Orion Advisor Solutions

2026 Advisor Wealthtech Survey Findings

The 2026 Advisor Wealthtech Survey, conducted by Orion and Applied Marketing Science with 571 advisors, reveals that firms using Orion's technology experienced nearly 40% higher organic asset growth in 2025, while advisors increasingly prioritize optimizing technology integration, leveraging AI, and outsourcing third-party investment expertise to enhance efficiency and client value in 2026.

Methodology

Orion partnered with Applied Marketing Science to conduct the fourth annual Advisor Wealthtech Survey to highlight drivers and roadblocks impacting technology adoption and wealth management opportunities.

The 571 advisors surveyed were recruited using Orion and Redtail internal databases as well as an independent, third-party sample. Participation in the survey was voluntary and was fielded during December 2025.

Applied Marketing Science is neither affiliated with, nor employed by, Orion Advisor Solutions.

Key Findings

Growth and Optimism

  • Firms are experiencing continued expansion in both total assets and organic asset growth rates.
  • Advisors utilizing Orion demonstrate significantly higher growth compared to those not employing these solutions.

Integrated Tech and Data

  • Advisors recognize the importance of optimizing technology usage and effectively integrating organizational data in 2026.
  • Increased investment in technology is underway, with a focus on solutions that facilitate improved data integration.

Third-Party Investment Expertise

  • Third-party services, such as tax optimization and managed model portfolios, are widely used to enhance advisory effectiveness.
  • Outsourcing is increasingly adopted to optimize advisors’ time, enabling greater focus on activities that deliver value to clients.

Advisor Growth and 2026 Areas of Focus

Orion clients report their firms’ organic growth rates were nearly 40% higher than non-Orion firms in 2025

Organic Asset Growth

  • Orion portfolio accounting clients grew organically—excluding market movements and M&A activity—an average of 3.2 percentage points faster than non-Orion clients in 2025 (11.5% vs. 8.3%), which equates to a 39% higher growth rate. (Sample size: 200 Orion clients, 248 non-Orion clients.)

Strategic Focus in 2026

In 2026, most financial advisors will focus on optimizing technology integration and using AI.

Top Strategic Focus Areas (2026)

  • AI and automation tools (50%)
  • Streamlined workflows and process optimization (49%)
  • Integrated technology (46%)

No other response option exceeded 23%.

Impactful Trends in 2026

Advisors believe AI, automation, and next-gen client engagement will drive future advisor success.

AI Adoption and Barriers

AI Maturity Amongst Firms

  • Many advisors are using AI but are in early-stage in their efforts.
  • 4% responded “Not sure” regarding their firm's current level of AI maturity.

Top Value Areas for AI

  • Administrative task automation
  • Client meeting preparation

Barriers to AI Adoption

Trust, Risk, and Client-facing Barriers

  • Concerns about accuracy, transparency, or client trust (49%)
  • Uncertainty about compliance or regulatory requirements (42%)
  • Worries about AI replacing the human touch (22%)
  • Lack of understanding about use cases (30%)
  • Lack of leadership buy-in or clear strategy (9%)

76% of advisors say trust, risk, and client-facing barriers prevent them adopting or expanding the use of AI.

60% of advisors say organizational and strategic barriers prevent them adopting or expanding the use of AI.

Technical and Operational Barriers

  • Difficulty integrating AI into existing workflows (31%)
  • High implementation or integration costs (16%)
  • Insufficient data quality or accessibility (12%)

51% of advisors say technical and operational barriers prevent them adopting or expanding the use of AI.

Distinguishing Abilities of Successful Advisors in 2030

  • Demonstrate purpose-driven advice aligned with clients' values and sustainability goals (32%)
  • Evolve from investment manager to personal CFO and behavioral coach (27%)
  • Automate operations to maximize time for strategic advice (27%)
  • Deliver an always-on, omni-channel client experience (virtual + in-person) (15%)
  • Use predictive analytics to anticipate client needs and life events (12%)
  • Seamlessly integrate traditional and alternative investments into holistic portfolios (12%)
  • 5% are unsure due to anticipated changes.

Technology Investment, Utilization, and Pain Points

Technology Investment

  • Investment in technology is expected to be similar in 2026 as it was in 2025.

Technology Utilization and Integration

  • Orion advisors report a significantly higher average tech stack utilization rate (65%) than non-Orion advisors (55%).
  • Firms that grew the most in 2025 utilized a higher percentage of their tech (65%) than low growth firms (57%) and those that didn’t grow (52%).
  • Orion advisors report a higher average tech integration rate (56%) than non-Orion advisors (52%).

Data Unification

  • In 2026, two-thirds of advisors reported their firms’ data was fully or mostly unified.
    • 63%: Fully unified – data flows seamlessly across all systems
    • 3%: Mostly unified – some manual processes still required
    • Not unified at all – none of our data flows across systems

How Technology Could “Supercharge” Effectiveness

  • Streamlining operations and reducing manual work
  • Giving more time to focus on clients
  • Helping deliver more personalized advice at scale
  • Improving data accuracy and decision-making
  • Enhancing collaboration across the firm

Technological Pain Points

Top 3 technological pain points last year (2025):

  1. 1.Disconnected solutions
  2. 2.Cost
  3. 3.Lack of training

Outsourcing

  • Most advisors rely on third-party providers for a variety of investment functions or plan to in the future.
  • Nearly three-quarters (70%) of advisors currently leverage tax optimization services from third-party providers.
  • 33% plan to maintain, 37% plan to expand use of tax optimization services.
  • Other commonly leveraged solutions are managed model portfolios (60%) and Separately Managed Accounts (SMAs) (56%).
  • Nearly half (48%) of advisors do not leverage UMAs from third-party providers and indicate no plans to in the future.

Wealth Management Trends

Managing Client Households

  • The ability to manage an entire client household through a single, coordinated portfolio is valuable to advisors.
  • Outcomes expected to improve by switching from individual accounts to client households include better coordination and efficiency.

Alternative Asset Allocation

  • Advisors expect to integrate alternative assets into client portfolios in 2026.
  • Percentage of advisors who expect to use alternative assets in 2026 and average expected allocation to alternative assets are increasing.

Challenges with Alternative Assets

Top 3 challenges helping clients invest in alternative assets:

  • High fees
  • Risk/transparency
  • Information gaps (e.g., misunderstandings about liquidity and investment structure) (25%)
  • Low awareness of investment opportunities (19%)
  • Reporting difficulties/complexity (18%)
  • Limited access or high minimum investment thresholds (18%)
  • Other (11%)

Technology and Alternative Assets

  • Simplified onboarding would help advisors incorporate alternative assets into portfolios.
  • Technological capabilities that would most help include streamlined onboarding and better integration.

Advisor Purpose and Happiness

  • Advisors report high levels of fulfillment and that they’re leveraging strengths to improve client outcomes.
  • Many agree that their work positively contributes to their happiness.