The good news is that a recent survey in the US shows that over two-fifths of affluent investors also use the DIY approach. In other words, although they could well afford to use advisors or fund managers, they choose to Do It Themselves.
As reported by Investment News, a Dow Jones survey of 1,287 randomly selected affluent U.S. investors (who are at least 25 and have a minimum of a half-million dollars to invest, not including retirement plans) showed that 41% say they use online and discount brokerages to manage their own investments, By comparison, 31% use a full-service firm, while only 28% use independent firms.
In other words, more than two-fifths of those with $500,000 or more to invest would rather manage their money themselves.
Of those that paid for advice, although most were satisfied, some wanted more information on:
- tax
- estate planning
- emerging markets
- 'alternative' investments
Although this blog has tackled tax in some detail we have not - yet - examined estate planning. As you might have gathered by now I am not a fan of either emerging markets or 'alternative' investments, so I'm afraid you'll have to look elsewhere for those topics.
Anyway, some encouragement to the rest of us to make the DIY effort.
I am not a financial advisor and the information provided does not constitute financial advice. You should always do your own research on top of what you learn here to ensure that it's right for your specific circumstances.
When faced with the choice between working harder
ReplyDeleteto earn more money or enjoying more leisure time,
equally capable individuals with identical earning potential often choose different strategies.