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Tech investment in financial planning firms

Journalist: Sonia Rach

ended 28. May 2026

Hi advisers,

I've just come across this research which suggests financial planning firms are increasingly embracing modern technology to support day to day workflows and secure their long term future, according to the latest Financial Planning Growth Index published by the Saltus Partnership Programme and L.E.K. Consulting.

Key findings include:

  • 42% of financial planning firms are investing in technology to manage growth and the regulatory burden profitably, up from 35% in November 2024.
  • A quarter (25%) cited improving operational efficiency as a top three priority for their business over the next 1-3 years, while 8% cited digital transformation.
  • Over a third (34%) plan to invest in upgrading their existing systems over the next 1-3 years and almost a quarter (24%) hope to implement new financial planning tools

I wanted to get your thoughts on this as I wondered if you agreed with this or where you are at when it comes to tech?

Thanks

Sonia

2 responses from the Newspage community

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Editor
Graham Nicoll
Financial Planner, Chartered FCSI at NCL Wealth Partners
Most firms are exploring technology as a means of improving efficiency of teams across the firms, including advisors, paraplanners and client admin teams. AI is a component of this.

One of the biggest challenges firms are facing when embedding new tools is the willingness of colleagues to adopt the new technology, often sighting client's uncomfortableness with some of the tools, when in fact it is often the advisors reticent to change.

If new tools are rolled out, but only adopted by some of the colleagues, then this can create real inconsistency of experience for clients and actually add to the operational ineffectiveness within the firms.

With so much consolidation in the industry, firms are often faced with the headache of managing multiple tech platforms, while trying to grow the business, drive change, migrate clients to new propositions and implement new tools.
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Nouran Moustafa
Practice Principal & IFA at Roxton Wealth
Technology in advice should not be seen as an admin upgrade. Used properly, it is a capacity, compliance and access tool. The advice gap will not be solved by asking advisers to work harder, send more emails and manually chase more documents. It will be solved by building better systems around the adviser, so their time is spent thinking, advising and challenging clients, not drowning in process. At Roxton Wealth, I see technology as part of the advice proposition itself. The right tools can help evidence suitability more clearly, spot gaps earlier, personalise education, support vulnerable clients and make the journey less intimidating for people who do not naturally engage with finance. But the industry has to be careful. Bad technology turns advice into a conveyor belt. Good technology gives advisers more room to be human. The firms that win will not be the ones with the most software. They will be the ones that use technology to make advice more accessible and more consistent