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, thereâs a glaring omission in the debate.
Where are the professional finfluencers?
We existâand 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 newâit 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 donât 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 aboveâthatâs 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 categoryâplanners, educators, strategists, and retired advisersâoffering 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 âadvice.â But the solution isn’t merely more educationâitâs credible, qualified professionals providing ethical guidance outside the product pipeline.
That is the space we occupy. And itâs time that space was recognised.
Weâre not calling for a “licence to flog”âwe’re calling for recognition. The mainstream narrative needs to catch up with the quiet revolution already happening.
The real advice gap isnât just about affordability. Itâs about trust.
Trust in institutions has eroded. Trust in salespeople posing as advisers has collapsed. But trust in knowledgeable, independent human beingsâthose who sit on your side of the tableâis 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 videosâand start listening to those of us with credentials, conscience, and a calling.
If this resonates, join us at the Academy of Life Planning. Weâre building a world where planning means purposeânot just portfolios.
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