The Citigroup Private Bank Global Survey of Most Affluent Group Ever Polled Reveals Geographic...

NEW YORK -- The appearance of distinct geographic preferences in wealth behavior and investing preferences among the world's ultra-affluent is one of the intriguing findings from The Citigroup Private Bank Survey of the World's Wealthiest Families: Wealth Management Attitudes and Perspectives.

The study also revealed a number of surprising global themes such as the tendency of ultra-affluent investors to question broad asset allocation strategies and a tendency to fall into some of the same pitfalls as the wider investor population when making investment decisions.

The Citigroup Private Bank conducted a global survey of many of the most affluent investors in the world on their views on how they manage their wealth, their investment priorities and their risk profiles. Considered to be the most affluent group ever polled, the survey consisted of investors with a net worth of more than $25 million -- and more than 60 percent of survey participants had a net worth in excess of $100 million. The survey is a compilation of findings from 120 in-depth one-on-one interviews with investors in the U.S., Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific Region. The interviews and development of the findings were supported by McKinsey & Company, an international management consulting firm.

"While every wealthy family is unique and may reach decisions somewhat differently, the survey results reveal clear, regional preferences in investing and some dominant attitudes toward wealth," said Todd S. Thomson, CEO of Citigroup Global Wealth Management. "To see past the cliches regarding global wealth, we think this survey is a valuable tool to help us understand how people from different parts of the world plan their investments, how they make decisions, and what they hope to achieve with their wealth. What we see is that the responses vary when coming from an investor from the United States, Europe, Asia or Latin America."

Regional Trends:

--Among other findings, it was shown that, compared to other regions, US investors have the strongest demand for and knowledge of alternative products.

--Investors in the Middle East prefer real estate and capital protected products.

--Europeans are increasingly interested in hard assets such as art or real estate.

--Asia Pacific investors are increasingly looking at local investment opportunities and are eager to learn what their options are to invest in local growth.