digital communication behavior of clients including their preference for different channels and online features, in order to track developments since our Global Survey of Mobile Disruption in Wealth Management SURVEY SAMPLE This report is based on a quantitative panel survey launched in March The survey consists of 19 questions targeting mass affluent, affluent and high-net-worth individuals in the UK and the US. We selected these two countries as they are today s hotspots for FinTech startups and roboadvisor tools. The 600 participants in our survey were randomly selected based on the following criteria: 2.3 DEMOGRAPHICS The following table shows the distribution for the most important variables by market. (Details in full report) Traits Variable USA UK Age group Gender Amount of investable assets % 23% % 27% % 29% % 16% 60+ 9% 5% Male 43% 58% Female 57% 42% $100k- $200k $200k- $500k More than $500k 91% 81% 8% 14% 0.7% 4.3% (Note: n=600, some totals in the table are shown as rounded values.) ( more in full report) INVESTORS ATTITUDES TOWARDS ROBO-ADVISORS 5

6 2.4 AMOUNT OF INVESTABLE ASSETS CURRENCY CONVERSION In order to determine the segments for the amount of investable assets, MyPrivateBanking Research classified the ranges accordingly when converting the segments into other currencies. However, as currencies fluctuate over time, future translation back to USD may cause values to differ. Mass affluent Affluent HNWI 2.6 DATA ANALYSIS After the field phase, the data was analyzed with regard to basic statistical measures such as frequency distributions. In addition to the overall statistics, the sample was segmented by country, age group and the amount of investable assets in order to determine any significant differences and demographical trends. The full survey results are available in the data appendix. US Up to $500k $500k - $1 million More than $1 million UK Up to 300k 300k - 600k More than 600k Throughout the report, the ranges are quoted in USD for consistency. 2.5 SURVEY QUESTIONS This report aims to analyze the attitudes of affluent/wealthy individuals towards the use of automated advice/guidance platforms, such as those launched in the past 10 years, often by new entrants characterized as FinTech players. ( more in full report) Our questions to investors cover the following areas: ( more in full report) The full questionnaire is available on page 11 of this extract. INVESTORS ATTITUDES TOWARDS ROBO-ADVISORS 6

7 3.0 INTRODUCTION ( more in full report pages 10 to 15) 4.0 MAIN FINDINGS ( more in full report pages 16 to 34) 5.0 INVESTORS VIEWS ON ONLINE INVESTMENT TOOLS: KEY TAKE-AWAYS ( more in full report pages 35 to 38) APPENDIX 1: PROVIDERS OF ROBO- ADVISORS The market overview charts in chapter 3 are based on the following list of global providers of roboadvisors or hybrid solutions for financial advice, which does not claim completeness. Some companies included do not yet offer their robo advice product but are planning do so in the next months (listed with those launched in 2016). ( more in full report pages 39 to 48) INVESTORS ATTITUDES TOWARDS ROBO-ADVISORS 7

8 APPENDIX 2: DATASET U.S. (Powerpoint): U.S. SURVEY What do affluent and HNW investors think about robo-advisors? 1 INVESTORS ATTITUDES TOWARDS ROBO-ADVISORS 8

