The independent research company asked 345 people and of these respondents, about half said they were using a discretionary fund manager (DFM).
Defaqto has previously noted that DFMs are increasingly targeting the retail market in the run-up to the RDR, by launching unitised funds with minimum investments as little as £1,000.
Portfolio Adviser has also written about the trend of DFMs readying themselves in expectation of more outsourcing IFAs post-RDR.
A study released by M&G last year showed less than 30% of advisers planned to offload investment decisions to a discretionary fund manager, which suggests discretionaries have done well to up their profile in the past year.
According to Defaqto, by employing a DFM, advisers are effectively entering into a long-term business relationship, making due diligence an important consideration.
Concerns surrounding due diligence is another topic, Portfolio Adviser has visited in this analysis piece.
Defaqto has created an RDR Zone on its website, which is designed to assist advisers as they prepare for 2013.
