Originally published: Wealth Briefing, 9 June 2025
UK wealth manager Rathbones released new research last week by Pureprofile looking at the rise in personal wealth managed by UK financial advisors.
More people are managing their personal wealth through active, bespoke investment management services offered by financial advisors – a trend which is expected to grow over the next two years, according to new research from Rathbones, a UK wealth and asset management firm.
The finding appears to reflect the efforts of increasing numbers of people across an ageing UK population to save for later life, many of whom have real and mounting concern that they may not have enough resources or make the right decisions to live well in retirement, the firm said in a statement.
The study suggests that more money is being invested in the UK and by relatively affluent people, since 46 per cent of advisors ask for a minimum portfolio of £400,000 ($542,000) to qualify for bespoke services. Moreover, 93 per cent of wealth managers and financial advisors who offer an investment management service typically use it to manage no more than a quarter of a client’s wealth, the survey reveals.
All advisors contacted said the percentage of clients’ assets which they manage through a bespoke investment management service has increased since 2023, with 77 per cent reporting an increase of up to 25 per cent. Those advisors who don’t currently recommend bespoke investment management services expect to do so in the next four years.
Rathbones commissioned independent research agency Pureprofile to interview 100 UK IFAs and financial planners including 75 who currently offer bespoke investment management/discretionary fund management services.