Financial adviser research
The IFA DNA research programme explores the opportunities, challenges and trends shaping the financial advice profession. Our latest reports examine how the adviser role is evolving to meet increasingly complex client needs, alongside the growing impact of AI on advice businesses and the way they serve clients.
Today's financial adviser is doing far more than building financial plans and recommending products. This report explores how advisers are increasingly acting as coaches, behavioural specialists, family facilitators and longevity planners, while helping clients navigate a more complex financial world.
AI is rapidly transforming how advice firms operate. This special report explores where firms are using AI today, the benefits and challenges of adoption, and how technology is helping advisers spend more time with clients while improving efficiency across their businesses.
How the profession is evolving: 2025 insights
Our 2025 IFA DNA report explored the trends shaping advice businesses, from growing AI adoption to the drive for greater efficiency and more client-facing time. Revisit the findings and see how the profession was preparing for the future.
How do advisers want to spend their time? This 2025 report examined the gap between reality and the ideal adviser workday. Explore four adviser profiles and practical insights for shaping more efficient, rewarding advice businesses.
Previous research from the IFA DNA programme
IFA DNA 2024: Embracing change with confidence
IFA DNA 2023: Adapting to uncertainty
The impact of regulation and tax changes on advice firms
Our research explores the emotional and practical challenges people face when preparing for retirement. These reports reveal how behavioural biases can influence decision-making, highlight gaps in retirement readiness, and provide valuable insights for advisers helping clients turn retirement aspirations into achievable outcomes with greater confidence and clarity.
In collaboration with Cowry Consulting – renowned global behavioural science specialists with proven track record in the finance sector – we’ve applied behavioural science, psychometric research techniques and predictive modelling, to uncover not only what clients say, but how they truly feel about whether they are financially and psychologically prepared for retirement.
To bridge the divide between theory and practice, we’ve delved into behavioural science. We have used a combination of insights, as well as conversations with practicing financial advisers, to better understand the realities of their role and the tools at their disposal. Our insight identified three key areas that outline how advisers can effectively support clients in both the financial and emotional aspects of retirement readiness.
Our research has highlighted that while financial wealth forms the foundation, it is clients’ confidence, knowledge and trust in their advisers that determine whether they feel genuinely prepared for the future.
In this four-part video series, we explore the key psychological elements of retirement and share practical, science backed strategies advisers can use to:
- Strengthen financial self efficacy
- Build trust and confidence
- Support effective planning and manage expectations
Explore independent research from AKG covering some of the most important issues facing advisers and their clients today. These reports provide valuable insights into the long-term impact of pension freedoms and the evolving needs of vulnerable customers, helping firms deliver better outcomes and informed advice.
In partnership with AKG and Standard Life we’re pleased to make our latest industry research paper available. This new report explores how increased flexibility in the last 10 years has reshaped retirement income planning, what’s working, and what still needs to change to support better outcomes for consumers and advisers alike. Based on fresh research with both consumers and advisers, the paper highlights:
- Mixed levels of understanding and preparedness
- Widening advice and guidance gaps
- Opportunities for innovation in product and platform support
- The evolving role of financial advice in decumulation planning
AKG explore key issues relating to vulnerable customers and financial wellbeing. The paper appraises advisers' understanding and readiness for the vulnerable customers framework introduced by the FCA.
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