Wealthy investors turn to AI to find financial advisors

A survey by Ficomm Partners and Absolute Engagement found 8.7% of high-net-worth investors now use artificial intelligence tools to search for financial advisors. Use of AI rose to 25.3% among investors with $5 million or more in assets and to 15% for respondents under 45. The same survey reported 13.1% use Google and 9.6% use social media when researching advisors.

Investors under 45 reported more varied research habits: 49% said they use at least four different methods to evaluate a potential advisor, often combining AI, search engines, social platforms and other online sources.

Meg Carpenter, CEO of Ficomm Partners, noted that two years ago consumer use of AI for advisor research was rare and that the topic now merits a dedicated section in the firm’s reports.

A separate poll last fall of 500 mass-affluent Americans by Wealthtender found 25% planned to use ChatGPT or similar AI tools as one of their primary starting points when looking for an advisor. Brian Thorp, founder and CEO of Wealthtender, wrote that Americans will increasingly go online and use AI to hire and research advisors.

Ficomm Partners and industry figures described how AI tools locate advisors: they draw on publicly available content such as firm websites, articles, client reviews and social profiles. Carpenter recommended that advisors keep a consistent brand voice, publish clear and specific content across digital platforms, and highlight client testimonials and demonstrable expertise so AI tools can find and evaluate them.

Samantha Russell, chief evangelist at FMG, wrote that many prospective clients now use chatbots to run context-rich conversations rather than typing simple queries into search engines. Russell is scheduled to speak about AI discovery for advisors at the ADVISE AI conference in 2026.

John O’Connell, CEO of The Oasis Group, wrote in an email that social platforms use algorithms based on users’ prior activity to build profiles of likely clients. He added that a social media strategy targeting investors with defined asset levels will often align with those algorithmic profiles.

The survey results indicate higher AI use among the wealthiest clients and younger investors. Industry participants recommended building an indexable web presence, producing differentiated content and keeping consistent profiles across platforms to improve the chances that AI tools relying on public information will surface an advisor.