Edward Jones Female Financial Advisors Weigh in on Industry Trends

ST. LOUIS, March 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A new Edward Jones study of female financial advisors, held at its annual Women's Conference, reveals the top issues concerning the financial services industry in the next twelve months.

"Key findings show female financial advisors are less worried about the impact of robo-advisors on their business and are finding new ways to work with female clients through women's networks," said Katherine Mauzy, Principal of Financial Advisor Talent Acquisition. "By having a pulse on these concerns and client retention strategies, we are able to continuously keep their needs in check and help them better serve their clients."

Female Advisors Not Worried About Political Uncertainty or Robo-Advisors

Just 11 percent of female financial advisors worry about political uncertainty impacting their business in the next year. Even fewer (3 percent) worry about robo-advisors, despite their substantiated growth in assets under management since 2014 – from $11.5 billion to $61 billion in 2016, according to Business Research, Co. Interestingly, none of the respondents who fall in the 29-44 or 63+ age range view robo-advisors as a threat.

A top concern for female financial advisors includes the current regulatory environment (42 percent). In fact, 83 percent of those ages 63+ note the current regulatory environment as the biggest threat, compared to 42 percent in the 45-63 and 31 percent in the 29-44 age range.

"With volatility in the regulatory environment at an all-time high, our female financial advisor concerns mimic those across the industry, but do vary in regard to the robo-advisor threat," said Katherine Mauzy. "This speaks to both the innovation in our technology platforms and the depth of our financial advisor-client relationships – giving financial advisors the ability to interface with clients in a way that best suits them through texting, videoconferencing, or face-to-face."

On Recruiting More Female Clients

According to the Center for Talent Innovation, women hold 39 percent of the estimated $28.6 trillion in investable assets. Additionally, nearly 90 percent of women are going to have to take sole control over their finances at some point in their lives¹, creating the largest market opportunity for financial advisors today.

To retain more female clients, 64 percent of Edward Jones financial advisors agree the most important strategy is to have both spouses in meetings. The sentiment is consistent across all age groups (65 percent ages 29-44, 64 percent ages 45-63, and 67 percent ages 63+).

Other top strategies used to retain female clients include leveraging existing client relationships (29 percent), creating women's networks (4 percent) and using advertising and social media (3 percent). One-hundred percent of those ages 45-63 cite women's networks as the most impactful strategy.

"I find that involving both spouses in meetings is incredibly beneficial from a client retention perspective," said Jennifer Marcontell, financial advisor and one of Barron's Magazine's top 1,200 financial advisors. "This ensures that female individuals are involved in the planning process and helps me as a financial advisor to better understand the families financial goals and concerns."

Confidence and Perseverance Key to Business Success

Seventy-seven percent of respondents agree that perseverance (39 percent) and confidence (38 percent) are crucial to success as a financial advisor. These results mimic those of a similar Edward Jones study of female financial advisors in which 80 percent noted confidence as a primary factor impacting leadership, success and career fulfillment.

When it comes to taking risks, more than two-thirds (71 percent) feel men are more open to taking risks in their professional career than women, suggesting a confidence gap.

Mauzy added: "Women represent 19 percent of our firm's financial advisor base, relative to just 14 percent of financial advisors in the industry. To increase that number, we are bridging the confidence gap by offering the right programs to build, encourage and provide unique networking opportunities both at Edward Jones and within the industry."

Methodology

The survey of 100 top-earning financial advisors was conducted on the grounds of Edward Jones' 2017 annual Women's Conference, which took place from February 22-24, 2017.

About Edward Jones

Edward Jones provides financial services for individual investors in the United States and, through its affiliate, in Canada. Every aspect of the firm's business, from the types of investment options offered to the location of branch offices, is designed to cater to individual investors in the communities in which they live and work. The firm's 15,000 financial advisors work directly with more than 7 million clients.

Edward Jones is headquartered in St. Louis. The Edward Jones website is located at www.edwardjones.com, and its recruiting website is www.careers.edwardjones.com. Follow Edward Jones on Twitter @EdwardJones. Member SIPC.

¹ A Woman's Guide to Financial Planning

SOURCE Edward Jones

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