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The long-held adage that communication is key is proving to be the single most defining description of how financial advisors are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a new research report from Practical Perspectives, 78% of more than 525 advisors surveyed in early April proactively reached out to most of their clients during this historic time. RIAs were the most proactive, with more than 50% of those surveyed contacting all the clients they serve.
Close to 80% of advisors surveyed were either independent broker-dealers (42%) or RIAs (36%), and the remainder worked at full-service brokerages. More than three-quarters had 15 years or more experience. The vast majority were either solo practitioners (50%) or small teams (43%), and two-thirds were 50 or older.
The telephone was the dominant means of advisor-to-client communication, used by 93% of advisors, followed by emails (84%) and virtual meetings (48%). Far fewer (30%) reported reaching out to clients via content posting on social media and information sharing through their websites.
Most advisors reported that social distancing and other restrictions had little impact on their ability to serve clients. That is important because close to 85% of advisors reported their clients were moderately or very concerned about their investments.
Despite those concerns, most advisors (83%) report having made no more than minor changes to the portfolios they manage. Only one in eight advisors reported having made moderate changes.
The most significant change cited by about half the advisors surveyed was an increase in cash allocations. Close to 40% increased portfolio exposures to less aggressive equities, while one-third reduced equity allocations.
