From "Buying Funds" to "Finding Investment Advisors" - Insights from a Retired Executive's 20 Years of Investing

January 2026, Shenzhen, early morning. Mr. Wang opens the official E Fund Wealth App “e-wallet” at home to view the asset allocation plan tailored by his investment advisor. A year ago, this executive, who dedicated half his life to the company’s development, officially retired, ending over 20 years of a global career. Now, spending time with family and enjoying life are his top priorities.

However, the substantial assets accumulated over a lifetime face a “sweet burden”—how to protect his hard-earned wealth from inflation, achieve steady growth, and do so without consuming his valuable personal time after retirement? E Fund Wealth’s professional investment advisory service just meets his need for “ease and stability,” opening a new chapter on his wealth journey.

Funds—Embracing the Starting Point of Wealth Market Investment

This company executive, who grew up in a small county town, has a life story filled with " daring" and “going with the trend.”

“Family conditions were average, and studying was the only way to change my destiny.” From a young age, Mr. Wang studied diligently, with perseverance earning him a university spot. He majored in computer-controlled switching technology, a frontier industry at the time with little domestic competition. During university, he excelled academically and took on leadership roles in the student union, developing strong organizational and communication skills. The campus was in a mountainous area with poor transportation and water shortages, but these hardships forged his resilient and proactive character.

After graduation, he had the opportunity to study abroad, but the young generation of that time held strong ideals and sentiments. He chose to stay, hoping to use his knowledge to improve the then-inefficient domestic communication infrastructure.

But his steady life was never enough to suppress his innate adventurous spirit.

Around 1995, as reform swept across China, he resigned despite his family’s opposition and moved south to join a leading company eager to expand overseas markets. This marked nearly 30 years of intense work, dedicating his efforts to the company’s growth. Throughout his career, he never stopped learning—pursuing a master’s degree, becoming a versatile talent with expertise in both communications technology and finance. This laid the foundation for his transition from R&D to market roles, and later to leading the finance department’s financing business.

Over nearly three decades, Mr. Wang’s footprints spanned over 100 countries, often spending more than 200 days a year on business trips, with countless long-term overseas assignments. “I’ve traveled almost across all seven continents, witnessing the rise of emerging markets and experiencing global financial crises,” he recalls with emotion. This experience broadened his horizons and shaped his perspective, making him realize early on the importance of investment for wealth accumulation through frequent dealings with domestic and international financial institutions.

In 2004, China’s real estate and stock markets experienced rapid growth. Most friends invested in property or stocks, and Mr. Wang also bought two apartments. But unlike others who followed the trend, he remained rational and trusted professionals—“just like our company focuses on technology R&D, investments should be entrusted to professionals.” In March 2004, he subscribed to E Fund’s A-shares fund at the counter. This seemingly simple transaction marked the beginning of his trusting relationship with E Fund.

Over the next 20 years, China’s capital markets experienced multiple bull and bear cycles, but Mr. Wang’s investment journey never stopped. In 2006 and 2007, he repeatedly purchased E Fund products during business trips; during market adjustments in 2013, he continued to buy E Fund products; from 2014 to 2021, he made multiple additional investments via the “e-wallet.” Although he redeemed some funds, his core holdings remained unchanged.

Due to frequent overseas travel, Mr. Wang had little time to monitor his accounts, and his investments were mostly long-term passive holdings. This steadfastness paid off with substantial returns, complemented by stock options from his company, accumulating considerable wealth over more than two decades.

Investment Advisory—A Worry-Free Wealth Manager

In 2024, Mr. Wang retired, ending his 30-year overseas career and the life of frequent travel and separation. His biggest wish was to return to family life, spending more time with his children and enjoying life. But new worries arose: “My money is growing, but I feel more anxious—worried I might mismanage it and see my hard-earned wealth shrink.”

Looking back, Mr. Wang jokes that although he’s a finance professional, he’s a “layman” when it comes to investing.

