This RRSP season marked a few personal milestones. I finished paying off my six-year-old student debt, and I made the largest contribution to my retirement savings plan since opening it more than three years ago.
The latter was clearly dependent on the former, but both were proud financial achievements that I have been working toward for quite some time. Now, without the financial albatross of the hefty student loan, my new savings can build either toward my retirement or, most likely, as a down payment on my first home. The future is looking rosier.
As I got rid of one problem, however, a new, albeit less stressful one came to the fore: what should I do with the RRSP money I was about to invest? My decision came down to adding it to the Canadian balanced fund I already owned, putting it into another fund or finding a short-term solution, such as a high-interest savings account, until the current white-hot market undergoes a correction.
After much thought, I decided the last option was the best one for the time being, so I called the bank, discussed the option briefly with my account manager and went ahead with it. Nevertheless, although I’m content with the decision for now, the investment is temporary until I get some solid financial planning advice from a professional.
The irony is that, even though I’m looking for such a professional, very few financial advisors — if any — want my business. I am under 30 and my net assets are only in the low five-figure range — hardly the client of choice. The commissions on my investments would be paltry and, to top it off, I have no major inheritance coming my way because my parents, who gave up everything in their homeland to bring their family to Canada, have no significant savings.
The problem is confirmed when I notice the countless ads aimed at, mostly, members of the baby-boom generation who have amassed some wealth and are either on the cusp of retirement or well on their way. Furthermore, I read or edit countless stories on topics such as: going after the high net-worth client; the coming wave of baby boomer retirees who are going to shape the market, and how advisors can grab a piece of that pie; and, quite shocking to me, columns detailing how an advisor should rid his or her roster of undesirable, low net-worth clients such as myself.
Of course, it would be naïve to suggest that advisors should focus upon building their businesses on Generation Xers/Yers just coming into their own. And financial advisors also have the right to go after business that would be more fruitful for them.
Just as advisors aim to ensure all their clients have healthy and balanced portfolios, however, they should also aim for nothing less in their own books of business. Despite the short-term pitfalls of having younger clients, the long-term effects will be felt in the next few years, when, ironically, the era of baby-boomer retirements begins.
After all, with the average financial advisor now in his or her late 40s and early 50s, most will be looking to sell their books at the same time, and we all know about the laws of supply and demand. That means the most attractive books for advisors looking to buy will be those with a good mix of retirees, who need their wealth managed to generate income, and Generation Xers/Yers, who are in their prime years of building wealth.
The challenge for all you advisors out there is this: make it a priority to add some younger clients to your roster. My financial future — and yours — depends on it.
PABLO FUCHS, SENIOR EDITOR
Who wants me as a client?
Under 30 with a small RRSP, few advisors want my business
- By: Pablo Fuchs
- March 6, 2007 October 29, 2019
- 10:24
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