Financial Services Industry Report -- What will happen in the next ten years? Ten years can seem like a long time in the financial industry -- recall how what seems like eons ago, but really was only a few years in historical time, when "the dot-com boom brought home how trend-conscious investors can be," regarding stocks. Regardless, the shaky performance of today's current 'recovered' economy, because of the skyrocketing price of oil and an uncertain economic future means that new investment strategies and relations with financial institutions are necessary both in the short-term and with an eye upon ten years in the future. True, "it's been a recovery year, but not one that's been broad in industry specifics," notes FBR Financial Services' Dave Ellison in a recent interview with TheStreet.com's Ian McDonald. (McDonald, 2004)

Ellison believes that in ten years, or even in ten months the big "brokerages and investment banks," won't be "riding high." Smaller and more boutique-style financial services are coming to t he forefront, because customers want more personal relationships with their financial services providers.

Investment strategies are become more diverse and tailored...

More and more the financial services sector is opting for new investment strategies, such as passive investment. This will mean that "index funds" will track more specialized areas "such as value stocks, emerging markets, or even industry sectors." Newer, so-called passive rather than aggressive or active investment strategies will emphasize long-term growth rather than short-term growth, even for wealthier investors. Examples of such "passive" strategies include "exchange traded funds" (ETFs), which are securities that trade on a stock exchange but mimic the performance of an index, much like index funds." Now those passive investment strategies "have become part of the mainstream, some of the lines between the passive and active camps are blurring. Some financial advisors use both passive and active strategies for their clients -- using an index fund for a core portfolio and applying active strategies to "satellite" portfolios, in an effort to gain the best of both worlds: low costs with market-beating performance." ("Active vs. Passive," 2004)
Other international fund managers, rather than trying to predict the growth of an industry or a region,…