William Byrnes' Tax, Wealth, and Risk Intelligence

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Wealth Managers Employment Opportunities

In 2008, Cap Gemini reported that wealth management firms will sharply increase hiring because of the impending retirement, from 2010-2020, of “baby-boomer” wealth managers.  Over the coming decade, wealth management firms will have substantially more client opportunities because the pool of high-net-worth individuals (HNWI) globally, and their assets, continue to grow steadily, and because half of HNWIs do not have a wealth manager.

Half of HNWIs Do Not Have a Wealth Manager

According to Oliver Wyman, only 50% of HNWI assets are professionally managed. An unprecedented amount of retiring boomers who had not previously used a wealth manager now require one to transition their asset portfolios to income ones, plan succession, and balance potential medical care needs.  Wealth management firms therefore have a pool of approximately five million (and expanding) new client opportunities.

Increasing Wealth Manager Salaries and Bonuses

The San Diego Business Journal reported in 2009 that wealth management salaries held steady in the midst of the great recession, ranging from USD150,000 to USD400,000.  Even more exciting, Cap Gemini reported that “bidding wars among firms for top advisors are not uncommon” and packages will include “bonuses equaling two or three times the payouts from just a few years ago”.  Reuters reports that brokerage firms offer sometimes triple an adviser’s fees and commission over the previous year, whereas private bankers receive one to two times their previous year’s salary and bonus to move.  (See Private banks battling for advisers to super-rich)

Significant Wealth Manager Hiring to Begin Working January 2011

Reuters reports that “Wells, he said, is looking outside the private banking world in its bid to add 150 new recruits. Citi has looked to Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management as well as Barclays Wealth, a Barclays unit built from a business acquired from Lehman Brothers.  Citi has said it aims to double its private banker ranks to about 260 within three years.”