Once only the purview of institutions and the super rich, alternative investments (AI) have already begun to populate the portfolios of ordinary investors. Whether used defensively to add diversification, or as proactive tools to access hard to reach asset classes, alternatives, especially among advised investors, are here to stay. Today, just three in ten (29%) [...]

Affluent investors are likely to rollover approximately $300 billion from their former employers’ sponsored retirement plans (ESRPs) to IRAs in 2012. However, attracting these assets is becoming more competitive as investors search beyond the traditional rollover providers for advice and guidance. A number of full service providers have made significant gains in attracting potential rollover [...]

The crisis that impacted the financial environment last year has escalated the need for informed decision-making. To leverage all knowledge assets more efficiently, companies are strengthening the ties between marketing research (MR) and competitive intelligence (CI) and seek to obtain a birds-eye view on their business and the marketplace. Yet, as industry players continue to [...]

Retirees currently represent a sizeable segment of the U.S. population. As the baby boomers continue their march toward retirement, the population will get even larger. Firms striving to understand the needs of retirees and near-retirees often focus in on specific groups within the population. They typically apply this focus in a number of ways, examining groups based on their age, gender, asset-level, or marital status. While in some ways this may be insightful, the utility of this approach to grouping is limited.

While investors and their financial advisors have long grappled with the myriad challenges associated with successfully migrating from the accumulation side of the retirement planning continuum to implementing strategies that provide ongoing and dependable in-retirement income, the wealth management industry seems convinced that both audiences are finally ready to act. And maybe they are. After all, the [...]

Marketers are always looking for the best way to position their product or brand so it will be chosen over the competition. But what actually drives a consumer to choose one brand over another? In market research we are always trying to discover the nature of consumer choice. And while we continually refine how we [...]