In many ways, the financial industry stands at a crossroads. One of the key reasons is the accelerated pace of technological growth and adoption, such as with artificial intelligence (AI). While AI has generated considerable buzz across sectors, its actual implementation in practice remains uneven. Currently, only a handful of tasks have been collectively identified in financial planning and advisory settings as truly ripe for the use of AI, creating both opportunity and uncertainty for practitioners.

One of the main reasons for the divergent outlooks is that implementing new fintech tools with AI components isn’t a minor adjustment—it can represent a point where practices would need to broadly change processes and potentially overhaul established workflows. This reality explains the hesitation some financial professionals feel.

Building AI Confidence Through Personal Use

Financial professionals who are hesitant about implementing artificial intelligence into their practice don’t need to make an immediate leap into complex fintech solutions. The most practical first step is much simpler: start using AI tools in your personal life.

This practical approach offers a low-risk entry point to understand AI capabilities without professional compliance concerns. By experimenting with AI for personal tasks, you’ll naturally develop an intuition for what these tools can and cannot do effectively.

Choose from any number of options in the market today to start with these personal applications:

• Learning accelerator. Identify a non-work topic you are interested in, such as history, philosophy, nutrition, or a skill you’ve postponed. Have AI design a 30-day curriculum and act as your tutor. Doing this will help you learn how well AI teaches, where it oversimplifies, and how to keep rigor high.
• Personal logistics management. Use AI to help organize household projects, create shopping lists, or plan family events. For instance, you might prompt: “Help me plan a summer barbecue for 15 people, including menu suggestions, shopping list, timeline, and setup instructions.”
• Travel planning: Ask an AI assistant to create a detailed itinerary for your next vacation, including flight options, accommodation recommendations, and daily activities based on your interests. The AI can suggest local restaurants, estimate costs, and even recommend packing essentials based on weather forecasts.
• Content summarization: Before reading lengthy articles, ask an AI to provide concise summaries highlighting key points. This not only saves time but demonstrates how AI can process and distill information—a skill directly applicable to client-facing work.

Benefits of a Simple Approach to AI

The benefits of this personal-first approach extend beyond basic familiarity. As you integrate AI tools into daily routines, you will:

1. Develop realistic expectations about AI capabilities and limitations
2. Learn effective prompting techniques that generate better outputs
3. Build confidence in reviewing and refining AI-generated content
4. Identify specific applications that could transfer to your practice
5. Prepare yourself to explain AI concepts to curious clients

The advantage of beginning with free AI tools extends beyond cost savings. They provide a low-risk environment to experiment with various applications—from drafting client emails to summarizing research reports—while you develop comfort with the technology. This hands-on experience builds the confidence and practical knowledge needed before evaluating more specialized options.

Most importantly, personal experimentation creates a foundation of understanding that makes professional implementation less intimidating.

Start Using AI for Work in Small, Low-risk Ways

For those ready to start exploring deeper AI integrations, both new and established industry players can offer promising starting points with basic functionality designed to develop a more seamless integration of AI into a client workflow.

What good, early use cases share is restraint. AI supports clarity, speed, and organization, while humans retain judgment, accountability, and context. Keep in mind, there’s no automation of outcomes—only assistance in getting better ones. In many cases, meeting note-taking is a prime example of a low-risk task to start.

These are just some of the platforms out there today that recognize that financial planning practices need practical solutions to enhance rather than disrupt existing client relationships.

“Meeting Intelligence Layer”

Jump and Zocks

These tools are designed to streamline workflows and eliminate the tedious and error-prone task of manual data entry and conversion. The existing integration with eMoney enables advisors who use both eMoney and either of these platforms to push proposed updates to income, expenses, personal details, and financial goals—immediately after client meetings.

“Planning Infrastructure Layer”

Wealth.com, Vanilla, and Luminary

These tools are designed to streamline the estate planning process through the use of AI and integration-based document reading and estate document creation. Existing integrations enable advisors to move data seamlessly between the platforms in support of comprehensive or estate planning.

