The State of Alternative Investments in Wealth Management 2025
The third annual survey report shares key findings on how over 500 financial advisors are thinking about alternatives in their portfolios today.
Nine in ten financial advisors (92%) currently incorporate alternative investments in client portfolios, with 91% planning to increase allocations over the next two years, according to the third annual independent survey conducted by CAIS and Mercer.
The 2025 survey report uncovers insights from over 500 financial advisors exploring key themes including current allocations across key alternative asset classes and expected adjustments over the next few years.
Key findings include:
- Momentum Building for Certain Asset Classes: Private debt (89%), PE (86%), and real estate (85%) remain the top asset classes advisors are currently allocated to and more than half expect to increase allocations to infrastructure, compared to 32% in 2023.
- Model Portfolios as a Top Resource: Over three-quarters of advisors (77%) are either using or considering model portfolios for alternative investments, with nearly half (47%) relying on them as a primary resource when allocating to alternatives.
- 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.
"The findings underscore the importance of equipping advisors with the same high-quality resources and due diligence capabilities that institutions have benefitted from,"
US Financial Intermediaries Leader, Mercer
Discover key insights from the third annual CAIS-Mercer Alternative Investment Survey
Join us January 29th to explore the findings from the third annual CAIS-Mercer Alternative Investment Survey.
Orly Krause, Principal Consultant at Mercer will be joined by Linge Sun, Senior Vice President, Investment Strategy at CAIS and Gregg Sommer, US Financial Intermediaries Leader at Mercer, to examine how financial advisors are strategically approaching allocations to alternative investments.