I'm confused, why would you prefer to run the full ethereum Node when there are many wallets that can sync with ethereum blockchain without downloading the huge blockchain files?
Maybe because he wants a safer wallet to protect his investments against the hack. Online browsing wallets, such as the ERC20 MEW or Metamask, are very vulnerable, so you can't keep your long-term investments there.
However, instead of occupying the entire hard drive with a desktop wallet, it would be recommended to have a hardware wallet and you have solved the problem.