Majority of Investors Prefer Decision-Making Guidance from Financial Professionals, John Hancock Survey Finds
John HancockBOSTON, May 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent survey of affluent investors by John Hancock Financial reveals that 63 percent prefer to make financial decisions with guidance from a financial professional. The investors surveyed are a relatively sophisticated group, describing themselves as taking a global view in their investment decisions (72 percent) and keeping track of the stock market on a daily basis (52 percent). But just over four in ten of these investors say there are gaps in their financial planning with which they would like professional assistance in solving.
The findings were drawn from the first quarter 2015 John Hancock Investor Sentiment Survey, a quarterly poll of affluent investors. The survey measures investors' feelings about the current economic climate and their evaluations of what represents a good or bad investment given the current environment. The poll also asks consumers about their confidence in reaching key financial goals and likelihood of purchasing financial products and services.
Investors say they are mostly on track when it comes to workplace and individual retirement savings. However, there are several areas where they say they need help from financial advisors or financial companies:
- Protecting their money from market losses is an area in which 38 percent of investors would like help from an advisor.
- Thirty seven percent say they want advice about whether they are taking enough investment risk to ensure their money grows.
- Nearly three in ten would like assistance in creating a formal financial plan to achieve their goals.
- One quarter of investors surveyed would like a financial advisor to guide them with developing an estate plan and/or a will.
About the John Hancock Investor Sentiment Survey
This online survey was conducted by independent research firm Greenwald & Associates. A total of 1,049 investors were surveyed from February 9th to February 20th, 2015. To qualify, respondents were required to participate at least to some extent in their household's financial decision-making process, have a household income of at least $75,000, and assets of $100,000 or more. The data were weighted by age and education to reflect the population of Americans matching the survey's qualification requirements. In a similarly-sized random sample survey, the margin of error would be plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.
About John Hancock Financial and Manulife
John Hancock Financial is a division of Manulife, a leading Canada-based financial services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada and the United States. Operating as Manulife in Canada and Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, our group of companies offers clients a diverse range of financial protection products and wealth management services through its extensive network of employees, agents and distribution partners. Assets under management by Manulife and its subsidiaries were C$821 billion (US$648 billion) as at March 31, 2015. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under '945' on the SEHK. Manulife can be found on the Internet at manulife.com.
The John Hancock unit, through its insurance companies, comprises one of the largest life insurers in the United States. John Hancock offers and administers a broad range of financial products, including life insurance, annuities, investments, 401(k) plans, long-term care insurance, college savings, and other forms of business insurance. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at johnhancock.com.
SOURCE John Hancock Financial
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