Nearly 57 percent of U.S. households with at least $10 million in assets are working with five or more advisers, according to a new Cerulli Associates report. And about 64 percent are working with at least four advisers.  That is a huge jump from 2008, when barely 16 percent of such wealthy households had four or more advisers, notes Investment News.

This trend is not unlike hedge funds working with multiple prime brokers. High net worth customers need to spread their assets around--just in case. You certainly cannot blame customers for hedging against the worst possible outcome. The financial crisis has made them more careful in this regard. And no one wants to see the parent company of their advisor in extreme financial difficulty.

These wealthy customers also want to test out different advisors to see what kind of services are out there. So this could present a huge opportunity for advisors. A realistic goal is to get your foot in the door and then slowly carve out a greater share of the customer's total assets. Many will likely give a new advisor a small amount to start and hope for huge gains.

The report has indeed found that "wealthier households are ready to shoot for the stars in terms of investment performance," notes Investment News. "The overwhelming majority of households--about two out of three--are looking for annual investment returns of 15 percent or more." Good luck.

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