Coaching: Investors want a financial coach

Earning investors’ trust really begins with understanding each individual and their goals, as well as their family and financial circumstances. Ultimately, this is what investors value most in their advisory relationships.

Overall, 64% of individuals who work with an advisor prioritize the more personal aspects. Beyond a portfolio, they want financial planning advice (47%), which generally covers setting goals, evaluating assets and liabilities, budgeting, and then setting the steps needed to ensure long-term financial security.

With markets growing more complicated and investment choices more complex, investors also find it valuable for their advisor to help them understand investing (39%). They also say it’s valuable when their advisor understands them and their unique circumstances (33%) and just listens to them (31%). Important to note for this current environment: polled while markets were just becoming frothier, 21% say it’s good to have their advisor reassure them in difficult markets.

Why investors value their advisor

This kind of personal relationship is likely why 55% of individuals in the survey panel, overall, are working directly with a traditional financial advisor, either solely (37%) or in combination with some form of automated advice platform (18%). Only 7% of those who get advice say they rely only on automated advice.

Dive deeper into our Individual Investor Survey

Executive summary

Challenge 1: Confidence

Challenge 2: Clarity

2025 Natixis Global Survey of Individual Investors

4.89 MB

Investors trust people over tech

Asked who they trust when making investment decisions, investors start with their advisor. In fact, investors are more likely to say they trust their financial advisor (91%) than even themselves (88%). Others they trust include their family (69%), financial advisors in general (68%) and banks (60%).

Most surprising is that investors say they trust advisors and banks more than they trust even their close friends (56%).

In an age of fake news, bots, and depersonalized service experiences, there is a much lower degree of trust in technology. Only 40% trust algorithms and AI to support their decisions. Social media, including platforms such as Twitter, Reddit, Tik- Tok, and Facebook, comes in dead last on the list with just 17% saying they trust the posts they read when making decisions.

Investors in the US show the highest level of trust in their financial advisor (96%) and other advisors (79%), and the lowest level of trust in algorithms (29%) and social media (9%)

Who do investors trust?

Donut charts showing who investors trust with 91% saying they trust their financial advisor

Few investors are willing to outsource all the decisions

Another reason investors prefer the human touch is how much they want to be personally involved in their advisory relationship. Few of those surveyed are totally hands off in their relationship (10%). A limited number of investors (27%) delegate day-to-day decisions to their advisor, while wanting to be plugged in on the big issues.

More than six in ten investors globally say they want to be regularly involved in their investment decisions, working either in partnership with their advisor (32%) and engaged in the decisions or maintaining complete control (31%), by having their advisor bringing them recommendations and calling the shots themselves.

When it comes to what kind of services they want, investors put what they value most at the top of the list: financial planning (46%). Along with managing finances and growing assets, the same number of investors want their advisor to help annuitize their savings with retirement income planning services (46%).

Given their concerns over tax policies, 36% of investors worldwide also say they want their advisor to bring them tax-efficient investing strategies. Historical data suggests that tax concerns have been rising for investors in certain countries.

Tax management in demand

While the demand for tax-efficient investments from their advisor has remained relatively stable globally, at 34% in 2021,7 32% in 2023,³ and 36% in 2025, demand has gained steam in the US, moving from 32% in 20217 and 2023,³ then shooting to 47% of investors in 2025.

Demand has also grown in Spain, although demand started at a higher level and grew more slowly over the past five years (40%,⁷ 43%,³ 44%).

The good news is that investors say advisors are doing a good job on the tax front. When asked, 74% of advised investors globally and 78% of investors in the US say managing tax liability is a key aspect for financial planning with their advisor. Almost the same number (72%) globally and 80% in the US say they’re confident in their advisors’ minimizing their tax liabilities.

This level of confidence is likely linked to the meteoric growth of direct indexing strategies in the US. Built with separately managed accounts, these integrated portfolios are designed to maximize tax efficiency by applying tax-loss harvesting and other techniques. Industry analyst Cerulli estimates that assets in direct indexing strategies will grow from $615 billion in 2023 to more than $1.5 trillion by the end of 2025.⁸

Private asset opportunities

Investors are also looking for advisors to satiate their hunger in private assets. One-third of investors globally want their advisor to connect them to private investment opportunities. Demand for private investments is greatest in Latin America (43%) and Europe (36%). Meanwhile, only 16% of investors in the US, where the market is limited to qualified investors, are asking their advisor to bring them private investment opportunities.

Advisors appear to recognize the growing demand, as 52% of advised investors say their advisor is recommending private investments. And where demand is greatest, advisors are following suit. In Latin America, 73% of investors in Argentina/Uruguay, 72% in Mexico, and 65% in Colombia/Peru say their advisors have recommended private investments. In Europe, investors in Spain (66%) and France (60%) are receiving the same advisor recommendations.

Managing diminished expectations

Investors had a great run over the past couple of years. Returns were strong. Volatility was relatively low. And higher interest rates made bonds more attractive. But by the start of 2025, investors knew that nothing lasts forever and adjusted their expectations accordingly.

Looking at a less stable geopolitical, macroeconomic, and market environment, return expectations have dropped significantly. Inflation continues to loom large as investors express concern about climbing prices eroding their ability to save and what they earn on their investments. As a result, investors are looking to maximize their opportunity set.

They are focused on taxes and want strategies to help them keep more of what they earn. They see uncertainty for public markets and want to explore the potential for private investments to help them diversify and enhance returns. While they may intuitively understand the need for such measures, they’re still not sure about what to do about bonds.

In the end, they need advice that helps them regain their confidence and provides genuine clarity on what they need to do next. In the end, they need their financial advisor to step in and coach them through the age of diminished expectations.

About the survey

Natixis Investment Managers, Global Survey of Individual Investors, conducted by CoreData Research in February and March 2025. Survey included 7,050 individual investors in 21 countries.

Disclosure

³ Natixis Investment Managers, Global Survey of Individual Investors, conducted by CoreData Research in March and April 2023. Survey included 8,550 individual investors in 23 countries.

⁷ Natixis Investment Managers surveyed 8,550 investors globally across 24 countries in Marchand April 2021, with the goal of understanding their views on the markets and investing.

⁸ Cerulli Associates

The views and opinions expressed may change based on market and other conditions. This material is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment advice. There can be no assurance that developments will transpire as forecasted.

Actual results may vary.

All investing involves risk, including the risk of loss. No investment strategy or risk management technique can guarantee return or eliminate risk in all market environments. Investment risk exists with equity, fixed income, and alternative investments. There is no assurance that any investment will meet its performance objectives or that losses will be avoided.

Natixis Distribution, LLC is a limited purpose broker-dealer and the distributor of various registered investment companies for which advisory services are provided by affiliates of Natixis Investment Managers.

NIM-05202025-cjacf1rq