People choosing a wealth manager, a family office or an advisory firm are making a decision about trust. They are handing over money, sensitive information or a decision that cannot be undone. Yet many firms in this sector have websites that say very little: a mission statement, a photo of a city skyline, a list of values and a contact form.
A wealth management website does not need to be loud. It does need to show prospective clients what they are trying to find out: what you do, how you have done, who they will work with and how you think.
What a prospective client is trying to find out
A client, or a board, comparing firms usually wants to know:
- What you do and for whom. Which kinds of clients, mandates and asset levels?
- Your approach. How do you make decisions? What do you believe about markets or about advice?
- Your record. How have your strategies or clients fared over time?
- Who they will deal with. The partners and advisers, not just the firm.
- How you think. Written commentary or insights that show your reasoning.
- How to start. Is it an open enquiry, a referral or an invitation?
Most firms answer the first and skip the rest. The ones that show their record and their people tend to stand out.
The record, with compliance in the room
Many firms lead with values and hide the numbers. If you have a track record you are proud of, showing it is the most honest way to win mandates.
But in most jurisdictions, presenting investment performance is regulated. There are rules about which periods you show, whether returns are net or gross of fees, what benchmarks you compare against, and which risk warnings you must include. Before you publish any performance figures, involve your compliance team or adviser and follow the rules that apply to you.
Done properly, a track record page might include:
- Performance by strategy or model portfolio over standard periods
- A benchmark for comparison
- Whether figures are net or gross of fees
- The required risk warnings, placed where readers will see them
- The date the figures were last updated
If you cannot show performance, you can still show a record of a different kind: years in business, the types of client you serve, or outcomes you are allowed to describe.
Name the people
Clients in this sector are choosing people, not logos. Name the partners and advisers who will work with clients, with:
- A real photo
- Their role and what they focus on
- Relevant qualifications and experience
- A short note on how they work with clients
Advisory firms in particular benefit from naming the lead partner prominently. A board choosing an adviser for a single important decision wants to know who will be in the room.
Insights that show how you think
Written commentary is one of the best ways to show a prospective client how you reason. It does not need to be frequent. A quarterly letter, a note on a market event or a short piece on a question clients often ask can all work.
Keep insights:
- Specific to your approach and your clients
- Dated, so readers know when they were written
- Reviewed by compliance where needed
- Free of predictions you would not want to be held to
A content management system makes this easy. Each insight is an entry with a title, date and body, and the site updates itself.
Open enquiry or invitation
Firms take different approaches to new clients. Some welcome open enquiries. Some prefer referrals. Some, at the top end, work by invitation only. Your website should reflect which one you are, honestly.
- Open enquiry: a contact form asking for the essentials, with a note on what happens next.
- Referral-led: explain how referrals work and offer a way for introducers to get in touch.
- By invitation: a short request form, with a clear note that you will be in touch if there is a fit.
Three templates, three approaches
getsites has three Framer templates for this sector, each built around a different approach.
Halbrook (free) is for independent investment managers, wealth managers and family offices that compete on track record. It shows the approach, the mandates, full track record tables, the partners and insights. The track record and insights run on the CMS, so updating a quarter is a form fill. It has eight pages, six sample insight articles, a contact form, a full-screen phone menu, a branded 404 and a setup guide.
Halden (free) is for boutique advisory firms and consultancies. It names the founding partner in the hero, states the offer in one line and puts client outcomes with real numbers ahead of the services. It includes insights and case studies on the CMS, a contact form and a setup guide, and is written in British English.
Brookmere ($49) is a single-page template for boutique finance, wealth management and private advisory firms that work by invitation. It uses serif type, an emerald palette and a working invitation form.
Pick Halbrook if your record is your strongest argument. Pick Halden if you are an advisory firm selling the judgement of named partners. Pick Brookmere if you want a short, discreet single page for an invitation-led practice.
For more, see our lists of Framer templates for wealth managers and Framer templates for financial advisors.
Before you publish
Replace every demo figure, name and article with your own, and have compliance review the full site, including performance data, insights, risk warnings and any claims about services. Add your regulatory status and registration details where your regulator requires them. Connect the contact or invitation form to an inbox that someone checks daily.
A firm's website will rarely be the reason a client signs. It is often the reason they take the first meeting. Show the record, name the people and let your thinking speak for itself.