What do investors want?

It goes without saying that investors want to see their money grow. However, it turns out that why investors want their money to grow changes considerably, depending on who you are talking to.

In Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom, saving for retirement is the primary investment goal for 70% or more of all respondents. However, in Europe and Asia, there is a much wider diversity of investment goals.

In Germany and France, for example, close to a quarter of respondents mentioned that saving for an emergency was their primary goal, behind saving for retirement. Meanwhile, in the UAE and in China, the primary investment goal was not retirement – it was instead saving to start a business (UAE) and setting up family and/or beneficiaries for success (China). It’s not just geographical boundaries, the level of economic development, and the local culture that impacts investment goals.

Another factor is generational: Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials are at very different stages of life, and each generation has their own quirky preferences, anyway. Not surprisingly, as people get older, their goals shift away from making immediate big-ticket purchases, and holding riskier investments for a higher rate of return. Later on in life, goals are more focused on retirement and maximizing wealth. That said, there are some anomalies in the above data that are interesting. For example, Millennials – not Baby Boomers – are most concerned about building wealth to pass onto their heirs. Finally, it is the Millennials that are willing to pay the most for investment advice, in order to get the best possible result.