Study Finds RIAs Steady on Investments

Advisors are concerned about the level of domestic political discord, and expect the global political landscape to be more volatile over the next six months, but that concern will not impact their investment decision-making on behalf of clients.

That's one of the main findings of Schwab Institutional's first semi-annual survey of advisor sentiment, the Independent Advisor Outlook Study. The Study, which surveyed nearly 1,300 RIAs, found that 78% think the S&P 500 will increase over the next six months, though only 10% believe it will increase by more than 10% (the study was conducted for SI by Koski Research in January, well before the market selloff that took place at the end of February).

The Study found that 71% of those surveyed expect that over the next six months the housing market will continue to soften, and 45% think inflation will increase. As for advisors' clients, 57% think their clients' investment return expectations are realistic, and just 15% said clients need to be reassured over the next six months about achieving their investment goals. As for new clients, the Study found that 49% came from the wirehouses.