About This Report

The affluent market has always been attractive to companies, especially companies offering financial services. However, confusion about how to identify and design products and messages for affluent consumers has kept many companies from successfully targeting this lucrative segment. SRI Consulting Business Intelligence's MacroMonitor has measured and analyzed the financial services marketplace continuously since 1978. This report combines the financial expertise of the MacroMonitor and the consumer expertise of VALS™ to present a comprehensive picture of the financial behavior of the U.S. affluent market. Specifically, this report identifies a slice of the affluent population, the Mass Affluent, that constitutes a "sweet spot" in the affluent market not just because of its financial assets (this group actually has fewer financial assets than many ultrawealthy consumers), but because of its large numbers and changing needs for financial services. This report then identifies the composition of the Mass Affluent market, examining the generational cohorts, life stages, and mind-sets that dominate this segment. Finally, using a VALS framework, this report proposes some best practices for marketing to this audience.