In 2020, knowledge compiled by the Federal Reserve exhibits the online value of U.S. households rose to $130.2 trillion. And, in keeping with a 2020 report by Cerulli Associates, 43 % of complete investable property owned by U.S. households is held by high-net-worth (HNW) traders. Clearly, the wealth market is increasing. The years forward ought to current substantial prospects to advisors all for working with HNW traders (those that have a web value of $5 million or extra). Under, my colleague Steve Johnian and I take a look at latest knowledge relating to HNW investor market share, in addition to sure funding and planning instruments that might be helpful for rich purchasers.
A Vital Market Alternative
For impartial monetary advisors, there’s extra to this market alternative than the hovering accumulation of wealth throughout America. Traditionally, wirehouse and personal financial institution channels have maintained management over the advisory enterprise of the very rich, however that dominance appears to be diminishing. Lately, knowledge exhibits that the market section of HNW traders seems to have been increasingly put into play.
Because the chart under demonstrates, the HNW investor market share held by wirehouse and personal financial institution channels is estimated to have dropped from 56.8 % in 2016 to 52.5 % in 2021. Throughout the identical stretch, the channels steadily gaining market share included RIAs, direct suppliers, multifamily workplaces, and dealer/sellers. With the quantity of investable property at stake, even small share adjustments imply large asset transitions are occurring.
| HNW Investor Market Share by Channel | ||||||
| Channel | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
| Wirehouses | 30.80% | 31.20% | 30.40% | 30.10% | 29.80% | 29.50% |
| Personal banks | 26.00% | 25.30% | 25.30% | 24.50% | 23.70% | 23.00% |
| All RIAs | 11.70% | 11.50% | 11.70% | 12.10% | 12.50% | 12.90% |
| Direct suppliers | 10.50% | 10.50% | 10.90% | 11.40% | 11.90% | 12.50% |
| Multifamily workplaces | 7.80% | 7.80% | 8.00% | 8.20% | 8.40% | 8.50% |
| Dealer/sellers | 6.80% | 7.30% | 7.40% | 7.50% | 7.60% | 7.60% |
| Financial institution trusts | 6.70% | 6.50% | 6.30% | 6.20% | 6.10% | 6.00% |
| Supply: RIA Intel, Cerulli Associates; 2019–2021 figures are estimates. | ||||||
Shifting Consumer Preferences
This modification comes at a time when the popularity of wirehouse companies seems to be fading, particularly with youthful age teams. As traders develop into extra educated and complicated, they’re extra conscious of the inherent conflicts in proprietary merchandise provided by wirehouses and different channels. In response to Pershing/BNY Mellon, “Consumer preferences are shifting whereas impartial advisory companies are increasing their capabilities to seize a better share of HNW enterprise.”
What does this imply for you and your agency’s progress technique? HNW purchasers provide a considerable income supply, however typically include advanced wants that require specialised providers—together with customized portfolio building and planning recommendation. In case your plans embrace prospecting for HNW clients, your agency must be aware of the distinctive funding and planning instruments rich purchasers will anticipate. Under are some helpful instruments to contemplate when working with HNW traders.
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Funding Instruments
Alternate funds. It’s widespread for HNW traders to have gathered a considerable amount of wealth in a concentrated inventory place. They could be hesitant to diversify for a lot of causes, together with the potential tax burden. Alternate funds current a tax-aware answer to the dangers inherent in relying on a single inventory for continued outperformance. An change fund (or swap fund) permits certified purchasers to change a number of shares for an curiosity in a diversified non-public placement fund that intently tracks a benchmark index. Sometimes, change funds are unique to HNW traders on account of qualification necessities.
An change fund not solely replaces concentrated inventory publicity with diversified fairness publicity, it additionally presents pretax return compounding and the power to defer realizing capital beneficial properties. After a seven-year holding interval, the investor could redeem a diversified basket of securities with out incurring capital beneficial properties taxes. Earlier than then, traders could redeem pursuits within the change fund on a month-to-month or every day foundation (topic to restrictions). A possible draw back is giving up potential for an upswing within the concentrated holding.
Structured merchandise. These merchandise are deployed to hedge a portfolio, present diversification, or cater to different HNW wants. As a result of they’re extremely customizable, structured merchandise could be linked to underlying value actions of a single safety, a basket of securities, an index, a commodity, a debt issuance, and/or a international forex. Some structured merchandise, equivalent to market-linked CDs, provide capital safety of principal. Many provide restricted or no principal safety, nonetheless, and so they’re usually extremely illiquid.
Securities-based strains of credit score (SBLOCs). Many rich traders recognize SBLOCs (or non-purpose loans), which use a brokerage account as collateral and supply funding for distinct wants. Widespread makes use of embrace masking a big tax obligation, funding a life insurance coverage premium, or appearing as a bridge mortgage for actual property acquisition. Collateralizing a brokerage account is a aggressive various to promoting brokerage holdings and realizing capital beneficial properties, relying on rates of interest.
SMAs/UMAs. With mutual funds, traders are topic to embedded capital beneficial properties and affected by different traders’ liquidations. SMAs and UMAs could be viable choices for HNW traders.
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Individually Managed Accounts (SMAs): Traders maintain particular person securities, and a key profit is tax management by means of achieve deferral and tax-loss harvesting. As a result of HNW traders are usually involved with tax legal responsibility and may meet account minimums, SMAs are a well-liked possibility.
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Unified Managed Accounts (UMAs): Traders open one brokerage account that unifies a number of SMAs, enabling operational and rebalancing efficiencies.
Wealth Planning Instruments
Distribution methods for compensation wealth. It’s widespread for HNW purchasers to carry worthwhile inventory possibility grants or appreciated employer inventory. Complicated evaluation of the shopper’s general monetary place could also be wanted to evaluate tax impacts of distributions, and evaluating when to train inventory possibility grants could be tough.
It’s essential to develop a holistic technique for tax-efficient liquidity. As with appreciated employer inventory, an IRA provision known as web unrealized appreciation (NUA) is likely to be helpful. Sometimes, purchasers who qualify for NUA maintain employer inventory in a 401(okay) or conventional IRA.
Property and charitable planning by means of trusts. A correctly designed belief helps HNW purchasers handle their taxes, create a legacy, transfer assets to heirs in a tax-efficient way, and impact an property freeze. A charitable the rest belief presents tax benefits for the sale of an appreciated asset whereas fulfilling philanthropic objectives and presents quite a few advantages, significantly for property tax planning. A tax lawyer ought to evaluate and supply steering on belief planning in your HNW purchasers, as these autos require cautious drafting.
Serving to HNW Shoppers Obtain Their Imaginative and prescient
When working with HNW traders, distinctive options are sometimes wanted to assist defend and protect their property. As with all purchasers, your steering will create the most important affect while you help in reaching their imaginative and prescient for right this moment and in making a legacy for tomorrow.
This materials is meant for informational/academic functions solely and shouldn’t be construed as funding recommendation, a solicitation, or a advice to purchase or promote any safety or funding product. Traders ought to contact their monetary skilled for extra data particular to their state of affairs.
