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Financial advisers, are your clients worried?

Journalist: Laura Miller, Freelance

ended 03. February 2026

I'm working on a piece for Professional Adviser off the back of a release from Standard Life that says:

  • Over eight in ten (83%) adults say the world feels more uncertain than it did a few years ago, and six in ten (59%) feel less confident about their future finances due to changes happening in the UK.
  • Almost a quarter (23%) say this uncertainty has made them more likely to put money in cash over investments and a fifth (19%) are considering delaying their retirement.
  • Almost half (48%) more likely to build up additional savings while a fifth (18%) are considering seeking financial advice.

I'm keen to hear from financial advisers whether they are seeing these findings reflected in their current clients/ an influx of new clients?

I'd need comments ideally from a few advisers by 1pm please, what do you think?

1 responses from the Newspage community

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Molly Pile0
Chartered financial adviser at Octopus Money
The reality is that there has always been uncertainty in financial markets and broadly in life. What changes is how people respond to it and how it is portrayed. Endless online commentary can make it difficult for people to feel in control and confident with their financial future, which is why having a plan is so important.

Whilst understandable, reconsidering long-term aims and applying caution only highlights the importance of taking advice and having a robust financial plan in place to block out the short-term noise. With a plan, we can make decisions based on goals, time horizons and personal circumstances. Without that framework, there's a risk that short-term caution can lead to poorer long-term outcomes.

Periods like this often prompt people to seek advice, not because uncertainty is new, but because having a plan provides clarify and discipline amongst the noise. Investing is an emotional journey as much as anything else!