Over one-third of investors seeking advice as trusted source
Australian investors are increasingly turning towards trusted sources of information, according to HSBC, with financial advisers holding strong as the top source.
The bank’s Investor Insights Survey, canvassing over 1,000 respondents aged over 18, saw the number of Australians seeking investment information rise from 85 per cent last year to 92 per cent in 2025.
Meanwhile, the proportion of investors who do not seek investment information declined from 15 per cent to 8 per cent.
Financial advisers continue to be the number source of investor information, growing from 26 per cent in 2024 to 34 per cent this year.
Market research and industry or analyst reports increased from 21 per cent to 30 per cent, while banks slightly grew from 22 per cent to 25 per cent.
“The survey results indicate investors are turning towards ‘trusted’ sources of information, potentially as a way to assist them in taking a holistic view of their finances,” described Donahue D’Souza, HSBC Australia’s head of investments.
“It’s positive to see more Australians turning to a financial adviser for their wealth management needs, as having credible and trusted guidance is important during a period of market uncertainty.”
D’Souza told Money Management it’s likely more investors are seeing the value in seeking guidance from an adviser and are willing to invest in education in the short term to embed in the long run.
The head of investments added: “The main benefit of having a financial adviser is that they zoom out and take a holistic view of their client’s finances, and they may see things that you don’t. An adviser is able to provide guidance on how best to support your financial goals, with investing being one part of this.”
In regards to social media, YouTube held the most popular platform position for investment information at 12 per cent, unchanged from last year. This was followed by Facebook at 8 per cent, Instagram at 7 per cent, TikTok at 6 per cent, and LinkedIn at 4 per cent.
Moreover, HSBC discovered that saving for an emergency fund is the most common reason for investing over the next five years at 40 per cent of respondents, alongside paying for a holiday at 25 per cent, and buying a house at 22 per cent.
Other drivers include passing on funds to the next generation (21 per cent) and paying for children’s expenses (19 per cent).
Australian investors are also monitoring their investments more frequently this year, the research highlighted, with the amount of investors monitoring at least monthly up from 67 per cent to 76 per cent. Those not monitoring at all fell from 10 per cent to just 2 per cent.
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Jasmine Siljic
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