Inheritance Planning Communication Gaps: Strategic Marketing Opportunities for Financial Advisers

Date: 18 September 2025
Author: Aspina Marketing Insights

Recent research from Charles Stanley reveals alarming gaps in family inheritance planning communication, presenting significant opportunities for financial advisers to build client acquisition strategies whilst addressing a critical market need. With over £5.5 trillion set to transfer between generations, the stakes have never been higher.

The Scale of the Inheritance Communication Crisis

Generational Knowledge Gaps

The research exposes concerning communication breakdowns across generations:

Major Retirement & Investment Gaps: Strategic Marketing Opportunities for Financial Planners

Date: 15 September 2025
Author: Aspina Marketing Insights

Recent findings from Hargreaves Lansdown’s Savings and Resilience Barometer reveal a sobering reality: only 43% of UK households are currently saving enough for an adequate retirement. This substantial gap presents significant opportunities for financial planners to expand their client base, establish authority, and develop stronger professional referral partnerships.

Understanding the Scale of the Challenge

Retirement Adequacy Crisis

According to the research, just 43% of households are on track for “an appropriate retirement.” This figure combines the Pension Commission’s target replacement rate (approximately two-thirds of pre-retirement income) with a basic living wage pension benchmark, representing a more realistic assessment than previous metrics.

How Younger Generations’ Investment Appetite Creates Strategic Opportunities for Financial Advisers

Recent research reveals that younger generations are demonstrating a significantly stronger appetite for investing than older demographics, creating both immediate opportunities and long-term strategic advantages for UK financial advisers. However, capitalising on this trend requires understanding the unique characteristics, challenges, and preferences of Gen Z and millennial investors.

The Investment Appetite Gap Between Generations

Research from Stratiphy has revealed a stark generational divide in investment behaviour. Almost half (47%) of 18-34-year-olds in the UK have invested in the past 12 months, compared to just 23% of those over 55. This represents more than double the investment participation rate, indicating a fundamental shift in how younger generations approach wealth building.

How Behavioural Science Transforms Financial Advice Relationships and Creates Competitive Advantage

The financial planning industry increasingly recognises that successful advisory relationships extend far beyond technical expertise and portfolio performance. Research demonstrates that emotional and behavioural factors often outweigh purely financial considerations in client decision-making, creating significant opportunities for advisers who understand and leverage these insights to build stronger client relationships and differentiate their services.

The Emotional Foundation of Financial Advisory Decisions

According to research from Morningstar, emotional factors account for approximately 60% of a client’s decision to hire an adviser, compared to 40% for financial factors. This finding challenges the traditional assumption that clients primarily seek advisers for technical expertise or investment performance.

How Aegon’s ‘Second 50’ Research Reveals Key Marketing Opportunities for Financial Advisers

Recent research from Aegon’s Second 50 initiative provides compelling insights into retirement confidence trends across the UK, revealing significant marketing opportunities for financial advisers. The data shows confidence in comfortable retirement rising from 22% in 2023 to 33% in 2025, yet significant demographic gaps persist that present clear targeting opportunities.

The Confidence Gap: Understanding Your Target Market

Key Demographics Showing Low Retirement Confidence

The research reveals striking disparities in retirement confidence that directly translate into marketing opportunities:

From Cash to Confidence: How Financial Planners Can Help Nervous Investors

Millions of British adults are choosing to keep their wealth in cash rather than invest, despite acknowledging that inflation erodes its value over time. Research from Scottish Friendly reveals that 42% of adults keep all their wealth in cash, and a further 15% hold most of it in cash. While three-quarters understand that this behaviour may make them poorer in the long run, fear of losses, distrust of markets, and a preference for liquidity dominate decision-making. For financial planners, this presents both a challenge and a unique opportunity to build trust, educate clients, and demonstrate the long-term value of advice.

How Financial Advisers Can Capture the £47 Billion Gen Z Market Opportunity

New research from M&G reveals Generation Z are the most financially optimistic generation, with 47% of 18-24 year olds confident about their retirement prospects - significantly higher than millennials (29%) and Gen X (25%). While this optimism creates a substantial market opportunity, it also represents a strategic challenge: how do you monetise relationships with clients who won’t reach peak earning potential for two decades?

How Financial Advisers Can Capitalise on Couples’ Pension Planning Confusion

Recent research from Hargreaves Lansdown has exposed a critical gap in how couples approach retirement planning, revealing that over 70% are financially interdependent for their pension income. For UK financial advisers, this presents a significant opportunity to differentiate their practice, attract new clients, and build deeper relationships through specialised couples’ pension planning services.

The Market Opportunity: £2.8 Trillion in Pension Assets at Risk

The Hargreaves Lansdown survey of 1,300 people revealed striking imbalances in couples’ retirement planning:

How Pension Changes Could Reshape Estate Planning: Strategic Marketing Opportunities for Financial Planners

The UK pensions landscape is entering a period of profound change. Following the October 2024 Budget announcement and subsequent government consultation process, new rules are set to take effect from 6th April 2027 that will dramatically alter how pensions are treated for inheritance tax (IHT) purposes.

For financial advisers and planners, this represents both a challenge and a significant marketing opportunity—a chance to differentiate your practice by providing timely, strategic guidance during a period of regulatory upheaval whilst building robust, compliant campaigns that attract high-value clients seeking expert estate planning advice.

Legacy Giving: A Strategic Marketing Opportunity for Financial Advisers

Published: 20 August 2025

A new study by Rathbones reveals a significant gap in the philanthropic planning market that presents substantial opportunities for forward-thinking financial advisers. The research, highlighted in Third Force News, shows that whilst wealthy families increasingly want to leave money to charity, nearly half are deterred by legal and financial complexity.

The Market Opportunity: Growing Demand Meets Service Gap

The data reveals compelling trends that suggest a substantial market opportunity. Among high-net-worth individuals with average estates exceeding £3 million, 42% cite legal and financial complexity as the primary barrier to including charitable gifts in their wills. Additional barriers include lack of knowledge (39%) and uncertainty about where to begin (26%).