Navigating Compliance and Complexities in Early AI Implementations

For both personal and professional use, a fundamental principle when using AI in financial advisory work is to treat everything that comes from these systems as a draft. AI can make factual errors, hallucinate information, or misunderstand context in ways that could create significant compliance issues if left unchecked. Make sure you thoroughly review any AI-generated content before sharing it with clients or colleagues, even if it’s a simple email.

When it’s time to implement AI tools into your financial advisory practice, compliance and data security must be top priorities. One of the most immediate concerns is the sharing of personally identifiable information (PII) with AI platforms. Many planners don’t realize that information entered into general-purpose AI tools like ChatGPT or Bard isn’t protected or private. Financial planners should be aware that it is never acceptable to enter personal information into any AI tool or chatbot.

Here are some of the issues you will want to discuss with your compliance team:

Having clear review processes for AI outputs. This might include:

• Having a designated team member verify factual claims
• Checking that all regulatory disclosures are properly included
• Ensuring language aligns with your firm’s approved terminology
• Confirming that recommendations match your firm’s investment philosophy

Having data security protocols established before implementing any broadly applied AI solution. Consider creating a formal written policy that outlines:

• Which types of information can and cannot be shared with AI tools
• Which specific AI platforms are approved for use
• Required security features for any AI tool (encryption, data retention policies, etc.)
• Procedures for reporting potential data breaches

For smaller firms without dedicated compliance departments, consider consulting with a compliance professional who specializes in fintech before implementing AI tools. Many industry associations also offer guidance on AI implementation that addresses regulatory concerns.

How to Talk to Clients About AI

When clients ask about AI, the goal is reassurance, not education. Most concerns fall into three buckets: trust, accuracy, and loss of human judgment. Address those directly and calmly.

1. Start by framing AI as an internal support tool, not a decision-maker. Explain that you use AI the way a firm might use better spreadsheets or research software—to handle background work so more attention stays on the client. Be explicit: AI does not make recommendations, determine suitability, or replace professional judgment. You do.
   What you can say: “Think of AI as background support, not a brain making decisions. I use it the same way I use planning software or research tools—to handle preparation and administrative work. It never makes recommendations, never determines what’s appropriate for you, and never replaces my judgment. All advice and decisions come from me, and I’m fully accountable for them.”
   
2. Next, anchor the conversation in client benefit, not innovation. AI helps prepare more thoroughly for meetings, capture details accurately, and follow through consistently. That translates into fewer errors, better documentation, and more time spent discussing goals, tradeoffs, and life context. Clients care about outcomes, not tools.
   What you can say: “The reason I use AI isn’t to be cutting-edge—it’s to be more prepared and more consistent for you. It helps me capture details accurately, prepare more thoroughly for our meetings, and follow through reliably. That means fewer errors, better documentation, and more of our time spent on your goals, tradeoffs, and life decisions—not on paperwork.”
   
3. Transparency matters, but so does restraint. You don’t need to list platforms or technical details. What builds confidence is clear boundaries: what AI touches and what it never touches. Position this as part of your fiduciary discipline, not a tech experiment.
   What you can say: “I’m transparent about using AI, but I’m also very disciplined about where it stops. AI helps with organization and preparation. It does not analyze suitability, make recommendations, or replace human judgment. Those boundaries are intentional—they’re part of how I protect your interests and uphold my fiduciary responsibility, not a technology experiment.” 

It also helps to normalize how AI is already embedded in everyday life—bank fraud detection, email and mapping apps, and medical imaging. This reframes AI as infrastructure, not risk. The important point is that AI is supervised, audited, and subordinate to human accountability.

Finally, invite questions without overpromising. The strongest signal of confidence is comfort with limits. Saying “we use AI in specific, controlled ways” is far more credible than claiming transformation.

Download our eBook AI in Financial Advice: What’s Next? to learn more about how financial planners see AI’s impact.

DISCLAIMER: The eMoney Advisor Blog is meant as an educational and informative resource for financial professionals and individuals alike. It is not meant to be, and should not be taken as financial, legal, tax or other professional advice. Those seeking professional advice may do so by consulting with a professional advisor. eMoney Advisor will not be liable for any actions you may take based on the content of this blog.

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