LIMRA: Life Agents Not Among Favored Advisors

October 31, 2007 at 12:02 PM
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People who use professional financial advice say accountants are their favorite financial advisors, according to LIMRA International.

Among consumers who seek financial advice regularly, 36% say they use accountants, compared to 29% who use financial planners or financial advisors and 16% who use life insurance agents or brokers, according to survey results that LIMRA, Windsor, Conn., released here at its annual meeting.

Researchers polled consumers with household incomes of at least $75,000.

About 13% of the advice-seekers said they turn to lawyers; 11%, to bankers or loan officers; 10%, to investment managers; and 8%, to stockbrokers, said Frank Santa-Donata, a special consultant with LIMRA.

The totals add up to more than 100% because some advice-seekers reported using more than one source.

Among those not seeking financial advice regularly, 54% said they would probably call on an advisor when they received a large amount of money from an inheritance or other source; 47%, upon the death of a family member; 36%, when starting or selling a business; 35%, when buying or selling a house; 26%, when confronted by a serious illness; and 24%, when filing income taxes.

In addition, 22% of non-advice-seekers said they would turn to an advisor when planning to save for retirement; 17% when getting married or divorcing; 11% when looking for a way to pay for college; 11% when undergoing a career change or job loss; and 8% when giving birth to or adopting a child.

"This is a reactive audience," Santa-Donata said of the non-advice-seekers. He noted, too, that almost 6 times as many would seek advice following a death in the family as would seek advice following the birth or adoption of a child.

Only 8% of the participants said they would turn to a life insurance agent or broker during a time of crisis, Santa-Donata reported.

"They don't perceive that an agent can help when a family member dies?" Santa-Donata asked. "Weird."

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