In Defense of Evidence-Based Wealth Management: Where’s the Beef?

Abstract

Wealth management is a profession that bridges the art and a science of the discipline and practice. It is argued that wealth management must be built upon a solid theoretical and empirical foundation, similar to that used in the medical profession, that guides practitioners to implement evidence-based wealth management recommendations. A client presenting the same financial/ wealth management data to two wealth managers should generally be given a similar set of recommendations. Public trust and the credibility of the wealth managementprofession depends upon a core body of knowledge, assessment of competency, upholding the ethics of the profession, and increasingly utilizing theory and empirical evidence from the academic literature of wealth management, financial planning, finance, economics, behavioral finance, communication, and other related disciplines, given the interdisciplinary nature of wealth management. After reading and reflecting upon this article, the reader should be able to articulate the case that wealth management is a profession and not simply a trade or craft; to define evidence-based wealth management andoffer an example; to list the characteristics of evidence-based wealth management; to differentiate between data and opinion; to identify the levels of analysis; and to differentiate between two wealth management practice models.In conclusion, the decision to practice evidence-based wealth management is not a matter of personal preference, but is an ethical choice that can also serve as the basis for an effective business model.