|
14 September 2005
Sydney
More than a quarter of Australian investors (26 percent) thought Australian shares would provide the best investment performance in 2005, a survey by leading marketing information company ACNielsen has found. Thirteen percent of respondents tipped international shares to provide the best performance, while 11 percent said managed funds would out-perform other investment types.
These and other findings were released today as part of ACNielsen’s eighth bi-annual Wealth Management Report, an online survey of almost 25,000 consumers providing insight into the dynamics of the retail wealth management market.
The survey also found that just 40 percent of investors sought professional investment advice, down from 60 percent two years ago.
But while the number of investors seeking assistance was in decline, client satisfaction amongst those working with a financial advisor had increased significantly in recent years. More than three-quarters (80 percent) of fund managers’ clients positively rated the advice they received, up from 71 percent six months previous; and almost two-thirds (60 percent) said they would recommend their fund manager to a friend or colleague.
“While the do-it-yourself investment trend is continuing and less investors are seeking investment advice, of those who do consult financial planners and fund managers the satisfaction levels are very high,” says Glenn Wealands, Associate Director, Client Service, ACNielsen Australia. “This has no doubt been buoyed by the continued strong growth of the domestic equities market.”
The survey results indicated that the relationship between fund managers and financial planners was strongly intertwined – 39 percent of those who bought a new managed fund in the past six months had heard about the fund through a financial planner, and 47 percent said the main reason for choosing a fund manager was on the recommendation of an advisor.
In keeping with the high level of satisfaction reported by fund management clients, as many as 44 percent said they would invest another $10,000 in managed funds within the next 12 month, up from 35 percent just six months ago.
However, the results indicated that fund managers’ clients weren’t necessarily loyal to one fund manager – 14 percent of managed fund investors said they had some intention to switch funds within the next 12 months, with those intending to switch being drawn by better performance (65 percent), reputation of the fund manager (39 percent), and quality of investment options (31 percent).
And while online investment was subdued, websites played an important role in assisting consumers in assessing the capability of prospective fund managers. Forty percent of survey respondents who had visited a website in the past six months said they were looking for investment product information and fees and charges.
About ACNielsen
ACNielsen, a VNU business, is the world’s leading marketing information company. Offering services in more than 100 countries, the company provides measurement and analysis of marketplace dynamics and consumer attitudes and behaviour. Clients rely on ACNielsen’s market research, proprietary products, analytical tools and professional service to understand competitive performance, to uncover new opportunities and to raise the profitability of their marketing and sales campaigns.
Back to Top
|
