The term “wealth management” is thrown around plenty, in the boardrooms of private client firms, in trade and mainstream articles and by financial advisors in front of clients. Still, most professionals are hard pressed to actually define the term with any degree of precision.

Wealth management is very straightforward. From the affluent individual’s perspective, wealth management is simply the science of solving/enhancing his or her financial situation. From the financial advisor’s perspective, wealth management is the ability of an advisor or advisory team to deliver a full range of financial services and products to an affluent client in a consultative way.

Theoretically, a wealth manager can provide every single financial product in existence. In reality most wealth managers specialize in services and products they feel most comfortable with.

A further defining quality of wealth management is that it is delivered in a consultative manner. By being consultative, wealth managers are truly client-centered. A good wealth manager meets a client without any presupposition about what financial products or services are appropriate for that affluent individual.

While it is common for a wealthy individual to be sitting with a wealth manager to address a particular need (investment management, say), the consultative wealth manager’s overriding objective is to understand the person and find out what’s important and why. Then the wealth manager is able to bring in the appropriate experts and provide the appropriate financial products.

In sum:

Wealth management is the consultative process of pursuing the needs and wants of affluent clients by providing the appropriate financial products and services.

Wealth management entails coordinating a team of experts to address the needs and wants of affluent clients.

- Forbes