Does Your Wealth Adviser or Relationship Manager Achieve Above Inflation Returns From Investments?

Aug 30, 2012 - "Wall Street is the only place that people ride to in a Rolls-Royce to getadvice from those who take the subway." Source: The Tao of Warren Buffett

70% of the people lose money when they invest in stocks. That's because their emotions get in the way. The wealth management industry in Asia, including Singapore, is full of "advisers" who are too young to give any form of advice, or who are actually insurance agents. It somehow troubles me that they don't invest in the very products that they sell.

In future, before you invest in financial products, ask for your adviser's track record. If she or he doesn't invest, then you are better off executing yourself in the lowest cost platform or just follow the financial institution's asset allocation model.

I never buy properties from people who don't invest in properties themselves. Similarly, I only take advice from people who are highly successful in their stock investments. If that person made most of her money selling things and pretends that he or she knows a thing about investments, beware.