The changes in wealth management throughout 2020 shook the industry to its core in many ways, but perhaps none was more surprising than the changes around advisory fees.
For the first time since Herbers & Co. began tracking data on how advisors charge fees, the fixed-fee retainer model saw higher client retention rates than asset-based fees. In 2020, the fixed-fee retainer model rose to a retention rate of just below 98%.
Comparatively, asset-based fees have seen an average retention rate around 95% in the last decade.
The strength of the data has many advisory firm owners asking the same question: Should we switch to fixed-fee retainers?
The answer isn't a simple yes or no. Here are the considerations you should make before you adjust your fee model.
Look at why fixed-fee retainers are rising. Before adjusting your fee model, you should first understand why fixed-fee retainers are seeing such high retention rates.
Fixed-fee relationships don't always include direct asset management, so advisors may wonder if their long-term "stickiness" will be the same as that of asset-based fees.
When we look at the data, there is a clear generational difference in who values fixed-fee retainer relationships.
In simple terms, consumers now expect to receive services via a subscription model. Global companies such as Netflix and Amazon have retrained Americans on how to interact with companies that provide goods and services.
A 2021 J.D Power survey found that three-quarters of millennials prefer a fixed-free retainer (or a subscription model, if you prefer) for full-service wealth management.
3 Scenarios in Which Fixed-Fee Retainers Make Sense
Even though there is a growing trend among younger investors to prefer fixed-fee retainers, that doesn't mean that the model is right for every advisory firm.
There are three situations in which fixed-fee retainers do make sense, though. If your firm fits any of these scenarios, you may want to consider the positive impact of adding fixed fees to your service offerings.
