Influencers Look to Add Advisors, Enhance Productivity with New Tech in 2026
Revenue from investment services increased 11% last year in 14 bellwether financial institution-based firms, thanks in part to a fourth quarter surge. Investment assets tracked closely with revenue, while advisor headcount increased between 2% and 4%, on average, as these firms made some progress toward a key priority.
These are some of the findings from the End-of-Year Influencers Poll. Now in its third year, the quarterly Influencers Poll takes the pulse of a couple dozen leaders with exceptional insight and reach from all corners of the bank and credit union financial advice industry: investment services directors in banks and credit unions, top executives in the third-party broker dealers, clearing firms, and product and technology providers, and our fellow consultants. Learn more about the Kehrer Group Influencers Poll here.
Eleven of fourteen Influencers from banks and credit unions exceeded their growth goal for 2025. Through the end of Q3, only 5 Influencers reported being above goal. Strong growth during the fourth quarter appears to have propelled many Influencers to beat their annual goal.
Banks and credit unions with Influencer-led investment services firms are asking for 10% growth in 2026, on average, with some expecting twice that growth rate. Half of Influencers say their 2026 goal is up from 2025’s growth rate.
How will the Influencers deliver? We asked all Influencers to describe their organization’s strategic priorities for 2026, and then used Google’s AI assistant, Gemini, to identify the top 5 priorities for each subgroup of Influencers: Banks & Credit Unions, TPMs, and Vendors/Consultants. Here are the results.
Advisor force expansion remains the top priority for banks and credit unions. Once again, growing capacity remains the #1 priority among Influencers from banks and credit unions, but they reported a variety of approaches. Some emphasized recruitment from outside firms, while others are looking at virtual advisor and licensed banker programs to provide additional capacity for growth.
Boosting advisor performance is key to meeting growth goals. “Advisor development and improvement” is the #2 priority among Influencers from banks and credit unions, and “advisor performance coaching” is the #1 priority among Influencers from the TPMs, vendors, and consultants. Digging into the data, it’s clear that Influencers expect technology in general, and AI in particular, to boost advisor productivity and efficiency.
Hello again, financial planning. We have watched our industry’s focus on financial planning ebb and flow over the past decades. But it appears to be ascending once again, as financial planning made the top 5 priorities across all groups of Influencers. Will 2026 be the year that the industry finally cracks the code on financial planning?
What didn’t make the list is just as noteworthy. The integration of trust, private banking, asset management, and retail investments–a top priority for Influencers in last year’s poll–dropped out of the top 5 list for 2026. Similarly, last year’s emphasis on improving client experience appears to have been supplanted with other priorities, including technology/AI adoption and improving operational efficiency.
Download the full results from the End-of-Year Influencers Poll here.