Next Wealth | Financial Advice Business Benchmarks 2026

Going for Growth

Advisors are under pressure.
Most want less admin, AI adoption is rising,
and confidence in growth is slipping.

33%

of time spent with clients on average

72%

say reducing admin would improve their work-life balance

19%

brought in an AI tool over the last 12 months

38%

plan to grow by taking on new clients over 3-5 years

23%

plan to sell their business in the next 3-5 years

The Time Problem

Advisors spend too little time with clients.

On average, just one third of the working day is spent in client meetings.
Firms want to shift more time back to what matters most.

How advisors spend their time

Client meetings
Reports and planning
Admin and compliance
Other

68%

say building long-term client relationships is the most rewarding part of their job

The Operational Burden

Compliance and servicing demands consume capacity.

Increasing compliance burden is the number 1 challenge for firms, followed by servicing existing clients and market uncertainty.

Top 5 business challenges

The AI Response

AI is being used to remove friction and reclaim time.

Adoption is still early, focused on practical use cases like reporting, admin and communication

AI adoption over the last 12 months

19%

Where is AI being used (among adopters)

The Growth Tension

Demand remains, but confidence is softening.

Financial advice is in demand, yet many firms are cautious about the future.

49%

say demand for financial advice has increased

38%

plan to grow by taking on new clients

23%

plan to sell their business in the next 3-5 years

The Advice System Loop

A cycle that reduces capacity, unless firms intervene.

High admin and compliance load reduces advisor time, limiting growth. Breaking the cycle requires change in people, process and technology.

Friction points
Client demand remains strong
More advice required
More compliance and reporting
Admin load increases
Advisor time reduced
Growth capacity limited
AI and process changes introduced

Interventions

AI tools and automation
Process improvement
Better technology integration
Role design and delegation

Where do you fit?

A quick diagnostic for your firm.

Answer a few questions to see how your firm compares and where the biggest opportunities lie.

Adjust the sliders to reflect your firm:

30%
42%
Medium
Low

The Industry Landscape: Where You Sit

High Growth opportunity Low
Ambitious Builders
Scaled Modernisers
Traditional Guardians
Efficient
Steady
Your firm
Low Operational maturity High

Your Top Priorities

  1. 1Reduce admin and reporting load
  2. 2Invest in AI tools for reporting and note-taking
  3. 3Improve system integration
  4. 4Review role design and delegation