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2025 Report

The State of Alternative Investments in Wealth Management

How Are Advisors Adapting to the Changing Role of Alternatives?

Discover key insights from the third annual CAIS-Mercer Alternative Investment Survey, where hundreds of financial advisors shared their perspectives on allocating to alternative investments. Survey responses were collected in September and October 2024.

Want to explore how financial advisors like you are integrating alternatives into their portfolios?

This report is for you.

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Browse the Findings
Flip through below to see some of the insights we collected from our survey. Want more? Fill out the form above to download the full report.

The State of Alternative Investments in Wealth Management

Our report, The State of Alternative Investments in Wealth Management, delves into the tools and strategies advisors are using, the private market themes shaping their decisions, and how allocations to alternative asset classes and structured notes are evolving.

What Advisors Shared With Us
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Broad Adoption of Alternatives

Ninety-two percent (92%) of surveyed advisors already allocate to alternatives, with 91% planning to increase their alts allocations in the next two years.

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Industry Integrations Matter

Roughly two-thirds (66%) of advisors emphasized the importance of integrations, such as connections with custodians and fund administrators, in their investment technology.

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Tech Tools Outrank Traditional Resources

Over half (54%) of advisors we surveyed rely on portfolio construction tools, while fewer turn to fellow advisors (21%) or wholesalers (24%) when building their portfolios.

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Model Portfolios as a Top Resource

Over three-quarters of advisors (77%) are either using or considering model portfolios for alternative investments.

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Advisors Considering Registered Alts Funds

Sixty-six percent (66%) of advisors prefer registered funds, such as BDCs and interval funds, when investing in new alternative strategies..

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Momentum Building for Alts Asset Classes

While most advisors again plan to increase allocations to private equity and private debt, we also saw more interest this year in infrastructure, structured notes, and real estate.

How Access to Alternative Investments Potentially Helps Advisors’ Businesses

Differentiates your practice from peers
 
86%
Helps your clients meet their goals and objectives
 
75%
Helps you win new clients
 
63%
Helps you gain wallet share with existing clients
 
55%

Results are based on 550 responses. Respondents could select all that apply.

For more information, read the press release from CAIS and Mercer.

Any questions? Connect with our team.

This communication is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, any security or investment product. It does not purport to completely describe any security, investment product or service. CAIS does not provide any investment planning, legal, regulatory, tax, compliance or other advice and neither the Information, nor any prior or subsequent communications from or with CAIS or its representatives, should be construed as any such advice. Investment advisors and all investors should ensure that they have independently obtained sufficient information to ascertain the legal, financial, tax and regulatory consequences of any investments they consider. CAIS Capital, LLC and its affiliates (together “CAIS”) are not fiduciaries or advisors with respect to any financial services or products mentioned herein. The Information is subject to change, may be revised without notice, does not purport to be a complete description of any security, investment product or service, and should not be relied upon as the basis for an investment decision or for any other purposes whatsoever. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

© 2025 CAIS LLC. All Rights Reserved.