Affluent Prefer Face-To-Face Financial Advice

Insurers courting affluent customers would be prudent to continue to provide face-to-face financial advice in addition to their online offerings. That's a conclusion drawn from a survey conducted for Nationwide Financial Services Inc., Columbus, Ohio, by Matthew Greewald & Associates, a Washington, D.C.-based independent polling firm. The study found that while half of affluent professionals surveyed use the Internet for some type of financial planning activities, only 7% prefer to use the Internet for financial planning advice and 17% are currently using it for that purpose. More than 80% of the 500 young, affluent professionals surveyed prefer face-to-face options for financial advice.