The key to attracting and retaining the next generation of advisors? Client-focused training

A client walks into your office. They’ve lost a spouse. Or a job. Or they’ve just received an inheritance they never expected.

They aren’t looking for a spreadsheet. They’re looking for someone who knows what to say when there’s nothing to say. Someone who can help them decide when they feel really uncertain about their next steps.

They’re looking for a human. That’s the role of a financial planner. And yet, that’s the part of training we so often skip.

We spend hours teaching new advisors how to build a retirement projection. We walk them through our workflows and technology. However, we spend very little time helping them learn how to be with clients — how to navigate difficult conversations, build trust, and serve as a thinking partner when the numbers alone don’t give clear direction.

This is the human element of financial planning. And it’s not an add-on. It’s the work. We need to be training for it. 

If we want to attract the next generation of advisors and train them to be confident, capable professionals who stay in this profession long-term, we must start centering our training on what matters most: the client.

Client-centered financial planning

Client-Centered Financial Planning is the belief that planning work is about more than spreadsheets and strategy. It’s about people. It focuses on the human experience of money, the relationship between advisor and client, and the ability to guide clients through major life decisions with empathy, clarity, and skill.

It’s a set of soft skills, communication techniques, and problem-solving approaches that go far beyond financial formulas. And yet, these are often the last skills to be taught (or the most underdeveloped) in firm training programs. 

Excellent advisors are trained to support clients well

Many firms do a great job of onboarding new hires with training around systems, planning software, and compliance workflows. These are, of course, critical parts of the job.

But what’s missing in many programs is training on how to work with people — how to ask good questions, how to navigate emotionally charged moments, how to build trust, and how to tailor advice to someone’s life context rather than just their net worth.

When firms fail to prioritize these areas in training, they end up with new advisors who can do the work but struggle to connect with the clients. They may freeze when a client challenges a recommendation. They might fumble through meetings with vague follow-ups. They may over-rely on software output rather than learning to listen and respond to client needs in real time. They may have lower close rates or a smaller book of business because they don’t know how to really show their value as a planner.

Seventy percent of planners leave the profession in their first five years, and this is a major contributing factor. Advisors who don’t feel confident in front of clients often experience imposter syndrome, high anxiety, or burnout. They struggle to connect with clients and therefore can’t hit sustainable income levels. That lack of confidence and income can send them looking for another job — or another career.

Why relationship training attracts better talent

One thing I think firms really need to embrace moving forward: The next generation of advisors isn’t just looking for a job. They’re looking for purpose. They want to do work that is people-focused, values-driven, and intellectually engaging. Many of them were drawn to financial planning in the first place because they wanted to help others make meaningful life decisions.

If you want to attract the best of this talent, you need to show them that your firm values the human side of planning. We can’t just train them on what buttons to press in a system; they want to see that you’ll invest in helping them become truly great advisors who know how to listen, adapt, and serve a wide range of clients with compassion and confidence.

Client-Centered Financial Planning training is the differentiator. It signals that you understand what clients actually need — and what new professionals want to become.

From transactional to transformational training

Let’s be clear: training in processes and technology is still necessary. But it should be the foundation, not the full structure.

Firms that want to grow and retain talent need to create training environments where client-centered skills are developed alongside technical skills. That means:

• Role-playing client meetings, especially those that involve emotionally complex situations
• Shadowing experienced planners to learn how they navigate real conversations
• Providing feedback on tone, presence, and communication style, not just on the plan output
• Teaching new advisors how to adjust in real-time when a client doesn’t bring their documents or goes off-topic
• Reinforcing that their job isn’t just to present the plan but to serve the client

When firms shift from transactional training (just learning the “what”) to transformational training (understanding the “why” and “how”), they build a team of advisors who can adapt, connect, and lead.

At my firm, Amplified Planning, we’ve trained thousands of aspiring and new planners. And over and over again, we’ve heard the same thing from them:

“I didn’t feel prepared to talk to clients.”

“No one ever taught me what to do when a meeting went off-script.”

“I knew how to build the plan. I didn’t know how to be the planner.”

Now we need to listen to them and train them on these important skills.

What this type of training means for firm growth

When new advisors are trained to serve clients well, everything gets better: Clients are happier and more loyal, referral opportunities increase, the firm’s brand grows in reputation and trust, and advisors stay longer because they feel competent, confident, and fulfilled.

Client-centered training pays dividends — not just in how your clients experience your firm, but in how your team grows and thrives.

If your firm wants to grow, it won’t be enough to scale tech and build internal efficiency. You must grow your people. That means giving them the training that makes them better communicators, better listeners, and better humans.

That’s the kind of advisor your clients want. That’s the kind of training that future planners are seeking. And that’s what will move this profession forward.

Hannah Moore, CFP is the president and lead advisor of Guiding Wealth and the founder of Amplified Planning.