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Time horizons are different. Individuals face a finite life as compared to the potentially infinite life of institutions. This fact requires strategies for transferring assets at the end of an individual’s life. These transfers are subject to laws and regulations that vary from locality to locality and therefore the strategies available to address this situation vary.
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Individuals are more likely to face a variety of taxes on investment returns that vary from locality to locality. Portfolio management techniques that provide individuals with after tax returns that meet their objectives are necessarily going to be specific to these tax structures.
Wealth management is an investment advisory discipline that incorporates financial planning, investment portfolio management and a number of aggregated financial services. High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs), small business owners and families who desire the assistance of a credentialed financial advisory specialist call upon wealth managers to coordinate retail banking, estate planning, legal resources, tax professionals and investment management. Wealth managers can be an independent Certified Financial Planner, MBAs, Chartered Strategic Wealth Professional CFA Charterholders or any credentialed professional money manager who works to enhance the income, growth and tax favored treatment of long-term investors. Wealth management is often referred to as a high-level form of private banking for the especially affluent. One must already have accumulated a significant amount of wealth for wealth management strategies to be effective.
Private wealth management
Private Wealth Management (PWM) is the term generally used to describe highly customized and sophisticated investment management and financial planning services delivered to high net worth investors. Generally, this includes advice on the use of trusts and other estate planning vehicles, business succession or stock option planning, and the use of hedging derivatives for large blocks of stock.
Traditionally, the wealthiest retail clients of investment firms demanded a greater level of service, product offering and sales personnel than were received by the average clients. With an increase in the number of affluent investors in recent years, there has been an increasing demand for sophisticated financial solutions and expertise throughout the world.
The CFA Institute curriculum on "Private Wealth Management" indicates that there are two primary factors that distinguish the issues facing individual investors from those of institutions.