Rob Thomas
Advisers are now seeking advice for themselves more than in the past, according to financial services group AXA, which claimed the best way to survive turbulent markets is with quality research and informed licensee support.
AXA head of research and technical Robert Thomas urged advisers against hiding in volatile markets and recommended a strategy of communication and portfolio diversification to differentiate their services.
“Periods of market volatility can be unsettling for clients as well as advisers.
“So it is especially crucial that research teams are experienced and, most importantly, accessible to advisers,” he said.
In a period of instability, advisers should draw on three fundamental messages: keep communicating with clients, ensure portfolios are diversified at three levels and remember that the steps for providing quality advice in volatile periods are no different to other times.
According to Thomas, those steps include using the right tax strategy, ensuring correct asset allocation and regular rebalancing back to benchmarks, using leverage for selected clients and considering the use of protected products.
