Right now, more than any recent time that I can remember— it really feels like the world is going to collapse.”

Natalie Colley, a partner and senior lead advisor at New York City-based Francis Financial

intelligence as a valuable tool rather than a threat to their jobs( its faults notwithstanding). AI can’ t substitute for everything a human does with clients, says Benjamin Bolen, an advisor with LPL Financial in Ann Arbor, Mich. But it greatly helps when he and his clients use it in collaboration, he says.“ That’ s when the best things happen.” who hadn’ t been to Europe.“ The peer pressure to give your family experiences or to have experiences yourself, especially around travel, is at all-time highs,” says McKinnon, who is also a chief operating officer and chief marketing officer at Calabasas, Calif.-based Morton.“ It ' s causing people to spend significantly more on travel and [ put ] less into savings.”

Diverse Roles, Smart Advice

Young advisors are going to have diverse experiences in the industry— a reflection of their diverse backgrounds and the roles they’ ll be asked to play. They might be called upon on one hand to help first-generation immigrants who need emergency funds, and on the other to help wealthy clients seeking something like gold as a hedge on a $ 5 million nest egg.

With diverse experiences come greater depth and comprehension about the recommendations they’ re giving to next-gen clients about critical life decisions, including ideas about the clients’ eventual retirement.

There’ s a perception that younger generations, especially Gen Z, might be frivolous about savings or more eager to chase a TikTok-inspired vision of instant success than they are to do

the mundane work of retirement saving. One underlying problem is that they are chasing someone else’ s version of the American Dream, which could bust up their financial plans. Advisors are in a position to warn them about the risks of that kind of thinking.

Morton Wealth’ s Stacey McKinnon recalls a client prospect in their 30s who came to her complaining that their 7-year-old was the only child in the second grade

We’ re not set-it-and-forgetit but we might become defensive,” says Shaffer, adding that he tends not to go to cash.“ There’ s been some interesting cycles in my 20 years and after every single one of them, it’ s turned out OK.”

Marc C. Shaffer, principal owner and chief financial officer, Searcy Financial

Investing In Uncertain Times Despite a political environment that has become more hostile to environmental, social and governance investing, next-gen clients are still passionate about the subject, note some advisors.

“ They want their dollars to mean something,” says

27-year-old Landon Buzzerd, a planner with Grant Street Asset Management in Canonsburg, Pa. That means looking at not only what they’ re investing in but the items they’ re buying, including how it was sourced.“ My generation enjoys local businesses or small businesses more.”

Marc C. Shaffer, a principal owner and chief financial officer of Searcy Financial, a fee-only practice in Overland Park, Kan., says he tries to stay invested in the market but rotates in and

out of sectors when necessary.“ We’ re not set-it-and-forget-it but we might become defensive,” says Shaffer, adding that he tends not to go to cash.“ There’ s been some interesting cycles in my 20 years and after every single one of them, it’ s turned out OK.”

Shaffer, who is 42 himself, works mainly with clients younger than 40. He says his firm has employed a“ hedge equity position” for the past seven years, a defensive crouch that

32 | FINANCIAL ADVISOR MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2025 WWW. FA-MAG. COM