Twenty years ago, financial advice was rooted in face-to-face meetings, paper-based planning, and a reliance on manual research and expertise. Advisers focused on static financial plans with little room for real-time adjustments. Fast forward to today, and we have seen the rise of digital platforms, robo-advisers, and AI tools that enhance efficiency and accessibility.

But this evolution is only just beginning.

Over the next two decades, financial advice will be transformed by AI-driven automation, immersive technology, and decentralised finance. We will see financial services evolve from reactive to proactive, where AI anticipates needs before clients even realise they have them. The backbone of this evolution? Agentic AI frameworks.

What is an agentic AI framework, and why should you care?

Agentic AI does not just spit out recommendations – it acts. These AI models operate with a level of autonomy, executing workflows, making real-time adjustments, and even holding each other accountable through checks and balances before making decisions. Imagine AI agents continuously monitoring the market, adjusting investment strategies, or pre-emptively reallocating funds based on life changes, all without the client lifting a finger.

With that in mind, let is dive into what financial advice will look like in 2045. Spoiler: It is a lot smarter, faster, and eerily intuitive.

1. AI-driven personalisation
When we think of the future of financial services from 2025 and beyond, AI is one of the first things that springs to mind. 

Going beyond the assistance features we see today, it is easy to predict that AI will become an indispensable tool. AI is continuously learning and, importantly being trained, and that includes understanding clients spending habits, investments and their life goals.

Thanks to generative AI (genAI), especially vertically aligned genAI that focuses directly on data from the financial services industry, clients will be able to receive personalised advice, completely tailored to their specific needs. This is advice that will be updating in real-time and can include personal preferences, industry trends, risk management and ethical concerns. This is real, nuanced advice–without the need for manual input.

This level of personalisation will revolutionise the financial advisory landscape. Gone will be the days of generic investment strategies and one-size-fits-all approaches for a country with a diverse population. 

Implementing AI in financial advice will also help bridge the advice gap, bringing access to high-quality financial guidance to those that need it, regardless of their portfolio. From this, we can hope to see improved financial literacy and better financial outcomes for a broader segment of society. 

Looking at the impact of the agentic framework, we predict AI agents will be doing things like:

• Tracking financial behaviour in real time
• Adapting advice based on evolving life goals
• Factor in economic shifts, ethical preferences, and risk tolerance

Instead of static financial plans, AI will dynamically adjust savings, investments, and spending habits. Planning for a big life event? Your AI adviser will already know and have adjusted your strategy accordingly.

With agentic AI, these systems will not just suggest changes, they’ll execute them autonomously within pre-agreed parameters, making financial management seamless and proactive.

2. Integration with every day life
GenAI is already a part of everyday life. From smartphones to smartwatches, so anticipating that the future of financial services will be included in that is not a huge stretch. 

We already navigate our digital support through voice assistants, such as Siri and Alexa. So, what if they were helping to make financial decisions too? 

We are already seeing this trend happening with millennials and Gen Z. Maybe the next logical step is to address a voice assistant over a morning cuppa, where the AI might respond with a succinct summary, highlighting any noteworthy changes and offering suggestions for potential actions. 

And if we stretch a little bit further, it would not be unreasonable to see these financial assistants offering proactive advice. Instead of monitoring the markets ourselves, AI advice might highlight opportunities or potential risks based on financial goals, ethical choices, and market conditions. 

For instance, if there is a sudden dip in the stock market, it might suggest rebalancing a portfolio, reinvestment in a promising new area or simply reassuring you with data-driven projections to avoid panic selling. This level of personalised, real-time financial guidance could make sophisticated financial strategies accessible to everyone, especially as it is likely to come at a lower cost than traditional advice. 

Agentic AI will also mean decision-making on autopilot—no more logging into investment platforms to rebalance your portfolio. Your AI agent will handle it based on real-time data, notifying you only when necessary.

3. Decentralised finance 
With the rise of decentralised finance (DeFi), the influence of traditional banks may begin to shrink, with individuals turning instead to peer-to-peer platforms and blockchain-based tools for loans, insurance, and investments. 

This shift represents a fundamental change in the financial landscape, enabling users to access more competitive rates and transparent services, a crucial consideration with the FCA focusing the microscope on the cost of ongoing financial advice. 

As this technology becomes more user-friendly, financial advisers will play a crucial role in guiding clients through this complex ecosystem, helping them understand the risks and benefits of various DeFi options. In order to adapt, we will likely see the advice industry blending traditional financial knowledge with cutting-edge technological insights, ensuring clients can make informed decisions in this new financial landscape.

4. Enhanced decision-making
Science fiction, or the future of financial services? As we see advances in biotechnology and Artificial Intelligence, we are poised on the brink of expanding human capabilities in ways previously deemed impossible.

These leaps in technology could revolutionise how professionals analyse data and make decisions. Imagine financial advisers utilising brain-computer interfaces to process vast amounts of market data at unprecedented speeds, spotting trends and making investment decisions with enhanced foresight. 

The symbiosis of human intuition and machine processing power could lead to more accurate predictions and better-informed strategies. 

Or maybe a really cool new member of the Avengers. 

They might also enable advisers to tap into global financial networks instantaneously, giving them a competitive edge in fast-moving markets.

