Pete Matthew CFPCM, who launched his Meaningful Money website, aiming to bring Financial Planning to the masses, five years ago, called for an end to baffling language which puts off consumers.
Mr Matthew, also MD at Jacksons Wealth Management in Cornwall, was asked by sister publication Financial Planner magazine what he would change about the profession what the future looked like.
He said: “I would make jargon illegal and force people to speak in language that anyone can understand.”
The key to making more of the general public aware of the benefits of managing their finances through a Financial Planner and making this easier to understand would be “speaking in ordinary language and meeting people where they are”, he said.
He said: “These days that’s online in social networks and forums. It’ll take time to preach the benefits of Financial Planning over financial product sales, but with each client we see, we’re moving the needle.
“The future of Financial Planning is online for most people. Those who can afford higher fees will opt for and benefit from face to face advice, but most will turn to online services and get all the Financial Planning they will ever need.”
The former IFP south west branch chairman said he had been overwhelmed by the impact of his podcasting show, which has been downloaded over 350,000 times.
Having used advancing technology successfully to further his own business, he said he was excited for “what it can add to the Financial Planning for the benefit of our clients”.
Asked for his views on automated advice and robo-advisers and whether this might become part of his own offering, he said: “I would love to see more people served with decent generic advice, especially those who can’t or don’t want to see an adviser.
“I’m more convinced than ever that financial success comes down to budgeting, protecting against disaster and investing well. For most folks that means putting money into pensions and ISAs. The rest is just detail.”
Read more from Mr Matthew who features in the My Business section in the latest edition of sister publication Financial Planner magazine, out this week.