Shoppers still pine for the personal touch

advice

Despite concerns that fund supermarkets would mean that investors bypass advisers, it seems that investors still seek advice when buying funds through this medium, and also highly value this advice

Fear of the internet and fear of being left out of the loop - these were advisers' main concerns when, five years ago, the familiar word supermarket became a financial term with the launch of online platforms such as Fidelity FundsNetwork and Cofunds. But were these fears well-founded? And have the supermarkets lived up to the claims they made at the turn of the millennium - that they would change the way advisers do business? The following statistics answer a few questions. A report from CWC/Adnitor using IMA and ABU databooks and data as at October 2004, shows that 83% of intermediaries...