Wealth of U.S. millionaires down 30 percent: survey

Tue Jan 6, 2009 12:07pm EST
 
[-] Text [+]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - American millionaires have seen their assets shrink by 30 percent during the economic crisis, a report said on Tuesday, with only 36 percent of them pleased with the performance of their financial advisers.

Of U.S. households worth $1 million or more, 55 percent are concerned they will not have enough assets to maintain their lifestyles, said Spectrem Group, a consulting firm specializing in the affluent and retirement markets.

Ninety percent fear a prolonged downturn, it said.

"While they blame the government and Wall Street directly for the situation, many millionaires are not happy with their advisors' performance and few say they will increase the work they give to advisors," said Catherine McBreen, managing director of Spectrem Group.

Only 14 percent said they would make more use of financial advisors in the future.

Seventeen percent of the millionaires took hits to their portfolios of more than 40 percent, according to the report "Attitudes of Affluent Investors on Surviving the Economic Crisis."

The report was based on online polling in November of 750 households with more than $1 million of net worth and from information gathered in focus groups in New York, Palm Beach, Seattle, Los Angeles and Chicago, Spectrem said.

(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by John O'Callaghan)

 
Photo

Editor's Choice

A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours.   Slideshow 

Most Popular on Reuters

  • Articles
  • Video
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks during a news conference in San Francisco, California July 3, 2009. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith
California braces for new state budget gap

California's fiscal watchdog will soon release a report pointing to yet another massive state budget deficit sure to trigger weeks if not months of angst in the state capital of Sacramento.  Full Article