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Client Insights

Global Investor Study reveals what clients truly value in their advisor relationships

14 Oct 2025
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In an uncertain environment from both an economic and personal standpoint, clients collectively are still very satisfied with their advisors.

Key findings

  • Client trust at record levels: Advisors enjoy unprecedented loyalty, with industry NPS hitting 77.7.
  • Peace of mind matters most: When asked how they measure value, clients ranked a “sense of security” above all else.
  • Referrals drive growth: Only 20% of clients found their advisor through independent research, underscoring the power of trusted networks.
  • Core services still lead: Investment management was rated the most important offering, closely followed by financial planning and tax planning.
  • The next generation relies on family and friend referrals: Among clients under 40, 60% came to their advisor via family or friend referrals – highlighting an opportunity to connect early with the second generation of wealth.

The Dimensional Global Investor Study provides advisors with greater insight into how clients perceive their firms. By gathering direct, anonymous feedback from their clients, advisors gain a better perspective on what clients value in an advisory relationship, their financial needs and concerns, and ideas on how to engage with their ideal target client. In 2022, the Global Investor Study was made available year-round, allowing advisors to customise the frequency with which they are able to survey their end clients. This year marks the 10th year in which the study was available. Since the last dedicated survey period in 2021, 163 frms have participated, resulting in almost 22,000 total end-client responses. This brings the aggregate total responses since the inception of the study to almost 110,000 global respondents.

Methodolgy

Participating firms were provided with six required questions to ask their clients, along with the ability to select up to 10 additional questions, including two open-ended response questions. Firms then delivered the survey link directly to their clients. The survey was entirely anonymous, and no identifiable personal information was shared with the firm or Dimensional.

Read the study.

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