Financial advice growing as top source of investor info: Report

More than a third (34 per cent) of Australian investors have indicated they seek information from a financial adviser, taking out the top spot as a trusted source in HSBC’s fourth Investor Insights Survey.

The survey found that more Australians are seeking investment information more broadly, rising from 85 per cent in 2024 to 92 per cent in 2025.

“The survey results indicate investors are turning towards ‘trusted’ sources of information, potentially as a way to assist them in taking a holistic view of their finances,” said Donahue D’Souza, head of investments at HSBC Australia.

Having increased from 26 per cent last year, financial advisers maintained top position, however, banks slumped from the second spot despite moving from 21 per cent in 2024 to 25 per cent in 2025.

Replacing banks in second place is market research/industry and analyst reports, jumping from 21 per cent to 30 per cent this year, while the most popular social media platform for investment information is YouTube at 12 per cent – the same as 2024.

While there has been increasing concern around the potential dangers of social media “finfluencers”’, there was little growth in the space.

Facebook was second at 8 per cent, which was flat year-to-year, however Instagram lost relevance, moving from 9 per cent to 7 per cent.

TikTok and LinkedIn both gained a single percentage point as sources of information, to 6 per cent and 4 per cent, respectively.

According to HSBC, the most common driver for investing over the next five years is saving for an emergency fund (40 per cent), with paying for a holiday (25 per cent) and buying a house (22 per cent) the next two motivators on the list.

Gen Z is most likely to invest money to afford luxury items, the survey found, with 23 per cent indicating this among their goals.

“The current economic climate may be one reason investors are considering saving for an emergency,” D’Souza said.

“However, it is interesting to note that Gen Z are the most likely out of all generations to invest in order to buy luxury items. Shorter-term goals like buying a small luxury item may seem more achievable compared to saving for a house deposit right now.”

Also in the finding, HSBC said the perceived threshold to start investing has gone up, with Australian investors now believing a minimum of $18,002 is needed.

In 2024, the number was just $13,251, having fallen from $15,245 the prior year and $14,762 in 2022.

Much of this is due to younger Australians, with Gen Z putting the figure at $20,840 and Millennials $20,275 to start investing in 2025.