Aegon Adviser Attitudes Report 2021

PROD and segmenting clients 16% of advisers said they’d amended the way they segment their clients as a result of PROD, with a further 12% saying they’ve introduced different investment strategies for different client segments. When asked how they segment their clients, recommendations are overwhelmingly related to clients’ risk appetites and capacity for loss, with 85% citing the former and 77% the latter as amongst their top criteria. 46% listed life-stage among the most important factors. Much depends on whether a client is accumulating assets rather than decumulating, so it’s unsurprising that this is a significant factor, although Pensions Freedoms has muddied the waters somewhat given retiring investors could potentially remain invested for twenty years or more. Factors such as savings goals, the value of a client’s savings and investment knowledge all ranked lower in terms of importance when assessing suitability. Which three areas are most important when assessing the suitability of an investment strategy for a particular client? Their risk appetite Their capacity for loss Their life stage Their savings goals Value of client’s savings Their investment knowledge Other 85% 77% 46% 36% 27% 12% 2% Aegon adviser attitudes report 2021 21