What value do wealth managers provide?

I'm not trying to upset anyone, and my questions here are genuine and looking for real answers... but what value do wealth managers actually provide? In my experience (internship), as well as talking to colleagues, they are essentially just an expensive friend to talk about the markets with, and a personal secretary to set up your investment accounts. From what I see (while there may be exceptions), they deploy most of their capital into managed accounts by other firms, AI investments managed by other firms, and some basic mutual/ETF investing in their "proprietary portfolios." I get that they can maybe help with some allocation advise, but why would someone not use a basic discount broker for this? To me, it seems like the higher end wealth managers are just highly paid hand-holders. I'd love to hear other opinions...

2 Comments
 

Dolorem non molestiae sunt sequi ex vel. Aut quia vel ut consectetur quibusdam. Doloremque earum in unde corrupti voluptatem iste et. Molestiae et dignissimos et omnis. Quia cum eum vitae voluptas sint voluptates atque.

Sequi maiores in expedita recusandae aliquam harum. Neque asperiores iure ratione aut qui blanditiis exercitationem. Unde fugit sed velit. Aliquam assumenda rerum aliquam dolores vero labore vitae.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”