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Are you attractive to young talent?

Journalist: Carmen Reichman, FTAdviser

ended 14. January 2026

Dear advisers

The Lang Cat and Morningstar have found financial planning appeals to just 21% of young people - only two percentage points ahead of nursing, the lowest rated option.

The prevailing stereotype was of planners as suited, corporate and formal, predominantly male and from middle-class backgrounds. Respondents frequently likened the role to accountancy, rarely referencing the emotional, creative or interpersonal aspects of the job.

So, what are you doing to attract young talent? I would love to hear about your hiring strategy and anything you may have done to make yourself attractive to the next generation.

Thank you!

carmen.reichman@ft.com

2 responses from the Newspage community

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Editor
Scott Gallacher
Director at Rowley Turton
Financial planning has long been the poor relation of other professions — parents still dream of doctors, dentists, accountants or solicitors, not advisers who are too often stereotyped as sharp-suited insurance salesmen. However, that perception is slowly changing as the profession matures, particularly with the Retail Distribution Review now more than a decade behind us. We’ve recently recruited a graduate apprentice paraplanner — albeit my own son — reflecting a clearer and more professional entry route into advice. As we celebrate our 30th year, we are deliberately building a team with the next 30 years in mind, adding team members at an earlier stage in their careers.
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Rohit Parmar-Mistry
Founder at Pattrn Data
The 21% appeal rating is shocking, but entirely predictable. I speak from experience: early in my career, I actively pursued this path, studying for my CFA Level 1. I walked away, and the industry needs to understand why.

It wasn’t just the demographic wall, though as a British-born Indian, the 'male, middle-class' closed shop felt very real. The bigger issue was the bait-and-switch. The industry sells the dream of high-level strategy, but the entry-level reality is often just high-pressure admin with zero time to think or grow.

Young talent craves visible progression, not data entry. The sector is haemorrhaging potential stars because it buries them in grunt work. The solution isn’t a rebrand; it’s structural. Firms need to automate the heavy lifting, the compliance ticking and reporting, so juniors can focus on the 'human' side from day one.

Stop using bright young minds to do work that software should be doing. Give them a career, not a filing cabinet.