How Financial Advisers Can Better Serve Neurodiverse Clients: A Practical Guide
The conversation around diversity and inclusion within financial services has gained significant momentum. One area now firmly in focus is neurodiversity. With between 10% and 15% of UK adults classified as neurodiverse, this represents a substantial portion of existing client bases. For financial advisers looking to strengthen client relationships and build competitive advantage, recognising and adapting to neurodiverse clients’ needs is both a responsibility and a strategic opportunity.
Drawing on insights from Tom Kenny, a chartered financial planner with ADHD who spoke at the recent Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment conference, this article explores how financial planning firms can make advice more accessible. By doing so, advisers can improve outcomes for existing clients whilst differentiating themselves in a competitive marketplace.
Understanding the Scale: Neurodiversity is Already Here
Tom Kenny highlighted a striking reality: the average planning firm with five planners and ten support staff serving around 1,000 clients statistically has one or two neurodiverse team members and is already advising approximately 150 neurodiverse clients.
As Kenny emphasised: “This isn’t something that’s new, and it isn’t something that’s coming, it is something that is already here, in your teams, and in your client books.”
For advisers, acknowledging this reality is crucial. Failing to adapt communication, processes, and service delivery risks leaving clients underserved. Conversely, proactively addressing neurodiverse needs signals professionalism and positions the firm as forward-thinking—qualities that resonate with both clients and professional referral partners.
Understanding Neurodiverse Client Challenges
Neurodiversity encompasses various conditions, including autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. Each presents unique challenges that advisers must recognise:
Autistic Clients may find small talk exhausting, avoid eye contact, appear blunt, or feel overstimulated in bright, noisy environments.
ADHD Clients may lose interest in lengthy meetings, shift priorities quickly, overshare, go off on tangents, or struggle to complete paperwork.
Dyslexic Clients may find jargon-heavy, process-dense documents overwhelming and struggle to retain complex verbal instructions.
If unaddressed, these challenges create barriers to understanding advice, implementing financial plans, or maintaining long-term engagement with the adviser.
Practical Adjustments for More Inclusive Client Meetings
Financial advisers can make meetings more accessible through straightforward adjustments:
Communication Strategies
- Use clear, literal language instead of industry jargon
- Supplement verbal explanations with visual aids
- Provide written summaries of key points discussed
- Confirm understanding regularly throughout the meeting
Environmental and Structural Considerations
- Offer flexibility in meeting location and timing
- Schedule breaks during longer sessions
- Consider meeting room environment (lighting, noise levels)
- Allow clients to bring a support person if helpful
These adjustments benefit all clients, not just neurodiverse ones. Clearer language, better-structured meetings, and flexible approaches elevate the overall client experience and professionalism of the firm.
Supporting Neurodiverse Clients Behind the Scenes
Beyond face-to-face meetings, neurodiverse clients may face hurdles in administrative aspects of financial advice:
- Autistic clients may struggle with ambiguity in communications or processes
- ADHD clients may find reviewing bank statements overwhelming, leading to avoidance
- Dyslexic clients may misunderstand instructions within dense documents
Practical Solutions
To address these challenges, advisers can implement:
- Simplified written communications using plain language and clear structure
- Task checklists that break down complex processes into manageable steps
- Scheduled check-ins to provide support and maintain momentum
- Multiple format options for information delivery (written, video, verbal)
- Clear, unambiguous instructions with examples where appropriate
For neurodiverse clients, these aren’t optional extras—they’re essential steps to ensure fair access and understanding, aligning with Consumer Duty principles of good client outcomes.
The Business Case: Growth Through Inclusion
Adapting advice for neurodiverse clients extends beyond compliance or corporate responsibility—it’s a business growth strategy.
Market Differentiation In a crowded marketplace where advisers often struggle to differentiate themselves, inclusive practices provide a clear point of distinction. Firms positioning themselves as accessible and inclusive appeal to a wider audience.
Professional Referrals Solicitors and accountants increasingly value advisers who demonstrate sensitivity, inclusivity, and clear communication. These qualities make them confident about referring clients, knowing they’ll receive appropriate care and support.
Enhanced Brand Reputation Demonstrating commitment to inclusive practices strengthens brand positioning and creates opportunities for thought leadership in an area of growing importance.
Client Loyalty and Retention Clients who feel understood and well-supported are more likely to remain loyal, provide referrals, and engage proactively with their financial planning.
Implementing Inclusive Practices: A Step-by-Step Approach
Step 1: Audit Current Practices
Review existing communications, processes, and client materials to identify potential barriers for neurodiverse clients. Consider engaging with neurodiversity advocates or organisations for feedback.
Step 2: Team Training and Awareness
Ensure all staff understand neurodiversity and how to support different client needs. Training should include practical scenarios and ongoing professional development, not just one-off sessions.
Step 3: Adapt Communications and Materials
Simplify documents, create visual aids, and offer multiple formats for key information. Review client communication across all touchpoints.
Step 4: Create Flexible Processes
Build flexibility into your service delivery, allowing for different meeting formats, communication preferences, and support levels based on individual client needs.
Step 5: Gather Feedback
Regularly seek client feedback to understand what’s working and where improvements can be made. This demonstrates commitment to continuous improvement.
Step 6: Communicate Your Approach
Once inclusive practices are embedded, consider how to communicate this positioning through your marketing strategy and content creation.
Marketing Inclusive Practices Authentically
Communicating your commitment to neurodiverse clients requires sensitivity to avoid appearing performative:
Focus on Actions, Not Labels Rather than highlighting neurodiversity as a marketing message, demonstrate inclusive practices through:
- Clear, accessible website content
- Multiple communication format options
- Transparent processes and expectations
- Client testimonials (with permission) highlighting positive experiences
Collaborate with Relevant Organisations Partner with neurodiversity charities or networks to create educational content and demonstrate genuine commitment beyond marketing.
Build Thought Leadership Participate in industry discussions about inclusion, share insights through content marketing, and position your firm as knowledgeable in this area.
Creating a Culture of Inclusion
Implementing inclusive practices requires more than adjustments—it demands cultural change. This means:
- Setting clear expectations from leadership about inclusive service delivery
- Providing ongoing training and mentoring for all team members
- Incorporating client feedback into regular practice reviews
- Celebrating examples of inclusive practice within the team
- Making inclusion a core part of firm values, not an add-on
Importantly, advisers should embrace these steps as opportunities to enhance overall client engagement, boost loyalty, and demonstrate leadership in financial advice.
Conclusion: Inclusion as Strategic Advantage
Neurodiverse clients are already part of every adviser’s client base. Meeting their needs requires awareness, flexibility, and empathy—but delivers significant rewards. Advisers who lead in this space can expect stronger client relationships, enhanced professional collaborations, and clear differentiation in a competitive marketplace.
Ultimately, inclusivity isn’t about doing more work—it’s about doing work differently. Small, thoughtful adjustments can transform client relationships. For advisers seeking growth, building inclusivity into every aspect of practice is both the right thing to do and a smart business strategy.
At Aspina, we help financial advisers develop client experience strategies that demonstrate genuine commitment to inclusive practice. Through strategic marketing and communications that reflect your firm’s values, you can position yourself as a leader in accessible, inclusive financial advice.
The firms that succeed will be those that actively listen to clients, seek feedback, and implement practical changes reflecting empathy and understanding—creating meaningful differentiation in an evolving industry.
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