Not surprisingly, a very high percentage of respondents from all three channels – at least 86% of each - indicate offering the core services of basic investment advice, retirement planning and financial planning. We also observe that a strong majority offer investment management, with W/R, RIA and IBD responses at 88%, 86% and 72%, respectively. Across the other services offered, however, there is greater variability. For instance, insurance planning is offered by over 80% of advisors in the W/R and IBD channels, but by only 54% of RIAs, reflecting the core nature of an RIA’s practice as generally fee-only. Also, wirehouse/regional advisors are much more likely to offer trust services and private banking, which may reflect higher penetration in the ultra-high and high net worth segment. Charitable giving planning appears to be evolving into an industry-standard, with approximately half of advisors across the three channels indicating it as a service they offer, a level which has grown over the past few years. Finally, tax preparation continues to be a service that is offered in house by only a small minority of advisors.
Next Part 2 of 7: Outsourced Functions by Advisors