Get on Facebook, says Microsoft exec

Advisers need to familiarize themselves social networking websites, as younger individuals are poised to inherit a significant amount of wealth, said Craig Saint Amour, director of Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft Corp.’s U.S. Capital Markets Industry Solutions unit.
Speaking at the Denver-based Financial Planning Association’s Business Solutions conference at the Westin in Rosemont, Ill., Mr. Saint Amour urged advisers to realize they need to adapt to the ways younger clients are communicating. In fact, he said, clients in their 20s will expect their advisers to be able to communicate with them from a social site like Facebook rather than by e-mail.
“High-net-worth clients will demand better technology,” Mr. Saint Amour said. “Social computing will be expected. They’re going to inherit all of that wealth. We need to step up our game for all of that networking.”
Using the newer technology will also help advisers be more efficient, he said.