Depledge Strategic Wealth Management is bringing in young talent
A Manchester-based wealth management firm is taking active steps to lower the age profile of UK financial planners, amid warnings that the profession must attract younger talent to secure its long-term future.
The average age of financial planners currently sits in the late 40s, having fallen from the early to mid-50s since 2021, according to a 2025 survey of advisers by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
The regulator attributed the shift to a 12% increase in advisers aged under 39 entering the profession in recent years.
Despite the modest improvement, industry figures say the challenge remains acute. Only 8.6% of the UK population received advice on investments, pensions or retirement planning in the past year, the FCA found, while just 32.6% of the British public is considered financially literate, compared with 49.8% in Canada and 55.8% in Hong Kong, according to a 2025 study by the London Foundation of Banking and Finance.
Homegrown talent
Depledge Strategic Wealth Management, a 17-strong consultancy with £315m of assets under advice, is doing its part to address the shortfall.
The firm, which is one of just 52 Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI)-accredited independent financial planning practices in the country, has been delivering financial literacy talks in local schools, running an in-house training programme for new planners, and offering work experience placements to young people considering a career in the sector.
Andrew Day, founder and managing director of Depledge, said: “While it is good that our sector’s average age has now dropped below 50, the age profile of the sector remains concerningly high, especially when one considers that levels of financial literacy in the UK are far lower than in other countries. We need more young talent in this industry, not less.”
Day, who is 54, pointed to concrete progress within his own firm. “There are only 17 of us at Depledge, but we are actively combatting this trend, which is why I’m thrilled to announce that our own Andrew Thorp, aged 29, has just progressed from a paraplanner to a trainee financial planner.”
A team built for the future
Andrew Thorp’s twin brother, Chris, also a paraplanner at the firm, is said to be following closely in his footsteps. Elsewhere in the team, Eddy Ainley, 28, and Dan Gordon, 31, are certified and chartered financial planners, while Lorraine Cregg, 41, holds chartered financial planner status.
“All of these great people are helping shift down our industry’s average age and equip Britain with high-quality financial planning talent for decades to come,” said Day.
“We also plan to have three work experience students with us this summer, something we hope brings more young talent into this vitally important profession.”
A personal obligation
Day said: “I became an adviser aged 27 in 1999 and therefore I feel an obligation to offer young people today the same opportunities that I had. I was immediately adding value to clients and soon became a leading planner at a major international bank, before going on to set up Depledge.
“Finding the right people with integrity, intelligence and work ethic is key as we develop a leading training and development programme at Depledge. I am passionate about building the financial planning profession because I see the demonstrable benefits it brings our clients every day.”
Beyond investment advice
Day added: “We’re not trying to turn people into investment gurus. Instead, our goal is simply to help get everyone to a good level of understanding on things like saving, budgeting and other important financial areas, on their journey to achieve financial independence.
“Our work is about planning today so that our clients can live the life they want tomorrow.”
