Data & Research May 1, 2018

Investors Want to Discuss Risk and Retirement Income

While 80% of investors say their adviser discusses risk tolerance, only 50% say they bring up the subject of guaranteed lifetime income.

Reported by

Investors are interested in discussing how they can protect themselves in times of market volatility, but they are also interested in discussing guaranteed retirement income, AXA found in a survey of more than 1,000 individuals and 300 financial professionals.

Seventy-nine percent of individuals are interested in learning about an option that offers principal protection and the potential for growth. However, only 50% of people say their adviser has discussed guaranteed lifetime income, whereas 80% say they have discussed risk tolerance.

For more stories like this, sign up for the PLANADVISERdash daily newsletter.

When their financial professional brings up the topic of lifetime income, 56% of individuals rate them highly. When they do not, only 34% do so.

Additionally, the survey found that 66% of investors prefer investments with a certain return, 83% say that not losing principal is extremely or very important, 73% are concerned that their income will not last throughout retirement, and 92% expect inflation to negatively impact their retirement expenses.

“Financial professionals play a key role in supporting their clients in reaching their retirement goals,” says Kevin Kennedy, head of the individual retirement business at AXA U.S. “Clients want their financial professionals to move beyond the standard risk tolerance questionnaire and engage them in a thorough discussion of options, including income planning for health care expenses.”

The research also found that nearly 60% of individuals say they are only somewhat or not at all well prepared for a major health event and only 20% say their adviser has helped them estimate retirement health care costs.

“This research underscores financial professionals’ pivotal role in helping retirement savers to gain comfort around their ability to withstand market volatility and the potential role of high quality annuity products in helping to achieve financial security,” says Catherine Weatherford, president and CEO of the Insured Retirement Institute. “In return, financial professionals will be rewarded with higher client satisfaction.”

Greenwald & Associates conducted the survey in the fourth quarter of last year.

Products May 1, 2018

Nationwide Debuts New Website for Advisers and RIAs

The site was redesigned using advanced analytics and Artificial Intelligence to better understand their wants and needs. 

Reported by

Nationwide Advisory Services, formerly known as Jefferson National, has launched a new website for fee-based advisers and registered investment advisers (RIAs) and the clients they serve. In designing the website, Nationwide leveraged big data, advanced analytics and Artificial Intelligence to understand the qualitative and quantitative feedback from a broad base of more than 80,000 RIAs and fee-based advisers.

Based on strong adviser demand and high satisfaction ratings, the account management and trading platform remains unchanged at the site. However, it creates a more customized one-to-one digital experience for advisers by using a cutting-edge technology stack to better understand and instantly respond to their needs.

For more stories like this, sign up for the PLANADVISERdash daily newsletter.

Other enhancements include:

  • Amplified navigation.
  • One-click access.
  • Fund performance tool that allows advisers to create custom categories of preferred funds.
  • Responsive design that works with any device, be it a phone, tablet and other mobile technologies, as well as touch screens.
  • ADA compliant with color contrast and tagging to assist the visually impaired.
“The vision behind our new redesign comes from partnering side by side on the front lines with RIAs and fee-based advisers to meet their demands for simplicity, transparency, more choice and greater value,” says Craig Hawley, head of Nationwide Advisory Solutions. “Likewise, our expertise in using advanced analytics and cutting-edge technology to put the adviser at the center of everything we do allows us to gain deeper insights into their wants and needs, to ensure we can provide an exceptional digital adviser experience.”

«