More than nine in ten Financial Planners (93%) say artificial intelligence tools have improved their work efficiency, according to a new report from the Financial Planning Standards Board (FPSB) for its 10th World Financial Planning Today which is being held today.
Four in five (83%) of 8,095 global Financial Planners surveyed for the second annual 'Impact of AI on Financial Planning' research from the global professional body said they expected AI to help them better serve clients, an increase from 78% in 2026.
Three quarters (75%) said they expected AI to improve the quality of advice they provided (2025: 60%).
The FPSB is the global provider of the Certified Financial Planner qualification and has 236,000 CFP members around the world. Today's World Financial Planning Day is designed to promote the wider benefits of Financial Planning and is held every year about this time.
The FPSB AI study found that Financial Planners expected AI tools to broaden access to financial advice. Seven in ten (70%) of those surveyed expected AI to increase access to advice for underserved populations, up from 60% in 2025.
Two thirds (68%) said they expected AI to reduce the cost of financial advice, a rise from 59% in 2025.
Adoption of AI tools has increased significantly from three in five (60%) to four in five (80%) Planners who were either already using AI within their firms or planning to do so within the next 12 months.
Advisers also reported increased use of AI among clients. A third (33%) of the Financial Planners surveyed reported that their clients had used AI for general financial education, while 25% said clients used it to validate or compare advice.
Planners reported that client use of AI is beginning to re-shape planner-client conversations. A quarter (21%) said that client use of AI has led to an increased need to contextualise or correct AI-generated information, while 19% said AI usage by clients has led to an increase in collaborative discussions.
Dante De Gori CFP, CEO of the FPSB, said: “AI may become an increasingly common support tool in Financial Planning, but it is not a substitute for professional judgment. As more consumers use AI to learn about finances, Financial Planners can help them understand what is relevant, what requires caution and how financial decisions fit within a broader, long-term plan.”
• The FPSB conducted the 2026 'Impact of AI on Financial Planning' global survey online, capturing responses from 8,095 Financial Planners across 37 territories from 22 May to 6 July. It released the report today to mark the 10th World Financial Planning Day which is being celebrated today.