Today each U.S. household, regardless of culture, number of children, geographic location or how they were affected by the economic crisis is continually forced to make numerous financial decisions.

These choices range from monthly bill payment, to financing education, to saving for retirement. HNW households today involve both spouses in the decision making process. Generational differences clearly exist in decision making trends. Those over age 65 are the most likely to have the husband making decisions whereas younger households involve both spouses in the decision making process

This year has been, and will continue to be, fraught with political debate. Drawing lines and choosing sides will dominate much of the discussion of pundits, and cable news shows, even after the Democratic and Republican National Conventions this Autumn. Americans are identifying themselves as Democrat, Republican, Independent, and the broader definitions of Conservative and Liberal. Spectrem’s new Perspective™, Future Trends in Wealth Management found that there are definite differences between these two latter groups not just politically, but in terms of how they feel about investing, especially international investing.

Spectrem research shows that 23% of High Net Worth individuals invest in collectibles (which includes artwork) with that percentage rising to 32% with Business Owners, who perhaps have more flexibility with their spending than Corporate Executives (only 16% of whom purchase collectibles).