He explains that previously, he relied on recommendations or intuition when choosing funds, without understanding industry trends or specific strategies. He bought funds through banks and brokerages but rarely followed up, experiencing his account value fluctuate wildly—rising and falling—without much insight or control, leaving him to deal with market ups and downs alone.

Now, he realizes that relying solely on a single fund investment makes it difficult to preserve and grow wealth amid market volatility. “In my youth, I worked hard for my career; after retirement, I don’t want to spend too much energy on investing,” he says. He hopes to have professionals manage his wealth, only checking in occasionally, with the rest of his time dedicated to family.

This wish coincided with the launch of E Fund Wealth’s advisory service.

In December 2025, E Fund Wealth launched professional investment advisory services on its platform “e-wallet,” offering a full market fund lineup. Prior to this, E Fund had been deeply engaged in fund advisory for over six years, adhering to the principles of full-market asset allocation and full-cycle support, providing high-quality wealth management solutions to over 130,000 clients. The mature overseas market advisory model was well established, and upon learning about the new service, Mr. Wang immediately signed up, becoming one of the first managed advisory clients on “e-wallet.”

“Compared to traditional fund sales, what impressed me most about the advisory service was that they consider my situation from my perspective and tailor solutions for me,” Mr. Wang said after experiencing the service. The advisory model is based on the buyer’s standpoint—understanding you, creating a plan, investing on your behalf, and providing ongoing support. More importantly, the fee structure is based on advisory service fees linked to the account’s net asset value, rather than traditional sales commissions, aligning the interests of the advisory firm and the investor.

He recalls that E Fund Wealth did not push any products but spent a whole week communicating with him, thoroughly understanding his personal situation, retirement plans, and investment goals. The advisor used questionnaires to determine his risk tolerance, then reviewed his holdings—stocks, funds, real estate, and other assets—clearly categorizing high, medium, and low-risk assets, as well as liquid assets for daily expenses, to identify the overall asset optimization strategy.

Based on detailed asset analysis and needs assessment, combined with Mr. Wang’s risk preferences, overseas work experience, and deep understanding of the tech industry, E Fund Wealth recommended the “E Fund Wealth Industry PLUS-Equity 30%” advisory strategy. This strategy adopts a “30% equities + 70% fixed income” allocation, selecting quality funds from the entire market, with 30% equities mainly in domestic equity funds, supplemented by QDII and commodity funds, with increased allocation to emerging tech industries to maintain growth potential while ensuring stability. After Mr. Wang authorized, E Fund Wealth managed his account fully, dynamically adjusting positions and industry allocations based on market changes to rebalance the portfolio.

“The continuous support from the advisory service is something I’ve never experienced before in my past investments. It’s very reassuring and worry-free,” Mr. Wang said. Previously, after buying funds, there was no follow-up service, and market fluctuations left him feeling insecure. Now, E Fund Wealth’s advisors proactively communicate, interpret market trends, monitor account performance, and respond promptly to needs. “In the past, market swings often made me anxious. Now, with my account managed by E Fund Wealth and ongoing support from an advisor, I hardly need to worry. When I want to know more, I just contact my advisor directly.”

His choice reflects not only a shift in his personal wealth philosophy but also a broader trend in China’s wealth management market.

With the weakening of real estate as a wealth reservoir and the upcoming maturity of 50 trillion yuan in fixed deposits, the trend of “moving deposits” is becoming more apparent. However, the gap between residents’ demand for steady wealth growth and the complexity of the capital markets remains. Fund advisory acts as a “bridge” over this gap. Unlike traditional sales-driven models, fund advisory adheres to a “buy-side” approach—offering asset allocation advice and full investment support to enhance long-term investment experience. Increasingly, investors are turning to professional advisors to meet their wealth management needs.

Change is the era, but professionalism remains constant.

“Young, I relied on daring and resilience to leave my small hometown; at work, I strived to realize my value; in retirement, I rely on professional advisory services to protect my wealth and enjoy life,” Mr. Wang reflects. His life story is a microcosm of countless hardworking generations in China—personal effort combined with national growth dividends, and trust in professionalism—leading to a fulfilling outcome.