Risk does play a role here,” says Awaad Aamir, wealth management analyst at Celent. “A lot of self-directed investors start off with all guns blazing and, if they lose money, it motivates them to seek advice.” Recommended Next Act How to find a financial adviser Recent trends towards commission-fee share trading services, easy ways of buying fractions of highly priced stocks, and a profusion of online financial literature also explain the surge in account opening. The number of new US investment accounts increased from 35m in 2016 to 63m by the end of last year, according to Celent. It forecasts that the figure will reach 75m by the end of 2021 and 115m by 2024.