A safe runway for advisers to land, think, and meet fellow practitioners
Something interesting has been happening in conversations with financial planners over the past year.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
But quietly, almost in the background.
More advisers are beginning to ask the same question:
Where is our profession heading next?
For the last two decades, financial planning has evolved steadily. Technology improved efficiency, regulation reshaped business models, and the advice profession gradually matured.
But something different is happening now.
Artificial intelligence is beginning to automate tasks that were once central to the adviser’s role:
- financial projections
- portfolio analysis
- report generation
- scenario modelling
- summarising client circumstances
Tools that used to take hours—or days—can now be produced in minutes.
This does not mean the planner disappears. But it does raise an important question:
If information becomes abundant, what becomes scarce?
Many advisers instinctively know the answer.
What becomes scarce is:
- judgement
- interpretation
- human insight
- life planning conversations
- the ability to help clients think clearly about their future
In other words, the profession may be shifting from information providers to thinking partners.
But transitions like this rarely happen smoothly.
They bring uncertainty.
The quiet reality advisers are facing
Across the profession, many planners are sensing change but struggling to find a place to talk about it openly.
Traditional industry events tend to focus on:
- products
- platforms
- compliance updates
- investment propositions
These conversations are important, but they rarely create space to ask deeper questions about the future role of the planner.
At the same time, many advisers feel pressure to appear confident and certain.
Admitting uncertainty in public forums can feel uncomfortable.
Which leaves many practitioners thinking privately:
- How will AI reshape planning?
- Where does my real value sit going forward?
- How do I adapt without losing what matters most in the profession?
These are not technical questions.
They are professional identity questions.
And those questions require conversation.
Why the Friday Planner Forum is returning
For a period of time the Academy hosted a weekly Town Hall session where advisers could gather informally to reflect on developments in the profession.
The sessions were simple.
No presentations.
No marketing.
No formal agenda beyond a few opening observations.
Just planners thinking out loud with peers.
Many practitioners found it surprisingly valuable. Not because of the format, but because of the atmosphere.
It felt like a safe professional space.
A place where advisers could explore ideas without pressure or expectation.
Over time the sessions quietly faded away as other priorities took over.
But recent conversations suggest the need for that space has returned.
Perhaps more than ever.
Why now?
The pace of change in financial services is accelerating.
Artificial intelligence is developing quickly.
Client expectations are shifting.
Regulatory pressures continue to reshape advice models.
At the same time, many advisers are asking deeper questions about their future:
- How much of planning will technology automate?
- Where does human judgement remain irreplaceable?
- How should planners evolve their role over the next decade?
These questions do not have simple answers.
But they do benefit from thoughtful conversation among practitioners.
That is the purpose of the Friday Planner Forum.
A safe runway for practitioners
Think of the forum as a runway rather than a destination.
A place where advisers can:
- land briefly in the middle of a busy week
- step back from daily pressures
- think clearly about the direction of the profession
- hear perspectives from fellow practitioners
It is not a training session.
It is not a sales event.
It is simply a professional forum where planners can explore ideas together.
To maintain that atmosphere, the forum follows a few simple principles:
- All welcome
- No selling
- Open discussion
- Chatham House rules apply
Participants are free to speak candidly without worrying about their comments appearing publicly elsewhere.
The aim is not to reach definitive conclusions.
The aim is to create space for reflection and shared insight.
The format
The forum will run for the next three Fridays.
Each session is intentionally short and simple:
Topic
AI & The Future of Financial Planning – Open Planner Forum
When
Fridays
12:00 – 12:50 pm (UK)
Free meeting invite link (open to all comers).
Structure
- 10 minutes – Industry shift observations and recent poll results
- 30 minutes – Open discussion among advisers
- 10 minutes – Questions
That’s it.
No slides.
No speeches.
Just practitioners sharing perspectives.
Why conversations like this matter
Professions evolve through dialogue among practitioners.
New ideas rarely emerge fully formed.
They develop through conversation, reflection, and the gradual exchange of experience.
Financial planning is no different.
The coming years may see the profession redefine its role in ways we cannot yet fully predict.
Technology will undoubtedly play a part.
But the future of planning will ultimately be shaped by the people within the profession.
