The world’s wealthy are on the move, what advisers need to do now to keep up with them

Chris Ball, CEO and founder of Hoxton Wealth, highlights client mobility as a defining shift for financial advice, with more high-net-worth individuals moving across borders and advisers needing models that can travel with clients across jurisdictions.

If you want to understand where financial advice is heading, one shift matters more than most: client mobility.

According to Henley & Partners’ latest global wealth migration research, we are entering a decade shaped less by product innovation and more by where clients choose to live, work, and hold their assets. High-net-worth individuals are moving earlier, more deliberately, and across a wider range of jurisdictions than before.

The UK is expected to see one of the largest net outflows of millionaires globally in the coming years, with destinations including the UAE, the US, Singapore, and Australia. This trend is not about politics or headlines alone. It reflects lifestyle choices, tax considerations, and increasingly international careers.

For advisers, this has a clear implication: client geography is no longer fixed, and financial plans cannot assume it will be.

Most advice models are still built around a domestic lifecycle – earn, invest, retire in one country. But that framework no longer reflects reality for many clients, particularly professionals in technology, finance, law, and international business. Their income, assets, and future plans often span multiple jurisdictions over time.

When clients relocate, the complexity increases quickly. Tax treatment changes. Investment structures may no longer be suitable. Regulatory permissions matter. Without the right framework in place, long-standing adviser relationships can be disrupted simply because the advice model was never designed to travel with the client.

This is not a question of competence or intent. Cross-border advice is governed by licensing, regulatory scope, and local rules. To support mobile clients properly, advisers need access to coordinated regulatory permissions, compliance oversight, and integrated tax and legal expertise across jurisdictions.

Building that capability independently is costly and time-consuming. It requires long-term investment in infrastructure, governance, and specialist teams. As a result, only a small number of firms globally are structured to support advisers and clients across borders in a sustainable way.

For advisers willing to adapt, however, this shift presents an opportunity. International capability is moving from a niche specialism to a meaningful differentiator. Advisers who can support clients as their lives evolve – across countries, tax systems, and regulatory environments – are better placed to build durable, long-term relationships.

Over the next decade, the advisers who succeed will not be defined by the breadth of their product range or the strength of their branding. They will be the ones who can offer clarity, continuity, and confidence – wherever their clients choose to build their lives.

By Chris Ball, CEO and founder, Hoxton Wealth