9 APPENDIX 3: DATASET UK (Powerpoint): INVESTORS ATTITUDES TOWARDS ROBO-ADVISORS 9

10 APPEDNIX 4: FULL DATASET (Powerpoint): INVESTORS ATTITUDES TOWARDS ROBO-ADVISORS 10

11 APPENIX 5: FULL SURVEY DATASET FOR 600 RESPONDENTS ( ) INVESTORS ATTITUDES TOWARDS ROBO-ADVISORS 11

12 SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE INTRO: There is a growing market of online tools that help users to develop investment strategies and monitor the performance of their assets a task traditionally performed by a financial advisor. In our study that will be based on this questionnaire we would like to test the readiness of affluent and high-net-worth people to using such online investment tools (also known as robo-advisors ). 1.) Which of the following statements matches your investment type best? I leave all investment decisions to my advisor I consult my advisor before I make investment decisions but I take them myself I take all decisions myself without consulting an advisor or an online investment platform I take investment decisions myself but I am consulting an online investment platform I delegate all my investment decisions to an online investment platform (robo-advisor) 2.) How do you usually interact with your financial advisor/financial institution? In person Via telephone Via Via text or video chat On social networks Via mobile apps offered by my financial institution/financial advisor Other 3.) How much experience do you have in investing in the following? Stocks Bonds Cash Real estate Savings account Life insurance ETFs Mutual funds (US) Unit trusts / OIECs (UK) 4.) Have you heard about/are you familiar with the concepts of robo-advisors, online investment platforms or automated investment services? I never came across these concepts or terms I ve heard/read about them I know quite a lot about these concepts I know them in detail 5.) Are you already using an online investment platform that supports you in your investment decisions? yes (Q6) no, and I don t think I will in the future (Q7) no, but I could imagine using an online investment tool in the future (Q6) INVESTORS ATTITUDES TOWARDS ROBO-ADVISORS 12

13 6.) What share of your investable assets would you consider managing/are you managing with an online investment tool? Jump to Q8 Less than 10 % Between 10% and 25% Between 25% and 50% Between 50% and 75% Between 75 and 100% 7.) Would you be more likely to use such an online platform if it was recommended by a trusted online service provider you already use (e.g. car/home/life insurer, sports club, )? scale: very unlikely unlikely neutral likely very likely 8.) How much time would you expect to spend on completing a questionnaire about yourself during registration process? Up to 5 minutes Between 5 and 10 minutes Between 10 and 20 minutes Between 20 and 30 minutes More than 30 minutes 9.) What topics should such a questionnaire cover in your opinion? Age Family Income Planned retirement age Investable assets Attitude to risk Financial knowledge Personal investment preferences (e.g. social impact or ethics) I don t know Other: 10.) Do you agree or disagree with the following: With regard to client-advisor collaboration, online investment tools can help financial advisors to make better decisions/to improve the quality of their advice can make registration and/or account opening processes faster and more efficient can improve the client-advisor relationship through convenient contact options like text or video chat can help to make the advisory process more transparent and objective 11.) Do you agree or disagree with the following statements on the downsides of online investment tools? These tools are too expensive These tools are not transparent enough My financial advisor knows me better than an online investment tool could ever do I don t believe a software platform can give advice of equal quality to a human advisor s I don t think online-based investment tools are trustworthy Advisors will probably rely too much on these tools and will stop to think and research on their own INVESTORS ATTITUDES TOWARDS ROBO-ADVISORS 13

14 12.) Which of the following companies do you connect with tools that support investors through online investment tools? US Survey Betterment FutureAdvisor Jemstep Wealthfront Charles Schwab Intelligent Portfolios Vanguard Personal Advisor Services Wisebanyan SigFig Personal Capital LearnVest Other, please specify UK Survey Money on Toast Nutmeg Moneyfarm Zen Assets Wealth Horizon Other, please specify 13.) How satisfied are you with the following services of your existing wealth manager/financial advisor? Retirement planning/financial planning Asset selection Monitoring the investor s assets Automatic adjustments to the investor s assets (re-balancing of portfolio) Trading Personalized investment proposals that match unique preferences, e.g. in terms of ethics or social impact ( thematic investing ) Reporting Access to research reports Legal advice in financial matters Investment account aggregation Tax optimization 14.) For which of the following investment tasks would you consider to get support from an online advisory platform? Retirement planning/financial planning Asset selection Monitoring the investor s assets Automatic adjustments to the investor s assets (re-balancing of portfolio) Trading Personalized investment proposals that match unique preferences, e.g. in terms of ethics or social impact ( thematic investing ) Reporting Access to research reports Legal advice in financial matters Investment account aggregation Tax optimization Others (please enter) I don t know INVESTORS ATTITUDES TOWARDS ROBO-ADVISORS 14

