The rise of AI within advisor technology has come along with a lot of new jargon for users and evaluators of new technology to learn. Words like 'context', 'instance', and 'intelligence', which are all common words outside of AI, have completely different meanings when used in regard to AI. But one of the most confusing AI-related words right now is 'agent'. So many different technology providers today have some version of an AI agent doing things within their software, and yet few take the time to explain to (usually non-expert) users what an agent does or why it's important.
Broadly speaking, an AI agent is a system that's trained to perform a narrow, specialized task – in other words, a robot that does a job. For example, an AI agent might be trained to perform an advisor's pre-client meeting workflow: Scheduling the meeting, sending a follow-up reminder and data gathering questionnaire, preparing an agenda and client snapshot for the advisor, etc. (Somewhat confusingly, AI agents are different from what's generally referred to as 'agentic AI' – the agents are akin to workers performing specific tasks, while agentic AI is a system that's made to coordinate higher-level, multistep workflows that often involves managing multiple individual agents.) While agents can be custom-built using an AI tool like Claude, in the financial advisor world – where few advisors are interested in building their own agents – most AI agents are made to be used out-of-the-box within a software platform. Some software might be built around a single agent (e.g., to open client custodial accounts), while others might make and use multiple agents for different functions. Some agents are made to run autonomously in the background with little input from the user, while others only function when given an order from a human.
But the bottom line is that an AI agent is a robot that does stuff, which makes it distinct from other forms of AI like generative AI 'word calculators' (e.g., chatbots and meeting note tools). And with the proliferation of all things AI on the AdvisorTech Map, it's hard to distinguish the 'word calculator' tools from the agents that actually do things, and at a micro level, to distinguish one AI agent from another. If there are seven different tools that say they automate advisory firm workflows, how do you find out which one actually solves for the workflows you need done?
That's why it's notable that the technology consultancy (and Kitces AdvisorTech Map collaborator) Ezra Group has introduced this month a new directory of "AI Agents for Advisors". Currently listing 51 different financial advisor-specific AI agents (but likely to expand in size as more providers add their own agents), the directory is broken down by category (e.g., Workflow Support, Financial Planning, Tax, Client Meeting Support, etc.), and includes data points for the type of firms they serve and pricing structure (e.g., seat-based or usage-based), and will eventually include an 'Autonomy Score' on a 0-5 scale of how much human input is needed for the agent to do its job.
On an individual RIA level a resource like Ezra Group's AI Agents directory can help advisory firms get a grasp on what's out there in a rapidly growing and evolving technology landscape, while cutting past the marketing language that dominates most technology websites to focus on whatever it is that the technology actually does – which is a version of what we've tried to do with the Kitces AdvisorTech Map and Directory, but at an even more granular level since many of the agents in Ezra Group's directory are effectively sub-components of software providers listed on the Map. This gives advisors yet another resource to evaluate and compare software in a standardized way to determine which one really best meets the advisory firm's needs.
But on a broader industry level, it will be fascinating to track how the AI Agents directory grows and evolves over time, as it reflects how technology providers are packaging agents and incorporating them into their offerings. In theory, it's possible for a provider to sell a single pre-built agent for an advisor to run on their own, or a collection of agents that solve multiple tasks on an a la carte basis, or one or more agents that run under the umbrella of a broader technology platform, which will make it interesting to see which ones advisory firms actually buy and incorporate – or conversely, which get co-opted by bigger incumbent firms who release their own versions to their users? Will some software providers ultimately become more of a marketplace for different AI agents for firms to pick and choose from, while others focus more on building the infrastructure for agents to work in to maximize their functionality?
Ultimately, as some of the froth around the AI notetakers and other generative tools seems to have settled, the focus appears to be shifting to AI that can actually do things, which is still very much up in the air in terms of which use cases will prove useful and popular and which of today's startups will become the market-leading incumbents in the future. Much as the AdvisorTech Map provides a snapshot of the shifting trends in the AdvisorTech space, Ezra Group's AI Agents Directory will be worth following to trace the outlines of the AI agents movement in the months and years ahead.
This article first appeared on the Nerd’s Eye View at Kitces.com at https://kitc.es/advisortech-august2026, and has been reprinted here with permission.
Ben Henry-Moreland
Ben Henry-Moreland is a Senior Financial Planning Nerd at Kitces.com, where he specializes in writing and speaking on financial planning topics including tax, practice management, and technology. He also co-authors the monthly Kitces #AdvisorTech column. Drawing from his experience as a financial planner and a solo advisory firm owner, Ben is passionate about fulfilling the site’s mission of making financial advicers better and more successful.
Michael Kitces
Michael Kitces is Head of Planning Strategy at Focus Partners Wealth, which provides an evidence-based approach to private wealth management for near- and current retirees, and Focus Partners Advisor Solutions, a turnkey wealth management services provider supporting thousands of independent financial advisors through the scaling phase of growth.
In addition, he is a co-founder of the XY Planning Network, AdvicePay, fpPathfinder, and New Planner Recruiting, the former Practitioner Editor of the Journal of Financial Planning, the host of the Financial Advisor Success podcast, and the publisher of the popular financial planning industry blog Nerd’s Eye View through his website Kitces.com, dedicated to advancing knowledge in financial planning. In 2010, Michael was recognized with one of the FPA’s “Heart of Financial Planning” awards for his dedication and work in advancing the profession.
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