Recent research, from the Lang Cat in today’s Money Marketing, shows a quiet but telling shift in the profession.
Only 13% of paraplanners now see themselves becoming financial advisers — down from 24% just a year ago. The majority want to grow, contribute, and build meaningful careers, but not by stepping into a product-sales role.
That isn’t a motivation problem.
It’s a structural one.
According to the latest State of the Advice Nation findings from the lang cat, paraplanners consistently report:
- A lack of clarity about their long-term career path
- Poor visibility and recognition of the role — even within firms
- Being framed as a stepping-stone, rather than a profession in its own right
- Growing uncertainty about how — or whether — their role evolves over time
As Steve Nelson put it, paraplanning remains a core part of the advice process — yet still lacks a definitive place and identity within the sector.
That raises a deeper question.
What If You’re Not Meant to Be an Adviser?
For many paraplanners, the answer isn’t “progression into advice”.
It’s progression into purpose.
Paraplanners are already:
- Analytical
- Method-driven
- Client-centred
- Systems-literate
- Deeply ethical
What many don’t want is:
- Sales targets
- Product bias
- Regulatory pressure tied to distribution
- A career defined by AUM rather than outcomes
So if the traditional adviser role isn’t the destination… what is?
A Different Path: Total Wealth Planning
Total Wealth Planning starts from a different premise:
Plan life first. Then align money to support it.
Rather than selling products, Total Wealth Planners work with clients on:
- Goals, purpose, and life direction
- Human capital (skills, income, capability, resilience)
- Financial architecture — not financial products
- Decisions, trade-offs, and long-term clarity
It’s method-led, not product-led.
And for paraplanners, that matters.
Why Paraplanners Often Thrive as Total Wealth Planners
Paraplanners are already trained to:
- Think in frameworks
- Stress-test assumptions
- Build plans that work in real life
- Spot gaps between intent and execution
Total Wealth Planning doesn’t ask you to stop being a paraplanner.
It asks you to step into authorship.
Instead of supporting someone else’s advice process, you become the guide — working with clients, not selling to them.
No product recommendations.
No commission conflicts.
No requirement to cross the regulatory perimeter.
Just clarity, structure, and agency.
This Isn’t a Leap — It’s an Exploration
You don’t need to decide anything today.
If you’re a paraplanner thinking:
- “I want progression, but not sales”
- “I want recognition, not a sideways step”
- “I want to work directly with people — ethically and independently”
There’s a simple next step.
Try the Total Wealth Plan — Free
Before you consider any career shift, experience the work itself.
👉 Try the Total Wealth Plan for free
See what it feels like to guide life-first planning.
Notice whether this is something you could see yourself doing — or not.
No pressure.
No commitment.
Just clarity.
Because if only 13% of paraplanners want to become advisers, perhaps the real opportunity isn’t to push harder toward advice…
…but to redefine the destination altogether.
Academy of Life Planning 