The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) released a survey on Tuesday which found that since the economic meltdown, middle-income clients of advisors have become more interested in products with risk-protection components. 

The survey, which polled 914 NAIFA members, found these products to be particularly of interest among investors nearing retirement age. More than eight of 10 advisors surveyed said clients in this group are seeking products that will protect their investment principal in the event of a down market.

The survey also found that seven out of 10 NAIFA members believe a regulation holding registered representatives to a fiduciary standard "would not result in those advisors doing a better job for their clients."

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Melanie Waddell

Melanie is senior editor and Washington bureau chief of ThinkAdvisor. Her ThinkAdvisor coverage zeros in on how politics, policy, legislation and regulations affect the investment advisory space. Melanie’s coverage has been cited in various lawmakers’ reports, letters and bills, and in the Labor Department’s fiduciary rule in 2024. In 2019, Melanie received an Honorable Mention, Range of Work by a Single Author award from @Folio. Melanie joined Investment Advisor magazine as New York bureau chief in 2000. She has been a columnist since 2002. She started her career in Washington in 1994, covering financial issues at American Banker. Since 1997, Melanie has been covering investment-related issues, holding senior editorial positions at American Banker publications in both Washington and New York. Briefly, she was content chief for Internet Capital Group’s EFinancialWorld in New York and wrote freelance articles for Institutional Investor. Melanie holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Towson University. She interned at The Baltimore Sun and its suburban edition.