Political worries hang over client conversations as advisors eye 2026

Americans working with financial planners are heading into 2026 feeling uneasy about politics but still largely on track with their money, according to new survey data from CFP Board.

In the 2026 CFP Professionals Financial Outlook Survey, half of CFP professionals said their clients have a positive view of their finances for the year ahead, with another 38% described as somewhat positive. Only 12% were tagged as pessimistic about 2026.

At the same time, the CFP Board survey showed 80% of planners reporting clients are confident about hitting long-term goals, and 72% said clients feel good about near-term objectives.

The disconnect is showing up in what clients want to talk about. The political climate is now the single most common concern clients raise when discussing their ability to reach financial goals, cited by about one-half of planners. That edged out inflation and prices (39%), the national economy (34%), and market stability (34%). Escalating health care costs were also a worry flagged by 33% of respondents.

In a likely microcosm of the K-shaped economy, client emotions are showing up as a split screen. Planners most often used “cautious” to describe how clients feel about 2026, at 53%, followed by “uncertain” at 43% and “anxious” at 36%. Yet 36% also called their clients "optimistic," and 24% said "confident."

For advisors, that mix of anxiety and resilience is translating into more planning-heavy conversations rather than dramatic portfolio moves. Retirement planning was the top item clients went over with planners, at 67%, followed by tax planning (58%), investment planning (51%), estate planning and wealth transfer (44%), and health-care costs (30%).

On the strategy side, roughly two-thirds of planners said they are steering clients toward tax optimization in 2026, and 62% are urging clients to build or revisit a formal financial plan. Increasing retirement savings (44%) and investing in the stock market (38%) rounded out the leading recommendations.

“When uncertainty grows, the value of professional financial planning becomes even more clear,” CFP Board CEO Kevin R. Keller said in a statement, adding that planners help clients “maintain confidence and stay focused on their long-term objectives, even when circumstances feel unpredictable.”

Clients are not standing still. Nearly half of planners said their clients are more likely to start or increase investment contributions in 2026. Many also expect to spend on home repairs or renovations (40%), vacations (35%) and retirement decisions (39%), while being more hesitant about buying a home or changing jobs.

“The current landscape calls for proactive financial planning that addresses both immediate concerns and long-term objectives,” said Kevin Roth, managing director of research at CFP Board. He said planners are helping clients “separate sound financial strategy from emotional reactions to political headlines.”

CFP Board’s research team fielded the 10-question online survey November 6-20, 2025, gathering responses from 541 planners nationwide. The findings carry a margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.