Commentary: Three ways advisers can navigate the paradox of invisible value

Advisers should adjust their approach to clients during volatile periods to avoid the ‘paradox of invisible value’. That can mean, during these times, clients don’t fully appreciate the value being delivered through advice, according to Hymans Robertson Investment Services (HRIS). 

To navigate this, advisers can focus on three key elements during volatile periods. First, conversations about decision-making in times of crisis are vital, reminders about positive impacts and successes from advice intervention are needed and, costly mistakes that have been avoided should be highlighted as successes in improving long-term outcomes. Talking clients through these three points will help protect them and to see the true value of what their adviser is offering in turbulent times. It also shifts the conversation away from cost versus performance, keeping them on track to achieve their long term goals, adds the leading DFM.

Commenting on why it’s important for advisers to recognise the paradox of invisible value, our Head of Key Accounts, Kate Rainbow, says:

Some of the most valuable contributions advisers make are behavioural, helping clients stay disciplined when it matters most. Whether it’s preventing a knee-jerk sale during a downturn or steering clients away from trying to time the market, these interventions can make a huge difference to long-term outcomes. The best advice for clients during periods of market volatility is often to do nothing, but that can feel deeply counterintuitive when they’re faced with panic-inducing headlines.

The difficulty is that the value of advice in this context can be hard for clients to see. When advisers are advocating ‘doing nothing’ it can feel as though no value is being delivered. If advisers don’t actively acknowledge and communicate about this, they risk missing a powerful opportunity to deepen client relationships. By leaning into this paradox of invisible value, advisers can set clearer expectations early, about how they will support clients through periods of stress.

Handled well, this becomes more than just reassurance.  It strengthens engagement, builds trust, and reinforces the role of advice in protecting long-term goals. Especially during volatile periods, making the unseen value of disciplined advice visible is one of the most effective ways to keep clients on track.

Commenting on how working through the paradox of invisible value with clients benefits them, Kate says:

If clients are more aware of all the points in their journey, where steady consistent advice had benefited them and, they were able to think differently about the decision-making process, they’ll be less likely to take knee-jerk decisions and better positioned to appraise the service they receive.