Affluent investors who make their own investment decisions are not necessarily keen on conducting their transactions online.

Contrary to the belief that the self-directed are online investors, these individuals appear to be conducting most of their transactions via more traditional means. For example, they may be calling traders or using a bank brokerage account for investments.

However, relatively few self-directed investors are conducting transactions on the Web sites of financial services companies. In fact, robust Web sites are either important or very important to only 37% of the self-directed.

Even among young investors, the most ardent supporters of online activity, only 56% say robust Web sites are either important or very important to them. The percentage of individuals who share that view dwindles with age, falling to 48% among 45- to 60-year-olds and 20% among those who are 61 or older.

Automatic bill payment also hasn’t clicked with most self-directed investors, with just 29% saying it is either important or very important to them. Again, the degree of support varies with age: younger investors are more inclined than older investors to believe automatic bill payment is important.

Although not in great demand at the moment, these and other online tools are expected to gain importance as investors of all kinds become more aware of their availability and benefits.

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