Abstract
The main purpose of this study is to better understand the impact of the financial crisis of
2008 on both private wealth management and customers‟ behaviour. This study attempts to
fill a gap in the existing private wealth management services with their customers.
A number of changes have taken place in the French private wealth management industry and
it appears to be a gap between those changes and the customers‟ expectations.
Data used in this study were collected from two sources, primary and secondary data. For
primary data, they were obtained through the use of in depth-interviews with private wealth
managers and with customers. Secondary data were collected from various sources such as
business library, journal articles, eBooks, catalogues, textbooks and internet. In the first part
of this study, a review of definitions and explanations about the wealth, the wealth
management, the private wealth management and high-net-worth individuals is undertaken.
Then, in the second part of this study, the research findings from the implementation of
primary data are described and analysed. Research findings are aimed to help private wealth
managers to be more responsive to encounter and manage potential future crisis. This research
would help French private wealth management companies to better evaluate the changed
landscape by adjusting their business models in order to provide a better wealth management
to their customers, who have changed their behaviour shortly after the arrival of the financial
crisis of 2008.
It was found that unexpected factors have deeply influenced the French private wealth
management industry during and after the financial crisis of 2008. The outcome of this
dissertation would have identified things to improve and helped to provide a better wealth
management from the wealth managers to their customers. Author keywords: Wealth management, Financial crisis