Anticipating demand for financial services will swell as the economy strengthens, Zions Bank opened a wealth management center in downtown Salt Lake City on Friday.

The center pulls together various investment management, financial and estate planning, private banking, retirement resources and other wealth management services into a single location, Zions Bancorp's headquarters at One South Main Street.

"This center becomes the physical representation of our commitment of providing these services to all of our clients, regardless of their location, the stage of life they may be in or the size of their assets," Zions Bank CEO Scott Anderson said, adding that identical services are also available at the bank's branch offices around Utah.

To add pizzazz to an otherwise standard ribbon-cutting, the bank invited Steve Forbes, editor of Forbes magazine and Republican candidate for presidential primaries in 1996 and 2000, to speak.

"This [center] demonstrates not only the fantastic virtues of technology, which we are beginning to mine, but also the fact that ... once the global economy comes back on track ... the appetite for financial services is going to expand exponentially," Forbes said.

In addition to the usual office and meeting space, the center on Zions' ground floor is equipped with a 185-inch television screen showing live broadcasts of financial news and up-to-date market information.

The center also pumps out a free Wi-Fi signal that covers a four-block radius, which will include the new City Creek Center when it opens next year.

"Anyone who wants to come and enjoy the environment, whether you are inside or outside, you can use your computers and the opening page will be Zions Direct, which will put you right into these [CD] auctions, so we hope you will enjoy that," Anderson said.

Positive signs notwithstanding, the economy remains sluggish. Forbes said it's puttering along at just a fraction of its potential. Even so, it's a good time to be an investor, he said, noting that he is bullish on stocks "precisely because everyone else hates them, and going against the crowd usually does you better than going with the crowd."

Adjusted for inflation, stock markets are lower than they were 12 years ago, Forbes said.

pbeebe@sltrib.com