Affluent Americans Make Major Adjustment to their Investment Strategies.

As affluent Americans gain confidence in the economy and markets, primary investment objectives change from capital preservation to capital appreciation.

(PRWEB) November 7, 2003 --In the spring of 2003, as many affluent Americans invested primarily for preservation of capital (41%) as for capital appreciation (41%). Today, just six months later, 58% of affluent Americans say their primary investment objective is capital appreciation while only 25% say it is preservation of capital. It is only among those who are 60 or older that capital preservation is more important than growth.

Income was the primary investment of only 12% of the survey participants under the age of 60, but 26% of those 60 and older.

These figures are from the Fall 2003 Survey of Affluent Americans, conducted by the American Affluence Research Center in October. This semi-annual survey focused on the wealthiest 10% of all U.S. households. With incomes averaging $270,000, these 11 million households earn 40% of the total income of all Americans. Their net worth averages $2.7 million and they hold 85% of the total value of all publicly traded stock and stock mutual funds.

The survey shows that the affluent have become more bullish about business conditions, the stock market, their own household income, and their ability to save and invest. The composite 12-Month Economic Outlook Index for these indicators increased from a moderately optimistic 129 six months ago to a more upbeat 141.

Despite the increased optimism, the 32% who feel they are financially more secure today than 24 months ago only slightly exceeds the 31% who feel less secure. It is only among the very wealthiest that those who feel more secure outnumber those who feel less secure by a substantial margin.

This survey has a maximum margin of error of five percentage points.

The complete 35-page report is available for $295 from AARC. (For editorial purposes, media copies are available at no charge.)

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The AARC is a marketing research company that focuses on the values, lifestyles, attitudes, and purchasing behavior of the most affluent segments of the population.