High-net-worth individual

A high-net-worth individual (HNWI) is a person with a high net worth. In the private banking business, these individuals typically are defined as having investable assets (financial assets not including primary residence) in excess of US$1 million. As explained below, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has promulgated a different definition of "high net worth individual" for regulatory purposes.

World’s Wealth Report 2011

The Merrill Lynch - Capgemini World’s Wealth Report 2009 defines HNWIs as those who hold at least US$1 million in financial assets and ultra-HNWIs as those who hold at least US$30 million in financial assets, with both excluding collectibles, consumables, consumer durables and primary residences. The report states that in 2008 there were 8.6 million HNWIs worldwide, a decline of 14.9% from 2007. The total HNWI wealth worldwide totaled US$32.8 trillion, a 19.5% decrease from 2007. The ultra-HNWIs experienced the greater loss, losing 24.6% in population size and 23.9% in accumulated wealth. The report revised its 2007 projections that HNWI financial wealth would reach US$59.1 trillion by 2012 and revised this downward to a 2013 HNWI wealth valued at $48.5 trillion advancing at an annual rate of 8.1%.

Ultra high net worth individuals

Ultra high net worth individuals (UHNWIs) are individuals or families who have, by one definition, at least US$30 million in investable assets, or with a disposable income of more than US$20 million. The exact dividing lines depend on how a bank wishes to segment its market; for example, the term "very high net worth individuals" can refer to those with assets between $5 million and $50 million, with ultra high net worth individuals only those with above $50 million.

Banking and finance

Most global banks, such as Credit Suisse, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Citibank, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, JPMorgan Chase and UBS, have a separate business unit with designated teams consisting of client advisors and product specialists exclusively for UHNWI. Because of their extreme high net worth and the way their assets were generated, these clients are often considered to have characteristics similar to institutional investors.

Retail

Brands in various sectors, such as Bentley, Maybach and Rolls-Royce in motoring, actively target UHNWI and HNWI to sell their products. Figures gathered by Rolls-Royce suggest there are 80,000 people around the world with disposable income of more than $20 million. They have, on average, eight cars and three or four homes. Three-quarters own a jet aircraft and most have a yacht.

SEC regulations

See also: Accredited investor

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission requires all SEC-registered investment advisers to periodically file a report known as Form ADV. Among other things, Form ADV requires each investment adviser to state how many of his clients are "high net worth individuals." The Form ADV Glossary of Terms explains that a "high net worth individual" is an individual with at least $750,000 managed by the reporting investment adviser, or whose net worth the investment adviser reasonably believes exceeds $1,500,000 (or who is a "qualified purchaser" as defined in section 2(a)(51)(A) of the Investment Company Act of 1940). The net worth of an individual for SEC purposes may include assets held jointly with his or her spouse. Unlike the definitions used in the financial and banking trade, the SEC's definition of HNWI would include the value of a person's verifiable non-financial assets, such as a primary residence or art collection.

Academic studies of asset management trends

The Wharton Global Family Alliance whitepaper was released in 2008 to study the investment strategies of single family offices in the United States and in Europe. The research was segregated into sub-groups representing those with less than $1 billion in assets and those with assets above $1 billion. The study found that U.S. families reported a more aggressive attitude toward investment objectives than their counterparts in Europe. One recommendation of the WGFA study advised the advisors and family offices serving this niche to avoid complexity in the structure of portfolios. The authors cite that the more complex the portfolio and number of holdings, the more difficult the job of performing adequate governance, reporting, and education. The Institute for Private Investors, a peer networking organization for wealthy families and their advisors, suggested a similar theme to its membership in 2008 with a conference themed, "The Return to Simplicity". Kotak Wealth Management and CRISIL Research, published a report on the Ultra High Net Worth Individuals in India titled ‘Top of the Pyramid Report.’ Author and portfolio manager Niall Gannon suggested in Investing Strategies for the High Net Worth Investor: Maximize Returns on Taxable Portfolios that asset management for the ultra high net worth individual must be approached from a perspective which acknowledges the role of taxes in reducing portfolio returns. His research studied the S&P 500 index on an after-tax basis and found the return to be 6.63% after paying taxes at the top prevailing federal tax rate and a constant average of 6% for state taxes. The study covered the period from January 1, 1957- December 31, 2010. Additional results from Gannon's research found that a portfolio of municipal bonds out-performed the re-invested S&P 500 index in 17% of the rolling 20 year periods since the inception of the index. Gannon rejects the use of historical returns for future asset allocation modeling for high net worth investors. He argues that an observation of stock portfolio earnings yields (the inverse of the p/e ratio) are more indicative of the future return potential of the portfolio when modeled with the impact of taxation on performance.

See also

• Millionaire
• Billionaire
• Swiss bank
• Wealth
• Global assets under management

External links

• Rivkin, Annabel (2006-12-12). "How I make the rich richer". London: The Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/article667593.ece. Retrieved 2007-07-08.