Risk assessment tool

Assess your client's attitude to investment risk

Risk warning

The value of investments can go down as well as up, and the investor could get back less than was paid in. Laws and tax rules may change in the future. Personal circumstances and where the investor lives in the UK will also have an impact on tax treatment.

18 question risk assessment tool

Our 18 question risk assessment questionnaire can help you evaluate your client's appetite to investment risk and help build a risk profile. This can form the basis of your discussion with your client to clarify the risk they are willing to take and their understanding of risk.

This tool can also help you to suggest strategies for allocating assets across their investment portfolio.

How to use the tool with your clients

The online tool is for financial professionals to fill in using answers from clients.

You can ask your client the questions in person or over the phone, and submit their answers with the online questionnaire tool. Or download the blank risk assessment questionnaire and send to your client to complete and re turn to you on their own time. You then enter their responses into the tool.

Because the tool is a web app, it doesn't save data onto your device. Whenever you generate a report, email it to yourself so you can store it safely.

How it works

This risk assessment tool is a Web App that is compatible with desktops, mobiles and tablets. Once you've downloaded it onto your device, you can even use it offline.

The questionnaire has been devised by EValue, a professional service firm with expertise in risk management. By testing the questions and responses, EValue takes the range of possible scores and allocates risk ratings from 1 (lowest appetite for risk) to 7 (highest appetite for risk) or 1 (lowest appetite for risk) to 10 (highest appetite for risk), dependent on the risk scale you have chosen.

We have also mapped a series of risk descriptions to each of the risk ratings. You can use these to talk through the results with your client and agree their final risk profile. You can save the information in a report, which you can then send via email.

Together, the risk score and associated descriptions can be used as a guide to help your client understand the potential risks and rewards involved in investing over the longer term. The model is designed for an 11 to 15 year term which is based around a central 13 year term.

When referring to risk we mean the extent to which your client is comfortable with their investments falling or rising in value.

Further information

Before using the tool, read the Risk Questionnaire and Asset Allocation Tools Technical Guide. Once you've read this document, we'll assume that your firm has decided that this tool is appropriate to use with your clients and they have authorised you to use it.

More resources for advisers

Help centre

Get answers to a range of product and service related questions.

Techzone

Support on the pensions, taxation and wealth transfer issues that matter to you, compiled by our expert team.

Adviser insights

Articles that examine the trends, risks and opportunities facing the advice industry.