Is your ideal financial adviser white, old & male?

Financial advisers come in all shapes, sizes and varieties.

The ‘typical’ financial adviser in the UK is white, middle-aged and male.

We still work in a fairly male-dominated profession, populated with plenty of advisers in their 50s and 60s. Things are changing, however.

It has been noticeable at industry events and conferences that the population of younger advisers are growing.

There are also far more women, and this is a good thing for all concerned.

It was interesting this evening to read some research conducted in the US which asked wealthy investors to pick their ideal adviser from a photo showing seven different people.

The options included an older male, wearing a shirt and tie but no jacket; a young male wearing a jacket and dress shirt with no tie; a young blonde female wearing a blouse and jacket; and a young brunette woman wearing a suit and blouse, among others.

Interestingly, the older male was the most popular choice for ultra high net worth and millionaire investors. The young male with no tie was the second most popular choice.

The two younger female advisers were also selected by some wealthy investors, although not many.

Relatively few investors selected the older woman in the photo.

Of course this study is based on aesthetic qualities alone. Hopefully investors go beyond looks when selecting their ideal adviser. Hopefully.

Factors including relevant experience, professional qualifications, service proposition and strength of the company clearly outweigh appearances.

Here at Informed Choice we are fortunate to offer our clients a range of advisers.

Feel free to browse through the team and pick one of us to work with based on looks. You might also want to read a little about our backgrounds and specialist advice areas before making your choice…