Nikki Zammit, Founder & Director of Realise Wealth Management, examines how the rapid rise of artificial intelligence in personal finance is exposing the UK’s long-standing lack of financial confidence, and sets out a 2026 prediction for why human connection, community and guidance built around life’s defining moments will define the future of trusted financial advice.
It’s hardly surprising, AI is part of our daily lives like never before. In the UK, 70% of adults now use some form of the technology daily, and over half (56%) say they’ve used it to manage their money, most often through platforms like ChatGPT.
Yet, this surge in AI adoption sits against a troubling backdrop: financial literacy in the UK remains stubbornly low. According to the Financial Capability Strategy, 20.3 million adults, nearly 39%, don’t feel confident managing their money. That’s a staggering figure when you consider the complexity of financial decisions and the growing reliance on AI.
Worryingly, many are turning to sources that should not replace regulated advice. Research from 2022 revealed that among those with savings, investments, or mortgages who sought “advice” in the previous five years, 9% turned to social media influencers and another 9% to automated online services like robo-advisers. With AI now more mainstream, it’s reasonable to assume these figures are even higher today.
Here’s where my 2026 prediction comes into focus: the growing noise around AI is actually clarifying the role of financial advisers. Amid an overload of AI-generated insights and impersonal digital tools, we have an opportunity to build on what truly sets us apart – our real-world experience and the human connection we bring to our communities, something no online platform can replicate.
Looking at the year ahead, I think we’ll see advisers continue to put people, not products, at the centre of everything they do. I believe the conversation will shift in a way that shows we understand the realities of people’s lives and their financial needs – what I call the milestones and the moments in between. We’ll see advisers talking more about weddings and honeymoons, the arrival of a first child, helping teenagers navigate university costs, planning for that dream holiday, and ensuring a comfortable retirement rather than speaking in jargon solutions.
I also believe we’ll see a resurgence in the need for physical meeting spaces and advisers dedicating more time to their communities. Clients want real connection – time spent understanding them, their families, and their lives. I founded Realise Wealth Management to do exactly that, I want our firm to be a partner in life’s key moments, happy or sad, supporting not just the major financial decisions but also the moments in between. That means we’ve already got our summer 2026 sporting get-together and our ongoing sponsorship of the local cricket club sorted.
Encouragingly, the FCA reported in 2024 that trust in advisers has risen since 2022, and that momentum should continue. The firms that get out there and deliver guidance around lives, not algorithms will build deeper trust, stronger loyalty and lasting relationships in their communities in the year ahead.
By Nikki Zammit, Founder & Director of Realise Wealth Management
