The funding trade’s best asset has at all times been its individuals. As populations age and careers lengthen, that asset is altering in methods corporations can’t ignore. In line with analysis from Stanford[1], dwelling to 100 is more and more turning into the norm in lots of nations together with the USA, with our careers anticipating to stretch over 60 years, underscoring how longer, more healthy lives are redrawing the boundaries of labor.
For funding corporations and professionals alike, this longevity shift is rewriting the foundations of profession development. Whereas a lot of the dialogue round getting older focuses on altering consumer priorities, notably wealth switch and pensions[2], the higher disruption might come from inside. That’s, how you can handle as much as 5 generations of execs beneath one roof, preserve them studying, and maintain productiveness and well-being throughout longer, less-linear careers.
To discover these challenges, CFA Institute carried out a literature evaluate and interviews with trade consultants. Our findings spotlight six themes with sensible actions for leaders in search of to align longevity, inclusion, and agency efficiency.
1. Managing Multigenerational Funding Groups
An funding agency’s worth lies, largely, in its human capital. Capital is more and more formed by totally different working generations[3], starting from Traditionalists to Era Z, which is a dynamic that may carry intergenerational friction. Corporations ought to concentrate on three conflicts[4]–[5]:
Habits-based: variations in communication kinds.
Worth-based: conflicting work values, equivalent to autonomy versus objective.
Identification-based conflicts: stereotypes and perceptions between generations.
How conflicts are skilled range by profession stage. Junior analysts might battle to really feel heard by senior colleagues with extra conventional values. Mid-career portfolio managers typically stability expectations from each junior and senior workers. Chief Funding Officers (CIOs) face the problem of aligning multigenerational groups round shared targets regardless of differing work kinds.
Advisable Actions
In line with the AARP, 83% of worldwide executives in 36 OECD nations see multigenerational workforces as key to long-term success[6]. Nonetheless, reactive battle administration is unsustainable. Corporations ought to contemplate:
Proactive measures like reverse mentoring that empower youthful members to help others as mentors, intergenerational studying to foster data trade and engagement throughout all ranges[7], and communication protocols to shut generational gaps.
Shared management fashions that give all workers, no matter age or profession stage, a voice in decision-making to foster inclusion and collaboration.
2. Redefining Profession Paths for Longer Working Lives
To maintain dwelling requirements and deal with labor shortages from declining delivery charges, the OECD predicts that many nations will want individuals to work past conventional retirement ages of 60 or 65[8]. An identical pattern seems in our Way forward for Work analysis, the place 10% of 11,000 CFA Institute members surveyed globally have been aged 61 and older[9].
Longer careers impression funding roles in another way. Analysts might take a versatile method to early growth, preferring to build up normal data first over instantly specializing in a selected sector or trade. This typically entails altering corporations and jobs comparatively ceaselessly — a sample that’s turning into more and more frequent amongst early-career professionals throughout sectors, lots of whom keep in roles for not than two years[10].
Mid-career portfolio managers might repeatedly upskill in line with evolving consumer wants. Lastly, CIOs will possible undertake long-term methods, together with succession planning, data retention, and versatile position design, to take care of group stability as profession spans lengthen.
Advisable Actions
Have common conversations with workers to know evolving profession targets, upskilling goals, and anticipate adjustments like delayed retirement.
Discover versatile hiring fashions like job sharing and part-time roles to show demographic shifts into strategic benefits and sort out labor shortages.
3. Getting ready for the Nice Wealth Switch
Inhabitants getting older means extra shoppers will possible need to stability earnings technology with capital development in later life in anticipation of dwelling and dealing longer. This contrasts with conventional decumulation methods that target earnings (drawdown). Longevity can also be altering who manages wealth: globally, ladies outlive males by 5 to 6 years and, in the USA, widowed ladies are anticipated to inherit virtually $40 trillion from their spouses[11]–[12]. Funding professionals in any respect profession levels should adapt mushy and technical expertise to serve shoppers over longer relationships, lots of whom will possible be ladies.
