Here’s the thing, the headline figure is arresting: £6 trillion set to change hands across generations in the UK.
But the quieter message beneath it is more uncomfortable.
According to multiple studies cited at a recent adviser technology conference, existing advisers may only retain around 10% of that wealth. Not because markets collapse. Not because regulation tightens.
But because clients leave.
This isn’t a scare story.
It’s a signal.
And signals are invitations to adapt.
What’s Actually Breaking Down?
The data points are consistent:
- Around 80% of widows leave their adviser within a year
- Roughly 70% of inheriting children plan to do the same
- Only 1 in 5 clients over 65 feel confident their children will stay with their adviser
The most cited reason isn’t performance.
It’s exclusion.
Many women report never being fully included in the advice relationship.
Many adult children feel the adviser “belonged to dad” — not to the family.
This isn’t about bad intent.
It’s about structural design.
Traditional advice models were built around:
- A single decision-maker
- Product-centred conversations
- A technical definition of value
That architecture struggles in a world where:
- Clients want shared understanding
- Families want continuity of meaning, not just money
- Younger generations value agency over delegation
Why This Is a Business Risk — Not a Cultural Critique
From a purely commercial perspective, this matters.
Intergenerational wealth is not automatically “sticky”.
It must be earned again.
And the next generation is asking different questions:
- What is this money for?
- How does it support my life, not just my balance sheet?
- Can I understand it — and co-create decisions around it?
If the advisory relationship cannot answer those questions, the handover fails.
Not emotionally.
Operationally.
The Bridge Moment: From Advice to Total Wealth Planning
At the Academy of Life Planning (AoLP), we see this as a bridge moment for the profession.
Not a rejection of advice — but an evolution beyond its limits.
Future-ready practices are already shifting:
- From product-led to purpose-led
- From expert-only to done-with-you
- From financial capital only to total wealth (human, social, emotional, financial)
This is where continuity is rebuilt.
When families are:
- Involved earlier
- Educated, not just advised
- Supported to understand the why behind the plan
Retention stops being something you defend — and becomes something that naturally flows.
What Changes in Practice?
Advisers who are crossing the bridge are:
- Running family conversations, not just annual reviews
- Using planning frameworks that children can engage with
- Supporting clients to own their plans, not outsource them
This doesn’t weaken professional value.
It strengthens it.
Because when people understand their plan, they keep it — and the relationship behind it.
A Quiet Question Worth Sitting With
If even a portion of this £6 trillion is at risk of walking away, the real question isn’t:
“Is this something to worry about?”
It’s:
“Is my current model designed for the people who will inherit my client relationships?”
If the honest answer is not yet, that’s not failure.
It’s timing.
And timing is exactly what bridges are for.
Where AoLP Fits
The Academy of Life Planning exists to support advisers who want to become Total Wealth Planners — professionals equipped for:
- Intergenerational continuity
- Human-centred planning
- AI-enabled, client-owned journeys
- Done-by-you and done-with-you models that scale trust, not dependency
Not a leap.
A transition.
If you’re sensing the shift already, you’re not late.
You’re early enough to cross with intention.
Replacing extraction with empowerment — and making your business future-ready in the process.
Academy of Life Planning 