Leading with Planning Improves Client Outcomes and Revenue Growth, New Research Shows

eMoney Advisor study reveals planning-led advisors experience better client outcomes and generate higher revenue

RADNOR, Pa., Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- eMoney Advisor (eMoney), a leading provider of technology solutions and services that help people talk about money, today announced findings from a recent study¹ on the common inefficiencies and barriers to scale in the financial planning process, as well as tactics that correlate with planning success. eMoney also launched an interactive assessment tool based on these findings to enable planners to evaluate and benchmark their own practices against their peers. 

The study found that Financial Planners—those who specialize in financial planning and offer plans to more than half their clients—offer a higher number of complex plans and charge a flat fee that is on average $1,000+ higher for those complex plans when compared to Investment Managers—those who do not specialize in financial planning. 

Financial Planners, in addition to earning a premium for their services, widely reported that they are able to build strong relationships at scale. They can have candid conversations with clients about money management behaviors, and consistently offer behavioral coaching to clients. 

When looking at client successes, Financial Planners were significantly more likely to report that their clients: 

• Feel empowered and have a better relationship with money 
  
  
• Have reduced anxiety and increased peace of mind 
  
  
• Are highly engaged with their financial plan 
  
  
• Correct their financial behaviors 

"At eMoney, we have long believed in taking a planning-led approach to enhance the client and advisor experience," said Susan McKenna, CEO at eMoney. "With the right technology that is flexible, scalable, and able to meet a broad range of client needs, financial planners can optimize their business and build stronger and more meaningful relationships with their clients." 

According to the study, onboarding new clients is a leading challenge to efficiency and scale. Over half of advisors feel that manually entering financial data is the most cumbersome step in the onboarding process, yet only one in five have fully digital data collection processes. Furthermore, getting clients to provide documents in a digital format is the biggest obstacle to full digitization. 

A financial platform that effectively facilitates digital data entry for both the advisor and client will be essential to maintaining efficiency while scaling up, as well as empowering advisors to feel equipped to bring in new clients. 83% of advisors believe digital data collection streamlines the onboarding experience. 

Holistic financial planning involves offering 10 or more services to clients, reviewing financial plans at least once per year, and feeling comfortable discussing the full spectrum of personal topics with clients. 

The top three barriers to holistic planning include: 

• Collecting all the information 
  
  
• Finding time to develop/maintain plans 
  
  
• Getting clients interested 

Many advisors (92%) expect growth in holistic planning in the next five years, and more than half (53%) expect moderate to extreme growth. While most include financial planning in the overall management fee, holistic plans generate higher revenue than complex plans. 

To read more about the study, please visit our blog on the state of holistic planning. 

In coordination with the Leading with Planning study, eMoney launched an interactive assessment tool where financial advisors can rate and compare their discovery and relationship processes to the findings of the study. The assessment tool is intended to allow advisors to uncover areas of opportunity in their practice and learn about best practices for scale and efficiency. 

Note to Editors  
^[1] The online survey was conducted by market research firm Bellomy. Respondents included 304 Fidelity Financial Advisor Community (FAC) panelists and 56 eMoney panelists. The survey was fielded from April 5 to May 4, 2022. 

eMoney Advisor, LLC ("eMoney") provides technology solutions and services that help people talk about money. Rooted in holistic financial planning, eMoney solutions strengthen client relationships, streamline business operations, enhance business development, and drive overall growth. 100,000 financial professionals across firms of all sizes use the eMoney platform to serve more than 5 million households throughout the U.S. For more information, please visit: emoneyadvisor.com. 

SOURCE eMoney Advisor