For clients, the integration of AI and biotechnology could mean an entirely unprecedented way of engaging with their financial future. Imagine someone being able to don a headset and instantly visualise their financial trajectory in real-time, powered by sophisticated AI insight. 

Financial futures would no longer be limited to mere numbers on a spreadsheet; instead, clients might experience immersive, virtual representations of their lives based on current investment choices. 

Imagine clients putting on a VR headset and seeing their financial future unfold, watching the potential impact of investment decisions in real time. This is where agentic AI comes in, offering:

• Scenario simulations: “What if I retire at 55?” See the answer in immersive detail.
• Predictive modelling: AI foresees trends and suggests moves before you even ask.
• Collaborative AI agents: Multiple AI entities cross-check financial decisions for risk and compliance before executing them.

5. Regulation and transparency
As AI becomes increasingly engrained in financial advice, regulatory frameworks will inevitably need to adapt to keep pace with technological advancements. As we are already seeing governments and financial authorities adopting the power of AI themselves, developing sophisticated AI-driven compliance systems and regulatory frameworks to monitor and evaluate these platforms remains crucial. 

When we consider that vertically aligned Large Language Models (LLMs) are already being developed, these regulatory AI systems will be designed to ensure that the advice-giving models meet set ethical and legal standards, protecting consumers from potential biases or manipulative practices. 

If we make this shift towards AI-powered regulation, we could expect more dynamic and responsive oversight, capable of identifying and addressing issues in real-time rather than relying on audits or reviews.

For the consumer, AI-supported regulations could mean a deeper insight into the decision-making processes behind their financial advice. AI systems will be engineered to provide clear and transparent explanations for their recommendations, breaking down complex financial concepts into easily digestible information. 

This transparency could take a number of forms, from interactive visualisations that illustrate the reasoning behind investment strategies to easily digested, natural language explanations that outline all considerations made when it comes to financial advice. 

However it looks, by demystifying the decision-making process, AI will empower clients to make more informed and conscious choices about their financial futures and foster greater trust between clients and financial institutions, as individuals gain a deeper understanding of how their money is being managed.

6. Planning for 100-year lifespans
It might seem obvious, but with people living longer, financial advice will inevitably shift to focus on extended lifespans, presenting both challenges and opportunities for advisers and clients alike. 

As we start to see retirements which could span three to four decades, the traditional notion of retirement planning, will need to be thoroughly reimagined.

It will fall to the financial advisers to develop sophisticated, long-term strategies that ensure wealth and income are sustained over these longer lifespans, whilst also factoring in the potential for increased healthcare costs and evolving lifestyle needs. 

This may involve a more dynamic approach to asset allocation, with a greater emphasis on growth investments even in later years, to combat the effects of inflation over such a timespan. Advisers might also need to consider innovative financial products designed specifically for longevity, such as advanced annuities or specialised long-term care insurance. On top of that, they will need to guide clients through the complexities of scenarios like phased retirement, where individuals gradually reduce their working hours rather than abruptly ceasing employment. 

This will not be a simple shift. It will require advisers to dive deep into the demographic trends of the industry, alongside healthcare advancements, and evolving social norms around ageing and retirement. Just as people change, their guidance needs to remain relevant and effective when it could mean supporting clients through half a century or more of post-work life. AI will be absolutely crucial in helping to gather this data and support with analysis to aid a far more specific and nuanced understanding. And Agentic AI will help execute on this, ensuring seamless transitions between life stages, adjusting plans based on real-time health data, employment changes, and lifestyle shifts.

7. Emotional AI for behavioural finance
As we see AI continue to evolve, we can expect that it will develop a nuanced understanding not only of financial markets but also of human emotions and behavioural patterns. 

This is what makes AI stand out against previous generations of automated advice, like Robo-Advice. AI has the potential to become invaluable in helping clients make rational decisions, particularly during periods of financial volatility when emotions often run high. 

By leveraging sophisticated machine learning, AI systems will be capable of assessing a client's emotional state through various inputs such as voice analysis, spending patterns, and even biometric data from wearable devices. This emotional intelligence could allow AI to step in when it detects signs of anxiety or impulsiveness that might lead to poor financial choices. 

During a market downturn, the AI might recognise a client’s pattern of panic-selling and respond by presenting calming data on long-term market trends or by suggesting a meeting with a human adviser. 

We could also see these emotionally-aware AI systems offering personalised strategies to help clients build financial resilience, such as recommending mindfulness exercises during stressful financial periods or gamifying savings goals to make long-term financial planning more engaging and act as an impartial, emotion-free counterbalance to human impulses. 

Agentic AI frameworks will also enable multiple AI agents to cross-validate advice, ensuring emotionally charged decisions do not derail financial plans.

The landscape of financial advice for 2045 and beyond
By 2045, financial advice will be more personal, proactive, and predictive than ever before. AI will not just assist, it will act autonomously, executing strategies, mitigating risks, and even providing emotional support.

Advisers will not be replaced, but their roles will shift. The winners? Those who embrace agentic AI frameworks, leveraging autonomous systems to deliver smarter, faster, and safer financial guidance.

The future of financial advice is not just digital, it is alive. And it is coming faster than you think!

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