Expectations of an Investor from his Advisor

What does an investor expect from his advisor?

Have patience to listen to clients requirement
Make a plan about how to achieve objectives systematically
Understanding of wide range of Asset Classes/Products
Provide different Asset Classes under one roof
Minimize tax on investments
Offer convenience to transact
Update portfolio at regular intervals

What do you expect from your financial advisor?

While building wealth is the main goal, there are multiple expectations an investor has from his advisor. What are they?

When does an investor need a financial advisor?

We usually go scrambling for financial advice when we realize we need assistance in organizing our finances, planning investments and meeting our financial goals. You may have heard many clichéd statements on the skills, certifications, and knowledge an advisor should possess. But the expectation an investor has from his financial advisor goes far beyond.

Here are a few pointers I believe need to be highlighted on what investors expect from their advisor.

Listen & Plan

An advisor plays an integral role in understanding and managing the investor’s money handling capabilities along with their risk appetite. This can be accomplished only if he spends time patiently listening to the client to understand his unique financial needs and decipher his relevant goals. Each goal needs to be looked at objectively in terms of achievability and a systematic financial route needs to be designed as a part of the portfolio.

As priorities change so may needs and goals, thus the duty of the advisor is to re-visit the investor’s goals over specific periods and closely monitor the investments to ensure it is in line with set goals.

Product & Portfolio

On the product front, an advisor is expected to have basic knowledge of a range of asset classes and the varied products that are floating in the market. The product line is huge and keeping a track of each product could be difficult.

Today advisors have the opportunity to partner with organizations that back them with market intelligence, product information, and portfolio management, taking the burden of back-office activities and allowing them to focus on their core.

The efficiency of an advisor can be gauged with his ability to diversify portfolios using different asset classes under one roof. This ensures stability and profitability is maintained in every market condition.

Taxes & Transactions

The role of an advisor is to ensure every client gets maximum benefits from his investments. While the purpose of investments is savings, investing in products that are not tax-efficient dilutes the purpose.

To maximize benefits, along with probable risks an advisor must take into consideration applicable taxes at the time of investment maturity. Every investor would like to know how his investments are performing. Adept advisors ensure that their clients are informed, regularly updated and are abreast with the market scenario. This can be achieved if an advisor gives the investor a platform to conveniently transact, view and review his portfolio at any given time.

Clear communication, transparency conditions and effectively addressing client’s concerns are the key to building a strong client-advisor relationship; because ultimately it’s the service quality that counts.

Conclusion

Thus, the role of an advisor is imperative to the financial prosperity of each client he is dealing with and for this he needs to have at his disposal the best financial planning tools and techniques, and the best financial adviser back office systems.

By Rajan Pathak, Co-Founder & MD, Fintso

Rajan is known for his in-depth insight into the financial entrepreneur’s venture with 25+ years of establishing various B2B businesses, which gives him the edge and adeptness to scale the advisory business.

As the CEO of IFAN Finserv (formerly ING), Rajan managed a team of 40+ people, created a wide network serving 1300+ Independent Financial Advisors managing assets over $500 million.

Find out more on our website or Rajan's LinkedIn