The Role and Meaning of Trust in Financial Institutions

Trust at all levels in society has been in decline since the 1960's. Once respected and venerated institutions have seen their trust levels fall. Where at one time we assumed trust, now we question trust. This is especially critical when it applies to those individuals and institutions we entrust with our money. This study examines the wealth management sector of the financial services industry. This sector is highly sensitive to issues of trust as individual and institutional investors, regulators, and other stakeholders try to maximize returns in an unpredictable environment. When certainty is not possible, we turn to analysts, industry experts, gurus and others for direction. How do we know we can trust them; that their advice isn't biased? This qualitative study explores attitudes towards trust from the the perspective of clients, regulators, advisors, senior executives, experts and other stakeholders. The findings speak to the complexity of trust and its multi-dimensionality. It doesn't provide definitive answers to the question of who can you trust? The conclusion: It depends....