Nearly half of all U.S. households own equities, up from about 19 percent in 1983, according to an October survey by the Investment Company Institute and the SIA.
Of the 48.2 percent of equity-owning households, 47 percent own only stock mutual funds, 38 percent own both individual stocks and stock mutual funds and 15 percent own only individual stocks.
Slightly more than one-third of all U.S. households (35.5 percent) own equities or equity funds outside of retirement plans.
Sixty-four percent of equity owners seek investment advice from financial services professionals. But they're not passive--75 percent closely follow the value of their investments, the survey says.
That doesn't mean they do a lot of buying and selling, however. Less than half--45 percent--of all equity owners conducted transactions in 1998. And only 11 percent of investors who executed trades did so online in 1998.
A total of 4,842 households were interviewed and 2,336 equity owners participated in the survey. Complete results are available online at www.ici.org under the "What's New" button. The survey is listed at "Fund Research and Operations."--Janis Samaripa
Percent of all equity owners
Less than $10,000--5 percent
$10,000 to $24,999--15 percent
$25,000 to $49,999--20 percent
$50,000 to $74,999 12 percent
$75,000 to $99,999--7 percent
$100,000 to $249,999--16 percent
$250,000 to $499,999--8 percent
$500,000 to $999,999--4 percent
$1 million or more--3 percent
Mean: $167,100
Median: $50,000
Number of respondents: 2,230
