During the 1960s, financial guidance predominantly originated from individuals focused on selling products—from stockbrokers to insurance agents to mutual fund salespeople to even bankers. Their motivations were tied to promoting their respective company’s offerings, and their training revolved around strategies aimed at “closing the deal.”

Since then, the landscape for financial advice has undergone an extensive transformation. The emphasis on planning services has shifted from traders to fiduciary advisors, from product-oriented sales to advisory services, from data dissemination to personalized counsel, and from investment recommendations to comprehensive wealth management. As with any monumental change, this evolution wasn’t instantaneous but unfolded gradually. It was influenced by factors such as the growing demand for transparent advice, the escalating complexity of our financial affairs, and, of course, the seismic changes that have come with the digital revolution.

Dying are the days when financial planning was a single, isolated sale. Planning has now matured into a multifaceted, dynamic, and accessible process that has been nourished by innovative technology. The outcome, responsive plans that can be seamlessly revised, fine-tuned, or even entirely transformed when the circumstances warrant. The financial planning evolution facilitates more informed decision-making and it cultivates a greater sense of collaboration between the advisor and their clients. And this creates a future ripe with opportunities to extend advisory services to a broader number of people as we shape the path of financial guidance to be even better in the years ahead.