Banks need to worry about their younger affluent clientele. Research by Aite Group shows that the Gen X and Y crowd (ages 21 through 46) are more willing to move assets when dissatisfied than their parents are (see “Youth Exodus,” in last June’s REP.). Aite says that financial advice is at the top of the list of services that institutions can offer young “affluents” to get them to stay put, although Aite says it’s an area that can stand improvement in the channel. Serving Gen X and Y won’t be easy for institutions since younger investors want to have it both ways: They want advice, but they also want to be able to trade for themselves online when they please. In fact, 53 percent of Gen Y investors made an average of five to 25 trades annually, compared to just 21 percent of investors over the age of 57.