15 15.) What technical features do you think an online investment tool should offer? A corresponding mobile app A mobile optimized website Highest security and encryption standards Chat function for live support Video chat Call center with live support Quick and simple registration process Other (please specify) I don t know 16.) Do you think that digital tools/features, such as apps, social media and chat are likely to replace inperson or telephone advice to a large extent? scale: very unlikely, unlikely, not so likely, likely, very likely 17.) Suppose you decided to use an automated online advisory tool to manage your investments: how much would you be prepared to pay in fees as a percentage of your managed assets? Less than 0.1% Between 0.1% and 0.2% Between 0.2% and 0.3% Between 0.3% and 0.5% Between 0.5% and 0.75% Between 0.75% and 1.0% Between 1.0% and 1.25% Between 1.25% and 1.5% More than 1.5% I don t know 18.) How much are you prepared to pay for a regular (human) financial advisor as a percentage of your managed assets? Less than 0.1% Between 0.1% and 0.2% Between 0.2% and 0.3% Between 0.3% and 0.5% Between 0.5% and 0.75% Between 0.75% and 1.0% Between 1.0% and 1.25% Between 1.25% and 1.5% More than 1.5% I don t know INVESTORS ATTITUDES TOWARDS ROBO-ADVISORS 15

16 19.) What is the approximate value of your investable assets? US UK Up to $ 200,000 Up to 125,000 $ 200,000 - $ 500, , ,000 $ 500,000 - $ 1 million 300, ,000 $ 1 million - $ 5 million 600,000-3 million More than $ 5 million More than 3 million INVESTORS ATTITUDES TOWARDS ROBO-ADVISORS 16

17 AUTHORS Carmela Melone, Analyst, specializes in research in the fields of social media for wealth management and mobile apps for financial advisors. Her specific areas of interest are in software benchmarking, channel strategy and online security. Prior to this, she worked at an exchange platform for intellectual property rights, responsible for the digital media marketing strategy. Carmela has a Bachelor s degree in International Economics and European Studies from the University of Tübingen (Germany). Emma Haffenden, Senior Analyst, has over 10 years of experience in wealth management and technology, mostly delivering analysis, business and technology strategy consulting and research services to C level Executives of the leading global financial institutions. In her previous roles, she led the Wealth & Private Banking practice at Expand Research, a subsidiary of BCG, and was a Senior Consultant and member of the Wealth Leadership team at Capco in London. Emma has a degree in IT and Criminology, and a Master s in Database Systems from the University of Westminster. To order the full report, please click here. INVESTORS ATTITUDES TOWARDS ROBO-ADVISORS 17

18 DISCLAIMER IMPORTANT NOTICE AND DISCLAIMERS: NO INVESTMENT ADVICE This report is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any security in any jurisdiction where such an offer or solicitation would be illegal. This report is distributed for informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment advice or a recommendation to sell or buy any security or other investment, or undertake any investment strategy. It does not constitute a general or personal recommendation or take into account the particular investment objectives, financial situations, or needs of individual investors. The price and value of securities referred to in this report will fluctuate. Past performance is not a guide to future performance, future returns are not guaranteed, and a loss of all of the original capital invested in a security discussed in this report may occur. Certain transactions, including those involving futures, options, and other derivatives, give rise to substantial risk and are not suitable for all investors. DISCLAIMERS There are no warranties, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or results obtained from any information set forth in this report. MyPrivateBanking GmbH will not be liable to you or anyone else for any loss or injury resulting directly or indirectly from the use of the information contained in this report, caused in whole or in part by its negligence in compiling, interpreting, reporting or delivering the content in this report. COPYRIGHT MyPrivateBanking GmbH s Products are the property of MyPrivateBanking GmbH, Switzerland, and are protected by Swiss and international copyright law and other intellectual property laws. Customers are prohibited to copy, forward or store MyPrivateBanking Products outside of the legal entity that has made the purchase. MyPrivateBanking GmbH Hafenstrasse 50B CH-8280 Kreuzlingen, Switzerland Tel For our latest reports please check: INVESTORS ATTITUDES TOWARDS ROBO-ADVISORS 18