Creating space for thoughtful discussion is one small way to support that process.
Join the conversation
If you’re curious to explore how the profession may be changing—and to hear perspectives from fellow planners—you are welcome to join.
Sometimes the most valuable professional insights emerge not from formal presentations, but from simple conversations among peers.
The Friday Planner Forum is an opportunity to have exactly that kind of conversation.
Because in times of change, the most useful thing professionals can often do is pause for a moment…
…and think together.
Academy of Life Planning 
Redacted Meeting Summary
(AI, Human Agency, and the Future of Financial Planning)
Theme of the Discussion
The session explored the idea that restoring human agency is becoming a central principle in modern financial planning. The conversation focused on how AI tools and educational approaches can shift the balance of power from professional gatekeepers toward informed, self-directed individuals.
Participants discussed how financial planning is evolving from a model centred on expert control toward one that emphasises capability, confidence, and decision-making clarity for the individual.
Key Discussion Points
1. Human Agency as the Core Principle
Participants discussed the concept that financial wellbeing depends on more than money alone.
Agency requires several elements working together, including:
Financial planning was described as increasingly focused on strengthening these capabilities rather than directing decisions for clients.
2. Early Evidence of AI Adoption
A recent LinkedIn poll suggested that many advisers believe fewer than 10% of clients are currently using AI tools for financial planning.
However, research emerging from the United States suggests adoption among affluent individuals may already be significantly higher, potentially reaching 50–80%.
Participants noted that this gap may indicate that AI use is occurring privately and informally, outside traditional adviser awareness.
3. AI as a Personal Support Tool
One example highlighted how AI tools can support individuals beyond financial analysis.
A case was described in which a recently widowed individual used an AI system as a conversational support tool during a nine-month waiting period for NHS counselling. By the time of their clinical appointment, they had already developed structured coping strategies and self-reflection notes.
The example illustrated how AI can function as an accessible thinking partner during periods of stress or uncertainty.
4. Portfolio Analysis as an Early AI Application
Participants discussed how AI tools can rapidly analyse portfolio exposures across multiple layers of investments.
In one example, a user mapped technology-sector exposure across:
The exercise, which would normally require significant manual analysis, was completed in minutes.
5. The Education-First Advisory Model
A client education approach was discussed in which individuals are encouraged to reach near-adviser-level understanding before any financial planning or transactions take place.
Participants noted that AI tools can accelerate this learning process, allowing clients to ask unlimited questions and build understanding before engaging with a professional.
6. The Emerging 90/10 Planning Model
One framework discussed suggested that:
Under this model, self-directed planning tools can serve both as empowerment tools for the public and as an effective lead-generation pathway for advisers when complex cases arise.
7. AI and Financial Education
AI was described as significantly accelerating financial learning.
Individuals can now ask detailed questions about technical subjects and receive immediate explanations, for example around inheritance tax planning concepts such as potentially exempt transfers.
Participants noted that professional verification remains important where decisions carry significant financial consequences.
8. Risk of Information Without Education
A concern was raised that providing AI-generated portfolio information without sufficient educational context could lead to poor decision-making.
The discussion acknowledged that information alone is insufficient; structured understanding and financial literacy remain essential.
9. Data Privacy Considerations
Participants discussed practical precautions when using AI tools with financial scenarios.
Sensitive personal data should not be entered into AI systems. Examples mentioned included:
Instead, users were encouraged to work with anonymised summaries, rounded figures, and scenario-based inputs.
10. The Continuing Role of Human Advisers
The discussion concluded that while AI can handle many analytical and educational tasks, certain human capabilities remain central to financial planning.
These include:
AI was widely described as a co-pilot rather than a replacement for human professionals.
11. Changing Dynamics in Adviser–Client Conversations
Participants observed that clients who arrive informed through AI research tend to engage in more strategic conversations.
Rather than explaining basic concepts or products, discussions increasingly focus on life strategy, values, and long-term planning.
This shift may lead to fewer but deeper client relationships and more meaningful advisory work.
Closing Reflection
The meeting closed with the observation that while AI can automate research and analysis, humans remain the architects of their own lives.
Technology may handle routine tasks and information processing, but reflective dialogue, shared experience, and thoughtful decision-making remain inherently human activities.