Clients are already using AI to research finances—here’s how advisors can help

More people are asking chatbots about financial questions. In fact, 75% of investors surveyed in Betterment Advisor Solutions’ 2026 Survey, based on responses from 1,001 U.S. investors who currently work with a financial advisor, said they used AI at least occasionally for financial queries. But the more surprising finding is that AI use isn’t necessarily a sign that clients are pulling away from advisors. Often, it’s the opposite.

Rather than asking AI whether your fees are worth it, they’re asking it what a Roth conversion is or how much to save in an emergency fund, and using it to orient themselves before they get to you. That changes the starting point of the advisor-client conversation. As self-service tools get more sophisticated, the human relationship can become more valuable. AI can help clients gather information, but advisors can help them understand it and apply it to their lives.

This shift is happening within the context of a wider, generational divide in what clients expect from advisors. Overall, younger investors (Gen Z and Millennials) are asking advisors for more contact, more proactive planning, and a fuller view of their finances. Much of this tracks with life stages—starting a family, buying a first home, changing jobs—that tend to occur in this period. For advisors, that creates an opportunity to define what a modern firm looks like for the next generation.

The top tasks investors turn to AI for include: understanding financial concepts (54%), researching investments (53%), organizing thoughts before a decision (48%).

Notice what's not on that list. Clients aren't turning to AI to make the final call. Only 3% said they'd replace their advisor with AI outright, and 76% said they'd still want a human even if AI could answer most of their questions.

Clients are using AI the way they might once have used a Google search or a finance blog: To organize their thoughts before a conversation, not to have the conversation for them. Clients arriving more prepared, allows you to spend more time helping them decide larger matters.

It might sound counterintuitive, but more engaged clients use AI more, not less.

Gen Z clients are both the most AI-influenced generation (65%) and the most in-contact with their advisor, with 83% connecting monthly. Among the most engaged clients overall—those in touch weekly or more—54% regularly invest on their own. Yet they also remain closer to their advisor. Compare that to the least engaged clients, where only 10% stay in close contact.

AI use isn't a signal that a client is drifting away. It can be a signal that the client is actively engaged with their financial picture.

As Alison Considine, Head of Strategy and Business Operations at Betterment Advisor Solutions, put it:

"Many younger clients are still figuring out which questions to ask and how the different pieces of their finances connect. A proactive advisor can and should do more of that work for them before the client has to ask. Clients who've been through more financial cycles tend to walk in already knowing what they want to cover. Advisors working with younger clients have the opportunity to establish themselves early as the foundation of their clients' financial lives by actively engaging and continuing to educate the younger investors as they get their long-term financial goals established."

This is where your value sits. Clients can get definitions from a chatbot, but that’s not the same as working with someone who knows their full financial picture, understands how their goals connect, and will tell them what actually matters for their situation. The strategy is not to compete with AI, but to act as a connective presence that can help clients turn information into action.

If AI is handling the homework, what do clients want their advisor to handle? The data points to three clear themes:

1. Proactive alerts that flag what needs attention before a client has to ask.
2. AI-generated recommendations that the advisor reviews and stands behind.
3. A single real-time view that pulls outside accounts into the picture.

But which features matter most? Dig into the full report, for a breakdown of the findings by generation and income level, and where advisors have the clearest opportunities to add value.

There’s an urgency here that shouldn’t be overlooked. Gen Z clients are also the least locked into their current advisor relationships, with 63% saying poor technology would influence their decision to switch advisors.

For advisors looking to attract and retain next-generation clients, technology is becoming part of the relationship itself. The opportunity is clear: clients have told us what they’re using AI for, where they still want a human, and what they want from their advisor next.

Want the full picture? The complete report dives into which AI-powered features matter most by generation and income level, plus where advisors have the clearest opening to add value. Download the full survey to see the data behind the headlines.