Why the advisers who move now will define the next decade The Profession Has Already Changed Something has shifted in 2026. For years, advisers have understood the argument for moving beyond product-led advice. The logic has always been clear: Clients want clarity, not complexity Trust comes from alignment, not incentives Planning should lead — products … Continue reading Four Pathways to the Future of Financial Planning
Tag: business
When Agency Shifts, What Happens to the Institutions?
Does an industry need to become a profession? There is a quiet shift underway. Not loud. Not yet fully visible.But unmistakable once you see it. It’s a shift in agency. For decades, financial planning has been built on a simple premise: The expert knows.The client delegates. That model made sense in a world where: Information … Continue reading When Agency Shifts, What Happens to the Institutions?
AI Is Making Advisers Faster. But Is It Making Clients Free?
Quilter, SJP, and the Real Question Facing Financial Planning Two announcements this week tell us everything about where traditional financial advice is heading. Quilter is rolling out AI tools to advisers.St James’s Place is doing the same. On the surface, this looks like progress. And it is. But only in one direction. What the Industry … Continue reading AI Is Making Advisers Faster. But Is It Making Clients Free?
AI Is Making Work Harder — Not Easier
Why the Future of Financial Planning Is Human Agency For years we have been told that artificial intelligence will make work easier. AI will automate tasks.AI will save time.AI will free us to focus on higher-value work. But new research from the Harvard Business Review suggests something very different is happening. In an eight-month study … Continue reading AI Is Making Work Harder — Not Easier
When Clients Become Capable: What the Latest SJP Results Reveal About the Future of Advice
For years, the advice industry believed its greatest risk was regulation. Then came fee transparency. Now a deeper shift is underway. Clients are becoming capable. Artificial intelligence is quietly redistributing power in financial decision-making. Clients can now analyse portfolios, run retirement scenarios, compare products, and test planning assumptions in minutes. This does not eliminate advisers. … Continue reading When Clients Become Capable: What the Latest SJP Results Reveal About the Future of Advice
Clients Are Already Using AI. Many Advisers Haven’t Noticed Yet.
The Perception Gap in Financial Planning Two pieces of evidence landed this week. Individually they are interesting. Together they reveal something much bigger. 1️⃣ What investors are saying A new industry study reported in Financial Planning Today (12 March 2026) found growing openness to AI tools among investors. The numbers are striking: 63% of investors … Continue reading Clients Are Already Using AI. Many Advisers Haven’t Noticed Yet.
The Friday Planner Forum Returns
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, … Continue reading The Friday Planner Forum Returns
Five Sentences Advisers Say Before Leaving the Traditional Advice Model
Every profession evolves. Financial advice is no exception. For decades, the industry has been structured around a simple model: gather assets, construct portfolios, and charge a percentage of assets under management. But something is changing. Artificial intelligence is automating technical tasks. Clients are arriving more informed. And advisers themselves are beginning to question whether the … Continue reading Five Sentences Advisers Say Before Leaving the Traditional Advice Model
The Planner’s New Role in the Age of AI
Why Financial Advisers Must Become Guides, Interpreters, and Trusted Thinking Partners A simple poll can sometimes reveal more about the future of an industry than a thousand white papers. Earlier this week I asked a straightforward question to advisers on LinkedIn: “What percentage of clients already use AI tools for financial planning or financial questions?” … Continue reading The Planner’s New Role in the Age of AI
AI Won’t Replace Financial Planners
But It Will Replace the Old Planning Model At a recent Academy of Life Planning Practice Management Circle, we explored a question that is increasingly appearing across the profession: What happens to cashflow planning when artificial intelligence can model financial scenarios instantly? As you might expect, the discussion sparked strong opinions — thoughtful, constructive, and … Continue reading AI Won’t Replace Financial Planners
Academy of Life Planning 