December 21, 2020
Despite the challenging investing environment, affluent investors are still increasing their use of ETFs. ETF ownership increased significantly this year to 28% from 23% in 2019. The growth was driven by Millennials (to 49% from 40%) and Gen Xers (to 32% from 22%). These and other findings are from the latest Cogent Syndicated Investor Brand Builder™ report from Escalent, a top human behavior and analytics firm.
“In a year defined by a health and economic crisis like nothing we’ve ever seen, the ETF landscape has shifted dramatically,” said David Keen, senior director of Escalent’s financial services division. “With the need for investor support at an all-time high, some firms are rising to the challenge to serve the stated needs of affluent investors. These brands will be rewarded with new customers who are likely to show long-term loyalty, as motivators for adoption and retention are closely aligned.”
Several firms are benefiting from higher levels of ETF awareness, with consideration generally up for the category. Fidelity and Vanguard lead in share of wallet among all ETF users (consistent with category leadership across all major brand health metrics), with Charles Schwab, J.P. Morgan and John Hancock Investments rounding out the top five.
Top Five Firms: Greatest Share of ETF Wallet
-
- Fidelity Investments – 63%
- Vanguard – 62%
- Charles Schwab Investment Management – 55%
- J.P. Morgan – 53%
- John Hancock Investments – 48%
Base: ETF Owners of Each Brand
Source: Escalent. Cogent Syndicated. Investor Brand Builder. October 2020.
“Crucially, affluent investors who intend to increase their ETF usage are telling the market they want providers that put their needs first,” said Linda York, senior vice president at Escalent. “Brand loyalty is most heavily influenced by financial stability, ease of doing business and access to a range of investment products – meaning the brands winning over new customers are likely to retain them for the long run.”
The full report, available to subscribers, includes more on investor preferences and the rise of ETFs. Click here to learn more
About Investor Brand Builder
Cogent Syndicated conducted an online survey of a representative cross section of 4,423 investors from June 24 to August 20, 2020. Survey participants were required to be 18 years or older, are sole or shared household financial decision-makers, and have at least $100,000 in investable assets including DC plan and IRA assets but excluding the value of primary real estate. Cogent Syndicated uses market-sizing incidence survey findings, which are weighted to US census data, to develop quota targets followed during fieldwork and apply minimal statistical weighting post-fielding. The data have a margin of error of ±1.47% at the 95% confidence level. Escalent will supply the exact wording of any survey question upon request.
Send us a note to see how your firm can leverage this report.
