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When financial advisors outsource their investment management,their client engagement and personal income increase and theirstress level decreases, according to a new survey commissioned andreleased by AssetMark Financial Holdings, a provider of investmentand technology solutions.

More than two-thirds of advisors in the study said outsourcinghelped them acquire new clients, and 98% said doing so allowed themto deliver better investment solutions.

Advisors also reported that outsourcing enabled them to servemore clients and provide a more consistent approach across theirbusiness. Such outcomes left them pleased with their decision tooutsource investment management, with 87% saying its benefits hadmet or exceeded their expectations.

"Prior to this study, there had been little documented evidenceof how outsourcing positively impacts financial advisors," NatalieWolfsen, chief solutions officer at AssetMark, said in astatement.

"In today's competitive landscape, outsourcing enables advisorsto increase capacity, gain scale and enhance their personalwell-being — all while staying on top of a shifting regulatorylandscape."

The study analyzed responses from 702 financial advisors, 560 ofwhom said they delegated a portion of their investment managementto a third party and 142 of whom did not currently outsource anyinvestment management. Researchers also conducted in-depthinterviews with advisors who outsourced more than 20% of theirinvestment management services.

According to the study, 86% of outsourcing advisors saidoutsourcing had made them more successful, and 84% noted thatoutsourcing enabled greater oversight of portfolios.

Seventy-eight percent regretted that they had not started tooutsource sooner.

Eight in 10 outsourcers in the study said they planned toincrease the percentage of assets they outsource.

Advisors who outsourced 20% to 49% of assets reported that doingsaved an average of 5.8 hours per week.