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Hmmm.

People know that integrity will help them in the business world. It can also boost their investment results. That's the finding of a recent survey of advisers at Ameriprise Financial Services. The study sought to find out the impact of various adviser traits on their investment results.

It studied 12 emotional and moral competencies, such as client service and self-confidence.

The results showed that the adviser's level of integrity played the biggest part in posting strong investment returns.

"Most people we deal with are high performers," said Rick Aberman, a founding partner of consulting firm Lennick Aberman Group, which like Ameriprise is based in Minneapolis and assisted with the survey. "We wanted to look at what differentiated those who are successful from those who are really successful."

Ameriprise paid for the study. It sought to find out whether emotional competency and integrity led to better performance, says Kris Petersen, the firm's general manager of financial planning and advice.

"I assumed the results would be better (for those who had more integrity), but not by as much as it was," she said.

Integrity showed up in advisers' ability to act the way they believe and to do what they say they will, Aberman says.

During my career, I've worked for three different brokerage firms and there I met some of the most dishonest people I've ever met in my life.

Posted by edelfenbein at September 26, 2007 10:28 AM