Hong Kong’s affluent planning lags despite wealth continuity gains

Around 80% had wills, trusts, or succession plans in place.

Hong Kong’s high-net-worth (HNW) families generally understood the risks linked to longer lifespans, but many had not fully implemented formal systems covering health, wealth and legacy planning across different jurisdictions.

Up to 79% of ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) respondents said coordinated support covering insurance, health, investment, and finances would add significant value to their advisory relationships, compared with 63% of HNW respondents.

The AIA Alta High-Net-Worth Optimal Longevity Index, developed with Boston Consulting Group, measured how prepared wealthy families in Hong Kong and mainland China are for longer life expectancy, with findings showing major gaps in health-related planning despite strong wealth management arrangements.

The index gave HNW and UHNW families an overall score of 62 out of 100, placing them in the “Developing” category. 

The findings showed that around 80% of respondents had established at least one wealth continuity arrangement, including wills, trusts or succession plans. 

However, only about 20% had put in place health-decision continuity measures such as medical directives or decision-authorisation documents.

Demand for more formalised governance structures was also stronger amongst UHNW families. 

Around 75% prioritised expert services related to cross-border tax planning and coordination, whilst 71% highlighted wills planning and execution. 

Integrated health and longevity planning was identified as a priority by 64%, whilst 61% cited trust structuring, governance and management.

The study further found gaps between confidence and execution in financial planning. 

Amongst respondents who said they were confident in their portfolio resilience, 47% of HNW individuals and 61% of UHNW individuals had not conducted stress testing or established regular review mechanisms.

AIA Hong Kong said the index was designed to measure longevity readiness across two equally weighted areas — health and wealth — using awareness, confidence and preparedness as indicators. Preparedness accounted for the largest weighting at 40%.