Advisable Actions
Leverage a extra granular method to analyzing demographic shifts. For instance, recognizing the distinct traits of micro-segments, equivalent to people which can be self-sufficient versus these which can be care-dependent, will help to sharpen funding technique and enrich consumer engagement.
Deepen technical experience in retirement earnings methods, longevity danger, and monetary literacy to help long-term consumer outcomes.
4. Constructing Well being and Resilience into Agency Tradition
Well being is central to the longevity dialog. Whereas consumer funding traits are shifting, the expectations funding professionals have towards their employers are evolving as nicely. Particularly, whereas the high-pressure atmosphere attribute of the funding trade has been current throughout all profession levels, longer profession spans imply these calls for now lengthen additional into later life[13]. Moreover, as professionals stay within the workforce for longer, they’re extra more likely to expertise age-related persistent well being circumstances whereas nonetheless working, which has value implications for employers[14].
Concurrently, ideas like “profitable getting older”[15] are putting higher emphasis on holistic well being help. Because of this, corporations could also be more and more anticipated to rethink conventional well being protection and spending to incorporate help for psychological well being and social connection, alongside bodily well being wants that emerge as we reside and work longer.
Advisable Actions
Broaden office initiatives. Contemplate proactive healthcare screenings, wholesome getting older training, and resilience coaching to help longer, more healthy working lives.
Configure bodily workspace with ergonomic and age-friendly designs, together with adjustable furnishings, improved lighting, and accessible layouts.
5. Bridging Digital Gaps Throughout Generations
Willingness is commonly assumed to be the defining issue for adopting AI and digital applied sciences[16]. A latest survey, nonetheless, discovered that variations in adoption charges are extra intently linked to variations in studying kinds throughout generations at the moment within the workforce[17]. This means that as funding corporations spend money on new applied sciences to fulfill the evolving wants of shoppers throughout an prolonged lifespan, equivalent to for retirement planning, it’s important that workers are sufficiently educated to make use of these instruments successfully. This coaching ought to help totally different studying kinds to assist all group members excel.
Advisable Actions
Optimize inclusion in coaching. Fast fixes contain providing coaching by way of totally different codecs, equivalent to hands-on workshops and digital tutorials. Adjusting program content material to deal with different studying kinds throughout generations would symbolize a significant long-term enchancment.
Domesticate lifelong studying. Offering on-line and offline alternatives to be taught and rewarding workers’ efforts to undertake new applied sciences can each be thought-about.
6. Supporting Caregivers and Retaining Mid-Profession Expertise
Extra professionals are balancing work with unpaid eldercare: 37.1 million Individuals are caring for these aged 65 and older[18]. This burden falls heaviest on the “sandwich technology” (sometimes aged 40 to 59), who present each little one and elder care. These obligations fall disproportionately onto ladies[19].
In funding corporations, mid-career professionals equivalent to portfolio managers are most affected. In our Way forward for Work report, the typical age of portfolio managers we surveyed was 42[20], an age the place many professionals are navigating each profession calls for and rising caregiving obligations. Moreover, analysts might face oblique pressure when masking for colleagues on prolonged caregiving depart, even when they’re sometimes at an earlier stage in life and fewer more likely to have elder care duties themselves. Lastly, CIOs should stability sustaining group productiveness with supporting workers who’ve caregiving obligations.
Advisable Actions
Assist handle elder care and work. This consists of increasing well being advantages to cowl dependents, growing paid caregiving depart insurance policies[21], and establishing worker useful resource teams that improve peer help.
Proactively equip workers and managers. Put together workers with out present caregiving roles for future obligations by way of focused training and assets, and prepare managers to successfully navigate work–care conversations.
The Backside Line
Responding to the six themes requires effort, however resisting change prices extra. In a 2024 survey with 1,200 respondents, 32% of US workers offering elder care to an grownup member of the family or beloved one took depart, 27% diminished working hours, and 16% declined promotions, all impacting productiveness[22]. In Hong Kong SAR, elder care duties will value employers an estimated $921 million (7.2 billion HKD) by 2060 on account of missed profession developments[23]. In the meantime, UK employers lose $41 billion (30.8 billion GBP) yearly on account of misplaced output ensuing from early retirements, ill-health, and caregiving-related resignations[24].
