(March 20 – 14525 ET) – BankWorks, a global research and consulting firm based in Toronto and specializing in financial services and technology, has released a study on the behaviour and attitudes of affluent investors who use investment Web sites.

According to the report, Making Money on the Web, privacy is a growing concern, even among those invesors who regularly use the Web to manage their investments. The report also found that portfolio tracking is the number one investor activity on the Internet.

“One of the more fascinating findings from this survey is the significance of the human factor,” said Helen Sinclair, BankWorks’ CEO.

“Even the technology savvy investor doesn’t always want to transact online. Investors miss the ability to negotiate and the comfort of dealing with an accountable individual. They are also feeling overwhelmed with the quantity of information available. The result is that 75% of these investors are using a personal advisor to assist them with investment decision-making,” she added.

The survey was completed in the fourth quarter of 2000 through focus groups with 64 participants and online surveys with 989 participants.