There are just two months left in 2021 and firms are setting their sights on 2022 and beyond. With markets recovering from initial pandemic volatility and the acceleration of certain industry trends, many are trying to understand what comes next and what trends are here to stay. Plus, new research shows the vast majority of clients want to have financial wellness conversations with their financial planners. Lots to unpack in this month’s financial planning research roundup!

1. U.S. Registered Investment Advisor Landscape: A Market Monitor – Aite Novarica

Aite Novarica assesses the current registered investment advisor (RIA) landscape and its recent growth. The report found that RIAs experienced strong growth in 2020. The number of fee-only RIAs increased by 15 percent while the number of hybrid RIAs increased by 8 percent, with assets under management (AUM) growing 22 percent and 20 percent, respectively. You can learn more about the full report here.

2. MMI Journal of Investment Advisory Solutions – Money Management Institute

In the third quarter edition of the Journal of Investment Advisory Solutions, MMI looks at a number of pressing questions. What comes after the pandemic? What’s next for ESG investing? How are firms thinking of crypto assets in traditional portfolios? Learn their take on these and other important trends shaping the industry by reading the journal here.

3. Crossing the Horizon: North American Asset Management in the 2020s – McKinsey & Company

The 2020s got off to an unpredictable start: a global pandemic, an economic shutdown, a crash of financial markets, swift fiscal and monetary stimulus, and a sustained recovery. How will all of this shape asset management through the rest of the 2020s? Get McKinsey’s take on the industry’s disruption here.

4. eMoney Planning with Purpose Research – eMoney

Financial wellness is becoming an important aspect of all financial planning relationships. There is, however, a mismatch between client desire for wellness conversations and financial professionals’ likelihood of starting them. Only 13 percent of financial professionals say they discuss financial wellness with their clients and only 67 percent believe their clients want to have these discussions. This is in contrast with 90 percent of clients who want to have financial wellness conversations. Learn more about finding purpose in financial planning in our recent blog post and keep an eye out for our Planning with Purpose eBook diving deeper into our financial wellness research.

Stay tuned for next month’s financial planning research roundup!

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