Date: 4 February 2026

Venue: Kings Place, London

When: 11am – 5pm

Come February, we’ll be returning to Kings Place to pick up where we left the conversation on how to attract more diverse talent into our great financial planning profession.

Along with another round of Financial Planning Live, we’ll have the launch of the latest SOTAN, plus some new perspectives from planners, universities, those involved in training and more.

Here’s the rundown of what you can expect from the day.

Financial Planning LIVE

Following rave reviews, we are resurrecting Financial Planning LIVE for a whole new audience. A new actor has been booked, new client scenarios will be in play and the baton has been passed from the amazing Wellington Wealth ladies to some equally amazing, soon to be revealed planners.

As before, we’ll watch the initial client meeting unfold live and unrehearsed on stage, then come back together at the end of the day for a rapid turnaround of recommendations, rapport and general financial planning magic. Fingers crossed it’ll be eye-opening for the newbies, with some food for thought for the planners and industry types in the room too.

During the day there’ll be dedicated sessions for our two main audiences:

For the advice pros

SOTAN 2026 – New Blood

Be among the first to hear the findings from our latest State of the Advice Nation report, with perspectives on the financial planning environment that new entrants, employers and firms find themselves in.

Guided by what advice professionals have told us, we’ll discuss the shape of the advice sector in terms of talent, growth and what’s to come, plus get some hot-off-the-press reaction from planners, providers and of course, the lang cat’s take on it all.

Getting the next generation ready

Colleges and universities can often be the bridge between young people and mature students leaving the world they know and entering a new sector like finance. In this session we’ll hear first hand about what that’s like in practice.

Kingston University’s Louise Cooper will set out how she manages expectations and deals with the challenges of getting more diverse groups into financial services. She’ll then be joined by two former students to hear their views on what firms can do to support new recruits like them. Shaping up to be a session that’s high energy and thought provoking in equal measure.

The practical bit: Apprenticeships, training and more

We know the problem by now: advice needs more great people coming through the door. But just as importantly, those open doors need to be there in the first place.

In this mini keynote session, Natalie Dawes from the New Talent Alliance will share the resources, training and routes available to support firms in growing their teams effectively and getting recruits to the required level to best support your business and the clients you work with.

For the students and career changers

These sessions have been designed to give a bit of insight into the skills needed to be a great financial planner. So who better to hear from than great planners and advice professionals themselves?

Three hand-picked speakers will each present on one of three core competencies: technical knowledge, soft skills and sales and business skills.

Having learned about each aspect in turn, those new to the sector will hear from one financial planer with an inspiring story to tell – their path in, their lessons learned and the wise words they’d pass on to those coming to the profession for the first time.

To join us on the day, head over to our events page where you can find out more and secure your place. As ever, tickets are free to advice professionals and, given the subject matter, also to students, careers changers and those considering a career in advice.

For everyone else, tickets are £100 + VAT.

This event qualifies for 5 hours of structured CPD.