Vanguard's Buckley: Fee compression is coming advisers' way

Take the time saved by automating chores and devote it to customer-centric tasks, he suggests.
JAN 22, 2018
Tim Buckley, Vanguard's CEO, kicked off Monday's session at the Inside ETFs conference with cheery news for advisers: 58% of your job is susceptible to automation, and your fees are likely to continue to decline. But it wasn't all gloom from Vanguard here at the four-day Inside ETFs conference, which is hosting 2,400 attendees this year, up from 2,200 last year. Attendance has grown along with assets. The ETF industry has $3.3 trillion in assets, according to the Investment Company Institute, up from $2.4 trillion 12 months earlier. Mr. Buckley noted that the advice business is changing radically, as advisers push investors toward low-cost investment options. In the past decade, Mr. Buckley said, $829 billion has flowed to the lowest-cost equity funds, while $893 billion has fled all other equity funds. While lower mutual fund and ETF costs have been a boon to investors, advisers should expect similar fee compression in their own business. This will be especially true if, as Vanguard expects, returns from a classic balanced portfolio — 60% stocks, 40% bonds — total 4% to 4.5% the next decade. "With investment fees coming down, the single highest cost to investors is the advisory fee itself," Mr. Buckley said. "Technology is allowing competitors to come out with lower-cost advice models." In most areas — think Netflix or Facebook — consumers celebrate technological disruption, he said. "But it's uncomfortable when it comes to us." Three areas of traditional investment advice — rebalancing portfolios, ensuring tax efficiency and selecting low-cost investments — are easily automated. The one part that resists automation — and the part that gives the biggest boost to investor returns — is behavioral coaching, Mr. Buckley said. While you can wear a device that reminds you to get more exercise, for example, you can't get one that tells you not to lend money to your no-good brother-in-law. Advisers have good cause to fear automation, but they shouldn't necessarily see it as an existential threat. Automation doesn't always eliminate jobs, it often just changes them. The tasks that make up a job don't change: Technology often complements those chores and gives employees more time for other tasks. A chart that took weeks of research to create a decade ago can now be done in a few minutes, for example. Mr. Buckley suggested that advisers take the time they save from easily automated tasks, such as portfolio rebalancing, and use it for more customer-centric duties: Figuring out the best long-term care alternatives for clients, or how to leave money to two generations of their descendants. "Custom solutions are very difficult to quantify," he said. And that's where advisers can make the biggest difference in the next decade.

Latest News

SEC bars ex-broker who sold clients phony private equity fund
SEC bars ex-broker who sold clients phony private equity fund

Rajesh Markan earlier this year pleaded guilty to one count of criminal fraud related to his sale of fake investments to 10 clients totaling $2.9 million.

The key to attracting and retaining the next generation of advisors? Client-focused training
The key to attracting and retaining the next generation of advisors? Client-focused training

From building trust to steering through emotions and responding to client challenges, new advisors need human skills to shape the future of the advice industry.

Chuck Roberts, ex-star at Stifel, barred from the securities industry
Chuck Roberts, ex-star at Stifel, barred from the securities industry

"The outcome is correct, but it's disappointing that FINRA had ample opportunity to investigate the merits of clients' allegations in these claims, including the testimony in the three investor arbitrations with hearings," Jeff Erez, a plaintiff's attorney representing a large portion of the Stifel clients, said.

SEC to weigh ‘innovation exception’ tied to crypto, Atkins says
SEC to weigh ‘innovation exception’ tied to crypto, Atkins says

Chair also praised the passage of stablecoin legislation this week.

Brooklyn-based Maridea snaps up former LPL affiliate to expand in the Midwest
Brooklyn-based Maridea snaps up former LPL affiliate to expand in the Midwest

Maridea Wealth Management's deal in Chicago, Illinois is its first after securing a strategic investment in April.

SPONSORED How advisors can build for high-net-worth complexity

Orion's Tom Wilson on delivering coordinated, high-touch service in a world where returns alone no longer set you apart.

SPONSORED RILAs bring stability, growth during volatile markets

Barely a decade old, registered index-linked annuities have quickly surged in popularity, thanks to their unique blend of protection and growth potential—an appealing option for investors looking to chart a steadier course through today's choppy market waters, says Myles Lambert, Brighthouse Financial.