What change have you delivered in the past six months to support organic growth? We put this question to attendees at our Adviser Business Forum recently. In its seventh year, the forum brings together senior leaders in financial advice businesses to share challenges and solutions.
The responses were fascinating. Recurring themes were AI, data and new propositions for new client segments.

• Four firms had delivered new service propositions to support clients with smaller portfolio values. Solutions ranged from automated pension advice to a phone-based proposition at a lower price point. One rolled out simplified advice; another introduced a targeted support proposition. The firm offering targeted support did an email campaign to clients in legacy products and had a 40% response rate. This is astounding. If we can engage 40% of legacy policy holders with an email, imagine what we can do with recently orphaned advised clients.
• Two firms had invested in mapping client journeys to improve the experience for new clients. The goal is to speed up the process and keep clients engaged. How long is your client onboarding process? One attendee last week said the average onboarding time is 3 months but averages can be misleading. It had taken the firm nearly a year to onboard one client. In NextWealth research, we found that an adviser spends 22.6 hours in the first year of a new client relationship.
• AI was (of course) another big theme. Firms are investing in orchestration layers and thinking beyond the current way of working. One attendee described this as a shift from humans directing agents to agents directing humans. Orchestration layers were a big theme at our recent AI Lab event where one of our speakers is using agents built in Claude to help with meeting prep. One of the firm’s agents reviews meeting notes and correspondence throughout the year, reducing meeting preparation by three and a half hours.
• Product providers are also doing their bit to drive growth. More and more investment research is being centralised, freeing up time to spend with clients. Our latest MPS report showed a whopping 32% growth in assets in discretionary MPS in the year to 31 March 2026 with assets reaching £208bn. We’re also hearing about exciting tech and data management solutions that will help firms speed up back-office processes.

What change have you made in the past six months to support organic growth in your business? Email us at enquiries@nextwealth.co.uk and tell us what’s worked. I’ll share some examples in a follow-up blog post.

Heather Hopkins, CEO & Founder, NextWealth

FAQS:

1. What is targeted support in financial advice?

Targeted support is a proposed form of financial support that sits between guidance and regulated financial advice. It aims to help consumers make informed financial decisions without receiving personalised advice, making it easier for firms to engage clients with straightforward needs.

2. How can financial advice firms drive organic growth?

Advice firms can support organic growth by developing new client propositions, improving client onboarding, adopting AI to automate administrative tasks, using data more effectively and creating services for underserved client segments.

3. How is AI being used by financial advice firms?

Many financial advice firms are using AI to reduce manual work, prepare for client meetings, summarise notes, manage workflows and improve operational efficiency. This gives advisers more time to focus on building client relationships and delivering value.

4. Why is client onboarding important for financial advice businesses?

An efficient onboarding process helps firms deliver a better client experience, reduces delays and improves engagement from the outset. Streamlining onboarding can also reduce adviser time spent on administration and support sustainable business growth.