The world of banking and wealth management has come a long way in a short time.

Thanks to the intelligent use of technology, several new platforms have developed wealth management capabilities comparable to established private banks. In Switzerland, digital banks like Alpian Bank offer a similar level of personalization while keeping a focus on convenience and cost-efficiency. With several new digital options to choose from, how do you decide what works best for you?

6 Questions to Evaluate a Wealth Manager

Selecting a wealth manager can be complicated for several reasons. However, finding the right partner starts with asking the right questions.

1. Do I trust them?

The first and most obvious question. Trust is the bedrock of any partnership that impacts your financial future. To evaluate the reputation of a wealth manager, explore their history, read client testimonials, and find out about their regulatory compliance.

2. Is their pricing reasonable and transparent?

Many wealth managers charge high management fees and come with additional costs that are often easy to miss. Over time, these costs can add up and impact your long-term returns. While a high fee is not reason enough to discount a financial partner, it’s a bad sign when services don’t make this information accessible. It pays to stop and ask yourself how easy it was to find a potential wealth manager’s pricing information.

3. Does their investment philosophy match mine?

An investment philosophy is simply the beliefs and principles that guide investing decisions. If you prefer to think long-term and the idea of high-risk investing makes you uncomfortable, choosing an investment partner that believes in the opposite – short-term growth and high-risk investments – is a recipe for sleepless nights. All serious wealth managers have documents that spell out their investment philosophy so you can decide if their strategies match your risk tolerance and long-term vision.

4. Do they make my life easier or more complicated?

Financial services that believe they are exempt from offering exceptional digital experiences are in for a rude awakening. Technology has levelled the playing field in a sense. However, don’t be surprised to find several laggards in the space. Many traditional banks struggle to offer the most basic digital banking services. Meanwhile, other do-it-yourself digital platforms overwhelm users with funds and ETFs without giving them guidance on what’s best. Why settle for either?

5. How personalised is their service?

A truly tailored approach to investing begins with a portfolio that perfectly fits your needs and goals. And because no two investors are the same, no two portfolios are the same. It’s a revolutionary idea that banks like Alpian are bringing to life today, thanks to a blend of technology and human guidance. Why? Apart from accounting for your investing objectives, a personalised portfolio can offer greater performance in alignment with your values and investing preferences.

6. Do they get results?

While past performance is never a guarantee of future results, a strong track record can tell you a lot about a wealth manager’s capabilities. Before entrusting the growth of your portfolio to a wealth manager, ask them about their investment performance, strategies, and the outcomes they have achieved for their clients.

Alpian – The Spirit of Modern Swiss Banking

Amongst the various Swiss wealth management services, Alpian stands out as an example of a service that balances expert human guidance with intuitive technology to offer a seamless banking and investing experience.

Easy to use: From the moment you open an account, Alpian’s focus on convenience becomes clear. Through a step-by-step process that takes roughly 10 minutes, the app helps you to create your investor profile and curates a portfolio tuned to your unique profile.
Ultra Personalisation: The portfolio that Alpian builds for you is tailored to your unique goals, needs, and risk appetite. You have the flexibility to customise your portfolio by adding or removing investments based on your preferences. Alpian also offers three ways to manage your portfolio based on your interest, knowledge and time.
Affordable private banking with no hidden fees: Compared to many conventional private banks that demand you deposit a minimum of CHF 1 million to start investing, Alpian starts at a fraction of the cost, with their fully discretionary mandate starting as low as CHF 30,000. Add a fee structure that’s fair and flat, it’s easy to see how Alpian ensures that your hard-earned money stays invested.
A long-term investing philosophy: Alpian prioritizes sustainable, long-term growth over chasing short-term trends. Their focus ensures your portfolio grows steadily and consistently over time.
Curated ETFs: Alpian carefully handpicks high-quality ETFs for your portfolio. The rigorous selection process prioritizes diversity and ensures your holdings are well-diversified across asset classes and geographical regions. Alpian can invest in up to 21 different sub-asset classes, ranging from equity to fixed income, commodities, and digital assets. All products are selected with your best interest in mind and have daily liquidity.

The Magic of Active Management

Unlike most do-it-yourself digital wealth managers and robo advisors, Alpian goes beyond simply selecting the right investments. Their team of wealth specialists actively manages your portfolio to enhance performance:

Market-driven adjustments: Alpian experts employs tactical adjustments within your portfolio to make the most of market opportunities and mitigate potential risks. They apply their market insights to your strategy, selecting specific financial instruments and adjusting asset class weightings, always keeping a long-term perspective in mind. For example, the investment team can supplement the core strategy by underweighting or overweighting certain asset classes to capture short-term market opportunities or to help portfolios navigate challenging economic environments.

Portfolio Rebalancing: Financial markets can change in a flash. With Alpian’s dynamic rebalancing, your portfolio stays aligned with your strategic objectives, no matter how the market turns. Through continuous portfolio realignment, Alpian ensures that your investments stay consistent with your goals and needs.

Alpian is 100% digital. And 100% human.

Is Alpian a digital bank or a private bank? The honest answer is that Alpian sits right in between, offering digital banking and wealth management services with a genuine human touch.

Free consultation with experts: Despite its digital focus, Alpian offers personalised guidance through a team of dedicated wealth advisors who are available to offer support and answer your investment-related questions.

Exceptional client care: With a 4.9-star rating for service quality, it’s evident that client satisfaction is a top priority at Alpian.
Satisfaction over sales: Another unique quality of Alpian is their focus on client goals and satisfaction over profit, to the extent that it’s a key metric by which their teams are evaluated.

Learn More & Get Started

Choosing a partner to manage your money is a significant step. Consider what matters to you, and don’t shy away from first-hand research. Start with Alpian and dive deeper to make an informed decision.

LUXMAG

Use our code LUXMAG to benefit from special conditions, including 100 CHF offered when you open your free Alpian account. Enter the code during signup and start investing today!

© Alpian

Digital Wealth Management – How to Make a Smart Choice