Financial advisors should adapt to investors’ desire for more control over their investment decisions, according to new research from Boston-based Forrester Research Inc.

Forrester’s conclusions are based on a survey of 1,500 North Americans with financial advisors. It found that advisors generally receive high marks from their clients, with 24% of Canadian investors saying they couldn’t imagine not having an advisor (rating their value five on a scale of one to five).

Another 32% give their advisors a four out of five, and a further 24% score three out of five.

“Even experienced investors who advise others rate their advisors’ expertise highly,” says a research note by Forrester’s Ekaterina Walsh. “In fact, market growth will come from investors who already use an advisor. They are twice as likely to add another advisor to their stable as advisor-less investors are to get one.

“Today’s investors won’t tolerate a paternalistic approach from their advisor,” Walsh said. “Most advised Americans want to make investment decisions jointly with their advisors. In addition, a quarter of advised U.S. investors want to make decisions on their own, seeking advisors for information only. With their appetite for investment information, these more self- directed clients are a good source of current and future business. They already use more advisors than other clients do and are more likely to add an advisor within a year.”