When the financial industry talks about finfluencers, the narrative is often limited to enthusiastic amateurs on TikTok or Instagram sharing money-saving tips and viral videos about tax codes. While these influencers are helping raise awareness among the 91% of UK adults not served by traditional advisers, thereās a glaring omission in the debate.
Where are the professional finfluencers?
We existāand in significant numbers.
At the Academy of Life Planning, we define Professional Finfluencers as Chartered and Certified financial service professionals who choose not to be licensed to sell products. Why? Because we believe that for markets to maintain integrity, there must be a clear wall between advice and product sales. This approach is not newāit harks back to principles of fiduciary duty and client-first ethics that the industry has steadily eroded under the weight of commission structures and regulatory capture.
These professionals are what we call non-intermediating financial planners. We donāt sell products. We empower people.
And we are not few. Our recent internal poll of Academy members found that over 75% are qualified to QCA Level 6 or aboveāthatās higher than the industry average among FCA-regulated advisers. These are seasoned, educated, and principled experts, offering truly independent guidance with no conflict of interest.
So why are we invisible in the conversation?
We estimate that there are over a million professionals across Western economies who fall into this categoryāplanners, educators, strategists, and retired advisersāoffering education, life planning, and financial empowerment at scale, all without intermediation.
When the Investment Association recently hosted a panel on closing the advice gap, the emphasis was again on unqualified content creators or educators stepping into the vacuum. Some panellists rightly warned about those pushing products under the guise of āadvice.ā But the solution isn’t merely more educationāitās credible, qualified professionals providing ethical guidance outside the product pipeline.
That is the space we occupy. And itās time that space was recognised.
Weāre not calling for a “licence to flog”āwe’re calling for recognition. The mainstream narrative needs to catch up with the quiet revolution already happening.
The real advice gap isnāt just about affordability. Itās about trust.
Trust in institutions has eroded. Trust in salespeople posing as advisers has collapsed. But trust in knowledgeable, independent human beingsāthose who sit on your side of the tableāis rising.
Professional finfluencers are the missing middle.
We bring experience without agenda, insight without inducement, and guidance without gatekeeping. As policy-makers, regulators, and the financial media search for ways to serve the unadvised majority, they would do well to look beyond influencers with viral videosāand start listening to those of us with credentials, conscience, and a calling.
If this resonates, join us at the Academy of Life Planning. Weāre building a world where planning means purposeānot just portfolios.
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