Neil Rogan, Head of Distribution, Australia and New Zealand at Russell Investments, said clients may be balancing a mortgage, helping children into property, supporting ageing parents and planning their own retirement, often at the same time.
“The conversation is shifting from ‘help me retire’ to ‘will I be okay?’ Advisers are increasingly valued for the confidence, judgement and reassurance they bring to decisions that are complex, emotional and urgent,” Rogan said.
The report found that 43 per cent of advised clients sought advice for reassurance about their financial future, ahead of retirement planning at 38 per cent. Competing financial goals rose from 23 per cent to 31 per cent as a driver of seeking advice.
The 2026 Value of an Adviser Report estimates advisers added at least 5.5 per cent per annum in value through appropriate asset allocation (1.5 per cent), behavioural coaching (2.8 per cent) and tax-savvy planning (1.2 per cent).
One of the other key findings from the report was that confidence more than doubles after advice with 83 per cent of clients very or extremely confident about achieving their financial goals after receiving advice, compared with 41 per cent before advice.
It also found that clients are paying more and perceiving more value with 90 per cent rating their adviser as good or excellent value, up from 84 per cent in 2025, despite average annual fees rising from $4,572 to $5,235.
Furthermore, it revealed that personalised advice is the biggest gap to close with 36 per cent of advised clients rating advice tailored to their needs and values as one of the most important adviser attributes, second only to trust, but only 30 per cent say it is delivered extremely well.
The research also reveals a significant gap between the value advisers deliver and what clients recognise.
Seventy-eight per cent of advisers strongly agree that helping clients avoid costly mistakes during market volatility is a benefit of advice, compared with just 27 per cent of clients.
There were three key priorities for advice businesses that came out of the report. The first pointed to a broader industry challenge of how to meet rising expectations for personalised, relationship-led advice amid adviser shortages, regulatory pressure and capacity constraints.
Other priorities included making invisible value visible by communicating outcomes, demonstrating progress and connecting ongoing fees to the reassurance, judgement and behavioural coaching clients receive.