Trying Forward
Longevity is undoubtedly shaping the funding occupation, and corporations ought to begin planning to strategically maximize the worth of their human capital. However long-term success requires ongoing dialogue to remain forward of demographic shifts and guarantee technique evolves consistent with such adjustments. This submit marks the start of this dialog. Watch this house.
[1] Stanford Middle on Longevity (2022) The New Map of Life a Report from the Stanford Middle on Longevity
[2] Goldman Sachs (2025) Tips on how to Make investments because the International Inhabitants Ages
[3] Ratanjee, V. (2025) ‘Main the 5-Era Workforce: From Age Gaps to Benefits’, Forbes
[4] Ozolina, J., Saitere, S. and Gaile-Sarkane, E. (2024) ‘Bridging Generational Gaps: Lowering Battle and Enhancing Collaboration in Office’, Proceedings of the twenty eighth World Multi-Convention on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics (WMSCI 2024)
[5] Appelbaum, S.H., Bhardwaj, A., Goodyear, M., Gong, T., Sudha, A.B. and Wei, P. (2022) ‘A Research of Generational Conflicts within the Office’, European Journal of Enterprise and Administration Analysis, 7(2), pp. 7-15.
[6] AARP (2020) International Insights on the Multigenerational Workforce
[7] Rupčić, N. (2018) ‘Intergenerational Studying and Information Switch – Challenges and Alternatives’, The Studying Group: An Worldwide Journal, 25(2), pp. 135-142.
[8] OECD (2025) OECD Employment Outlook 2025
[9] CFA Institute (2022) The Way forward for Work in Funding Administration
[10] Constancy Investments (2022) Constancy Research Exhibits Younger Professionals on the Transfer: Six-in-Ten Have Modified Jobs Through the Pandemic or Count on to Be at a Completely different Firm Inside Two Years
[11] Cerulli Associates (2024) Cerulli Anticipates $124 Trillion in Wealth Will Switch By way of 2048
[12] Dattani, S. and Rodés-Guirao, L. (2023) Why Do Ladies Stay Longer Than Males?
[13] Funding Banking Council of America (2024) The Reality Behind 100-Hour Work Weeks in Funding Banking
[14] Marsh McLennan Company (2025) 2025 Worker Well being and Advantages Tendencies
[15] Fernández-Ballesteros, R. (2019) ‘Chapter 1 The Idea of Profitable Getting older and Associated Phrases’, in Fernández-Ballesteros, R., Benetos, A. and Robine, J-M (2019) The Cambridge Handbook of Profitable Getting older. Cambridge: Cambridge College Press, pp. 6-12.
[16] Ferdous, S. (2023) Are Older Employees Prepared for an AI Takeover at Work?
[17] Era (2024) Age Proofing AI: Enabling an Intergenerational Workforce to Profit from AI
[18] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2023) Celebrating Nationwide Household Caregivers Month with BLS Knowledge
[19] Caregiver Motion Community (2025) The Sandwich Era: Balancing Take care of Mother and father and Kids
[20] CFA Institute (2022) The Way forward for Work in Funding Administration
[21] Dychtwald, Okay., Fulmer, T., Morison, R. and Terveer, Okay. (2025) Your Firm Wants an Eldercare Coverage
[22] Cobbe, T., Mumford, D., Mantooth, J., Van Gaal, C., Balint, A., Wrobel, M., Raimondi, A. and Keenan, T.A. (2024) ‘Working Whereas Caregiving: It’s Difficult’, S&P International
[23] HSBC (2019) Eldercare Hong Kong The Projected Societal Price of Eldercare in Hong Kong 2018 to 2060
[24] Smith, E. (2025) ‘The Ageing Workforce Needs to be Central to UK Progress Ambitions’, The Monetary Occasions
