NextGen is changing the advisor’s role

Expertise still matters. But its role is changing.

Clients who arrive with their own information and views often do not simply want to hear: “This is the right solution for you.”

They want to understand: Why are you recommending this? What are the alternatives? What are the consequences? And where can I have a say?

This does not mean advisors lose authority. On the contrary: transparency and participation can strengthen trust precisely when clients are already well informed and bring their own views. The advisor’s value shifts away from simply having an information advantage, and toward context, orientation, and better decisions.

Not every NextGen client wants the same level of involvement

Even within one generation, there is no single “right” form of advice. Some clients want a clear recommendation. Others prefer to weigh several options together. Still others arrive with specific views and primarily expect their advisor to put them into context or challenge them professionally.

In Germany, this shift is also reflected in the numbers: Among Generation Z savers, 48 percent own securities—significantly more than among Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers. About 40 percent of these young investors spend one to two hours a week managing their investments.
Source: Commerzbank, 2026, investment study “So investiert Deutschland” (over 3,200 respondents, surveyed by Ipsos)

That makes one question increasingly important: how does this client actually want to be advised?

What this means in practice

For wealth managers, this adds a dimension of personalization that is rarely captured systematically. Personalization is not only about the portfolio, but also about the form of collaboration. That requires understanding more than age, wealth, and investment horizon:

• How does this person make decisions?
• How important is autonomy to them?
• When do they seek orientation – and when not?
• How do they want to receive information?
• How much responsibility do they want to retain?

One simple question in conversation reveals a great deal: “Where would you like a clear recommendation from me – and where would you prefer to be more involved in the decision?”

For advisor networks, banks and advisory firms

Where many advisors work under the same brand or platform, this also becomes a question of consistency. Whether a NextGen client receives a clear recommendation or is more actively involved in the decision should not depend on the individual advisor’s personal style. A structured behavioral approach helps make advice both individual and consistent across the organization.

How BQ Advisory supports advisors

BQ Advisory helps wealth advisors make clients’ risk perceptions, values, preferences, and decision behavior more visible and structured. This provides an additional basis for advice that not only asks what fits the client, but also considers how that client wants to make decisions and be involved in the advisory process.

Because the easier information becomes to access, the more valuable something else becomes: truly understanding the client.

Key Takeaway

The easier information becomes to access, the less an information advantage decides – and the more it matters how well an advisor understands the client.

How do your clients actually want to be advised?

Discover how BQ Advisory helps make preferences, risk perceptions, and decision behavior more visible and structured:
Discover BQ Advisory

Your BehaviorQuant Team