A survey of affluent and high-net-worth investors conducted earlier this summer by global index provider FTSE Russell US found that these investors have maintained high trust in their financial advisors amidst a year of ongoing market volatility.
The survey found that 72% of affluent and high-net-worth investors included in its sample work with financial advisors, and an overwhelming majority of them—94%—are satisfied with the advice they receive. These results are similar to last year’s survey. In all, 63% of investors who work with advisors reported being very satisfied.
Breaking it down further, FTSE Russell found that 96% of surveyed investors said they were confident in their advisors’ ability to help them through market volatility. Confirming this high confidence level, 97% of investors said they follow their advisors’ guidance, at least partially.
The survey revealed that 48% of investors were told by their advisors not to change their portfolio allocations this year in response to various market shocks, while 18% were recommended to buy more equities as stock prices declined. A slightly smaller share—16%—were told to allocate more money to conservative investment options.
In addition to feeling confident in their advisors’ guidance, 88% of surveyed investors said their advisors got in touch with them the right amount of times over the past six months. In addition, 35% of investors who work with financial advisors reported feeling optimistic about their portfolio’s performance in 2025. In contrast, only 15% of self-directed investors reported the same level of optimism.
However, members of Gen X are not quite as happy with the value-add they get from their advisors as baby boomers or millennial investors. Only 57% of surveyed Gen X investors said they were “very satisfied” with their advisors, compared to 72% of baby boomers and 69% of millennials. Less than half of Gen X investors (48%) feel their advisors are meeting their individual needs with tailored solutions. On the other hand, 61% of baby boomers and 65% of millennials said they were well-served on that metric. Yet Gen X investors represent the biggest growth opportunity for financial advisors in the near term, as they now make up a quarter of U.S. advisors’ clients and stand to inherit $13.9 trillion over the next decade.
The survey revealed that while many investors still feel confident about the U.S. economy and stock market performance over the next six months (at 46% and 58% respectively), there is rising anxiety about high inflation, a potential recession and a market correction. For example, 58% of survey participants said they feel nervous about inflation eroding their real returns, and another 51% are worried about a major market correction. In addition, 48% are concerned about the impact of geopolitical events on their portfolios, and 42% worry about a potential recession.
As a result of these worries, investors are expressing more interest in buffer ETFs and actively-managed index funds. For example, 72% of affluent investors said that buffer ETFs appeal to them. Half of all investors also predicted that active index funds will outperform passive funds in 2025, and 97% plan to either maintain or increase their allocations to these funds over the next 12 months.
FTSE Russell conducted the survey online between June 2 and June 11, 2025. The survey included responses from 750 investors aged 25 and over with at least $250,000 in investable assets. Close to a third of those surveyed—278 respondents—have over $1 million in investable assets.
#Affluent #Investors #Remain #Happy #Advisors