Thanks to all the societal changes wrought by the coronavirus pandemic, it's safe to say that the wealth management industry will look very different in the years to come. By now, some of the potential long-term shifts seem pretty evident.
For example, virtual meetings are likely here to stay. It's a similar story for business development, with more prospects than ever before open to establishing a relationship without having a physical meeting.
Meanwhile, when it comes to office space — the subject of so much conversation in recent months — most practices will likely think about whether they need to adopt a new approach.
But beyond the low-hanging fruit, it's worth considering the other ways in which the current health crisis might impact our space. Here are some possible examples:
1. Rep as Portfolio Manager model could gain interest.
For years, an increasing number of financial professionals have abandoned the Rep as PM model in favor of third-party alternatives. For some, the added time that comes with offloading that critical task has been worth it.
For others, managing portfolios is how they differentiate themselves in the marketplace — so much so that they genuinely believe they'd lose clients if they did it any other way.
On the surface, it might seem like the pandemic could hasten the decline of the Rep as PM model even further. That's because many longtime devotees, having had to lean on efficiency-boosting tech tools to stay online during the shutdowns, could have experienced an "aha" moment about the benefits associated with streamlining their operations.
That sounds good in theory, but don't be surprised if the opposite happens. Indeed, with some clients open to virtual meetings, that could leave more time — in some cases entire days – for due diligence, research, collaboration with home office experts and everything else that goes into managing individual portfolios.
2. The industry begins to take succession and contingency planning more seriously.
Some practices were prepared when stay-at-home orders turned their operations upside down this spring.
For many others, though, the shift to a telecommuting model wasn't as smooth, highlighting a problem that has loomed over the industry for years: Not enough financial professionals have robust contingency and continuity plans in place.
