New global study reveals wealth managers and financial advisors to drive international investments

• Almost nine out of ten (88%) wealth managers and financial advisors say they will develop more international and diversified portfolios 
• In the next three years 96% of firms will invest more in solutions to help their advisors predict and understand the future performance of key asset classes 

Wealth managers and advisors will increase their clients’ exposure to overseas assets in a bid to better diversify portfolios, using specialist solutions to help inform investment analysis and decision-making, according to new global research from Ortec Finance, the leading global provider of risk and return management solutions for professional investors. 

The global study among wealth managers, portfolio managers, financial advisors and financial planners whose organizations collectively manage approximately $750 billion, found 88% are developing more internationally diversified portfolios. Ninety per cent expect the trend to international diversification to increase slightly over the next three years, while 3% say it will increase dramatically. Seven per cent do not expect a change. 

Despite high levels of confidence in their ability to track future asset class performance, advisors and wealth managers say they will invest more in solutions to improve their investment analysis. 

More than one-fifth (22%) of respondents say they are excellent at forecasting how asset classes will behave, while 63% describe their ability as good. Just 15% say they are average. However, 69% of wealth managers and advisors say they will slightly increase investment in solutions to help them understand asset calls performance in the future, while more than a quarter (27%) will make dramatic increases. Only 4% will keep expenditure the same.  

Wealth managers and advisors say the biggest motivator for increasing investments in tools that improve investment analysis, is the need to service clients more efficiently, with 58% marking this as the top priority. 

Other top drivers to investments in analytical tools include increasing client demand for analysis; to secure business growth and client retention; and to reduce costs and improve efficiency levels. 

Ronald Janssen, Managing Director Goals-Based Planning at Ortec Finance said: “Diversification is critical to ensuring investors spread risk and limit impacts of market volatility, and investing across different geographies opens new opportunities and further enables diversification. But if wealth managers and advisors are using the Goals-Based Investing approach aiming to truly help clients and ensure they meet their expectations, they should seriously consider investing in reliable systems and models to help make better investment decisions.” 

Ortec Finance provides wealth managers and financial advisors with scalable solutions that enable them to manage clients more efficiently and deliver more value to those clients. Its OPAL Planning tool supports banks, advisors and wealth management firms to translate client’s financial goals into an optimal investment strategy – providing forward-looking insights into whether clients are on-track regarding their investment objectives. Together with a fully integrated cash flow planning tool for a holistic view of the client situation, the OPAL Planning tool addresses both income and investment risk. Find out more: https://www.ortecfinance.com/en/insights/product/opal