FE fundinfo has published research showing that 96% of UK financial advisers have seen an increase in clients under 50, pointing to a broad shift in the age profile of adviser firms' client bases.
Among the 100 UK financial advisers surveyed in the first quarter of 2026, clients under 40 accounted for 32% of the average client base. The findings suggest adviser firms are serving a younger cohort while trying to update the systems and workflows that support client service.
The research also found that 95% of advisers have adopted AI tools. More than half, 51%, said those tools were delivering significant time savings of more than five hours a week per user, with meeting note-taking among the uses cited.
Those gains, however, were often offset by operational complexity. Half of advisers said they spend between four and six hours each week reconciling data across different software systems, while 95% said they use too many software tools.
Platform sprawl also featured heavily in the findings. Some 91% of respondents said the number of investment platforms they rely on has increased over the past two years, adding to the administrative workload within adviser firms.
The survey also pointed to changing client preferences. Some 86% of advisers said interest in environmental, social and governance issues among their clients had grown over the past three years, adding another area where firms may need to respond to younger investors' expectations.
Digital pressure
The findings highlight a tension in the advice market. Advisers are introducing AI tools and other digital processes, but many still work across disconnected systems that require manual reconciliation and repeated data entry.
This creates a practical challenge for firms trying to improve service levels without adding administrative work. Fragmented systems and manual rekeying can increase the risk of errors that are not always detected by standard data quality checks.
For firms, the issue is not simply whether AI is available, but whether the underlying data and software stack allow those tools to reduce workloads consistently. If staff still need to move information between systems by hand, any time saved elsewhere can quickly be eroded.
FE fundinfo said the change in client demographics is adding urgency to those operational questions. A younger client base is often associated with higher expectations for speed, accessibility and a smoother digital experience, putting more pressure on firms whose systems have grown in a piecemeal way.
Jodie Gallagher, Head of UK IFA Products at FE fundinfo, commented on the shift in adviser workloads and client expectations.
"Intergenerational wealth transfer is well underway, bringing with it a younger client base that, like most consumers today, expects services to be faster and seamless. Meeting that expectation is increasingly difficult for advisers who are dealing with fragmented systems and manual, outdated processes. Advancements in AI can meaningfully reduce this operational burden, but only when the technology operates within a unified framework. At FE fundinfo, we see that advisers who consolidate their data and workflows onto a single, connected platform move faster and serve clients more effectively. The firms best positioned for the next generation of clients will be those that treat integration as a strategic priority, not just an IT project," Gallagher said.
Market backdrop
The survey links the demographic trend to the wider intergenerational transfer of wealth, which is expected to reshape the customer base for many advice firms in the coming years. As assets move to younger investors, advisers may face stronger demand for digital communication, faster service and more transparent access to information.
That shift comes as many firms continue to layer new tools on top of older systems. The result is a market where technology adoption is widespread but not always integrated, leaving firms with a growing number of systems to manage.
For adviser businesses, the operational burden appears measurable. With half of respondents spending up to six hours a week reconciling data and almost all saying they use too many tools, the research suggests administrative friction remains a core problem despite rising AI use.
The data was collected from 100 UK financial advisers in the first quarter of 2026.