Goal-Based Planning: The Strategic Opportunity Financial Advisers Must Embrace

Goal-based planning is transforming the UK financial advice landscape, creating significant opportunities for firms to differentiate themselves, attract new clients, and build sustainable growth. This strategic shift moves beyond traditional product-focused approaches to centre conversations around clients’ life goals—from purchasing a home to funding children’s education or planning for early retirement.

The Regulatory Driver Behind Goal-Based Planning

The introduction of Consumer Duty has accelerated this transformation by reinforcing the need for suitable, outcome-focused advice. As highlighted in a recent Money Marketing analysis, this regulatory framework has moved the profession away from product-led recommendations towards genuinely client-centric planning. The Lang Cat’s State of the Advice Nation 2024-25 report definitively concludes that firms are “increasingly moving away from simply recommending products and instead focusing on helping clients change their financial behaviour over time”.

How Financial Wellbeing Initiatives Drive Business Growth for Financial Advisers

Financial wellbeing has emerged as a critical component of comprehensive financial planning. For financial advisers seeking sustainable growth, implementing strategic financial wellbeing initiatives represents more than ethical commitment—it’s a powerful business development strategy. This approach can transform client relationships whilst positioning firms at the forefront of modern advisory practice.

Why Financial Wellbeing Matters Now

The landscape has fundamentally shifted. Recent research reveals that 39% of adults don’t feel confident managing their money, whilst financial pressure affects 41% of employees—up from 37% the previous year. Perhaps most striking, 52% of employees report that financial worries negatively affect their work performance, while 45% say it disrupts their sleep.

Client Journey Mapping for Financial Advisers: A Strategic Guide to Enhanced Client Experience

Client journey mapping has emerged as a transformative tool for financial advisers seeking to deliver exceptional client experiences whilst meeting regulatory requirements. With 54% of advisory clients leaving their adviser in 2023, according to YCharts research, and customer satisfaction levels at their lowest since 2010, the need for systematic client experience management has never been more critical.

This comprehensive guide explores how client journey mapping can revolutionise your advisory practice, demonstrating its effectiveness across direct marketing financial services, relationship marketing for financial planners, and modern characteristics of financial services marketing.

Client Experience Strategy: A Pathway to Growth and Success for Financial Advisers

Introduction: Transforming Client Relationships Through Strategic Experience Design

As a financial adviser, your firm’s success isn’t solely reliant on the services you offer, but on how your clients experience your business. The best marketing for financial advisors begins with understanding this crucial distinction. A well-crafted Client Experience Strategy (CES) can help you grow your firm, attract more clients, enhance your brand, and strengthen professional relationships with referrers such as solicitors and accountants. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore how a strategic approach to client experience can transform your business and provide a competitive advantage in today’s challenging marketplace.

Transforming Client Experience into Long-Term Growth for Advisers

In today’s competitive financial advisory landscape, delivering exceptional client experiences isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s essential for practice growth and sustainability. With increasing commoditization of investment products and growing fee pressure, how advisers engage with clients has become a key differentiator.

The Client Experience Opportunity

Research consistently shows that client experience drives loyalty, referrals, and retention:

• According to a recent study by Vanguard, advisers who excel at client experience generate 75% more referrals than their peers
• McKinsey research indicates that clients who report excellent experiences are 2.4x more likely to stay with their current adviser
• High-satisfaction clients typically entrust more of their assets to their adviser and are less price-sensitive

For financial advisers looking to build sustainable practices, systematic client experience improvements represent perhaps the highest-ROI marketing activity available.