2026 Industry Research

Tools alone won't create the capacity to grow

Orion's 2026 State of the Advisor looks at how AI, integration, and personalization are reshaping independent firms, and what separates the ones building real operating leverage from the ones just adding tools.

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Cover of Orion's 2026 State of the Advisor whitepaper 
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Whitepaper

From Tools to Force Multipliers: Orion's 2026 State of the Advisor

A look at the forces reshaping wealth management in 2026, and how independent firms are turning AI, integration, and personalization into real growth capacity.

  • Where AI adoption actually stands, and why most firms haven't moved past individual experimentation
  • Why integration, not spending, is the strongest driver of tech-stack satisfaction
  • What investors mean by "personalized" advice, and where advisors misread it
  • The governance practices firms need for AI under FINRA, the SEC, and Reg S-P

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65%
 
The Utilization Gap

Firms that grew fastest in 2025 utilized 65% of their tech stack. Firms that didn't grow at all utilized just 52%.1 Spending more doesn't close the gap. Using what you already have does.

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What's Inside

Three forces reshaping 2026

A preview of what the full report covers.

AI: From Curiosity to Force Multiplier

63% of RIAs now use AI in some capacity, more than double the 2023 rate.2 Most are still stuck in individual experimentation, not firm-wide strategy.

See page 6 →

The Integration Imperative

Disconnected systems remain advisors' top technology pain point, cited by 51%.1 Integration, not spend, is the strongest driver of tech-stack satisfaction.

See page 9 →

The Multi-Generational Practice

$124 trillion in wealth will transfer through 2048,3 and 55% of next-generation heirs plan to leave their benefactor's advisor when it does.4

See page 13 →
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Get the full picture

Every finding here is pulled from a 22-page report on where the wealth-tech industry is headed in 2026.

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1Source: 2026 Orion Wealthtech Survey.
2Source: Schwab Advisor AI in Action: AI's Transformative Impact on RIAs, January 2026.
3Source: Cerulli Anticipates $124 Trillion in Wealth Will Transfer Through 2048. Cerulli Associates, December 2024.
4Source: The Great Wealth Transfer: An Existential Test for Advice. Natixis Investment Managers, April 2026.