Ask a wealthy family what they want from an adviser and you’ll rarely hear returns first. You’ll hear something closer to: I’m tired of being the only person who understands how all of this fits together.
The research says the same thing, and the numbers are striking.
88%
of high-net-worth individuals use more than one wealth firm
17%
describe their experience as seamless and personalised
42%
have had to repeat their goals to the same firm
Those figures come from Capgemini’s 2026 World Wealth Report. The same research found only 19% of wealthy clients now use a single firm, down from 39% in 2019. In other words, wealth has become more fragmented just as it has become more complex.
1. One person who sees the whole picture
Different firms for the share portfolio, the SMSF, the property loans, the insurance and the trust accounts. Nobody is wrong, exactly. But nobody is responsible for how it all works together. That’s the job wealthy clients most want done, and the one that’s most often missing.
2. Help with structure and tax, not just investments
The LGT and Investment Trends State of Wealth study found more than half of Australians with over $1 million in investable assets feel they lack guidance on tax and estate structures. For families with a trust, a company and an SMSF, the structure decisions often matter more than the investment ones.
3. Something that will survive the next generation
Capgemini’s 2025 report found 81% of heirs plan to change wealth firms within one to two years of inheriting. EY’s 2025 research in Australia found that inheritors who would stay with a parent’s adviser want transparent fees, an understanding of their own goals, and honest communication. Meanwhile, the same LGT study found 59% of wealthy Australians have given, or plan to give, an early inheritance. The handover is already happening, and most advisers haven’t met the children.
Wealthy families don’t want more products. They want fewer loose ends.
4. Straight answers
Transparent fees. Advice written so you can actually understand it. An adviser who tells you when an idea is a bad one, including yours. None of this is radical. It’s just rarer than it should be.
How we’ve built WE Private around it
- One senior adviser who owns your whole picture and coordinates your accountant, lawyer and lender.
- Structure and tax first, investments second.
- Your children invited in early, with education as part of the service.
- Fees agreed in writing before any work starts.
Tired of being the only one who sees the whole picture?
Bring your statements to a complimentary 45-minute discovery session. We’ll show you what one coordinated plan would look like.
Sources: Capgemini Research Institute, World Wealth Report 2026 and 2025; EY Global Wealth Research, Australia (May 2025); LGT Wealth Management and Investment Trends, State of Wealth (November 2025). General information only.
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