Advisors, Start Your Meetings With These Questions

First impressions matter — especially in the world of financial advising. The opening moments of a client meeting can define the tone, build trust, and signal your professionalism and readiness. If you're a financial advisor committed to building ethically sound, client-centric relationships, setting the right foundation from the start of every meeting is crucial. One of the most effective ways to do that? Ask the right questions.

This blog post explores the key questions every financial advisor should ask at the beginning of a client meeting — whether it's the first introduction or a routine review. These questions are grounded in modern financial advisor training principles, helping you deliver exceptional service that builds lasting, trustworthy relationships with your UK-based client base.

Why the First Few Minutes Matter So Much

The first five minutes of a meeting aren't just small talk. They're an essential stage for laying the groundwork of trust, professionalism, and understanding. Clients want to feel heard, not sold to. They want to know that they're more than just a financial portfolio — they’re a person with real goals, dreams, and fears.

When you start every meeting with intentional, open-ended questions, you position yourself as a listener first and an advisor second. This is key: in successful advisor-client relationships, empathy and communication always come before investment analytics and charts.

Additionally, these first few questions also help you to read your client’s current mindset. Are they anxious about the economy? Excited about new opportunities? Confused by recent government policy changes? You'll never truly know unless you ask.

This approach isn’t just good practice — it’s also backed by behavioural finance insights. People are more receptive to advice after they've had a chance to speak about their feelings and context.

Essential Questions to Start Every Financial Advisor Meeting

Here are some powerful questions that can help guide the start of your next meeting. These aren’t one-size-fits-all — adapt them to suit your client’s unique profile and the context of your relationship. However, they provide a fantastic framework to ensure you’re setting up your meetings for success.

1. “What’s on your mind today?”

This is one of the most powerful open-ended questions you can ask. It invites your client to steer the conversation and share what’s currently occupying their thoughts. Whether it's a recent redundancy, a new baby on the way, or fears about inflation, this question brings their current reality into the spotlight — giving you insights that go far beyond data.

It also demonstrates that your meetings are about what matters to them, not just what you planned to discuss. This can instantly help reduce anxiety, create connection, and build trust.

2. “Has anything changed since we last spoke?”

Life changes often occur without clients realizing how much those events impact their financial plans. This question helps you get updates on recent changes — from job transitions and divorces to new property investments or business launches.

Even subtle changes in personal or professional life can affect client's risk tolerance, investment goals, or savings strategy. By keeping on top of these factors, you demonstrate a high level of care and attention — which is essential in establishing long-term, trust-based relationships.

3. “How are you feeling about your finances at the moment?”

This is one of those “feelings-first” questions that’s critical in a world of robo-advisors and commoditised financial platforms. It lets you get a read on their emotional climate, which ultimately drives decisions more than logic does — especially during uncertain economic times.

Responses can vary widely: some clients may feel confident, while others might be feeling anxious due to recent political decisions or mortgage interest hikes. Your role is to validate these feelings without judgement, and guide them through clear, informed advice.

4. “What are the most important things you'd like to walk away with today?”

This question creates an instant agenda that is client-led. You may have technical items ready (like pension reviews or investment updates), but knowing what the client values most in each meeting ensures you respect their time, and speak their language — not just financial jargon.

If they want clarification on a Government ISA rule or want to revisit retirement options post-Brexit, tailor your meeting accordingly. This question also shows respect for their autonomy and allows for shared responsibility in the meeting outcomes.

5. “Have there been any recent financial decisions you’ve made that you’d like me to review with you?”

This prompts transparency and can reveal actions your clients have taken outside your purview. DIY investing platforms or credit card offers may tempt clients to make moves that don’t align with their long-term strategy. Often, they do so without realising the long-term implications.

Asking this question promotes collaboration over criticism and keeps your role as the trusted planner, not the passive manager of their wealth. You get the chance to course-correct strategies before issues arise.

6. “What’s changed in your short- and long-term goals?”

Client goals aren't static — they shift with time, life stage, and external events. Yet many financial advisors forget to ask about these changes regularly, leading to advice that feels stale or outdated. Asking this upfront in your meeting gets both parties aligned quickly, and helps ensure your guidance fits their most current intentions.

This question can cover anything from building a custom home, saving for a child’s university education, or retiring earlier than previously planned. It paves the way for meaningful planning that resonates with today’s reality, not yesterday’s assumptions.

Transforming Your Meetings Into Relationship Builders

If you're serious about building lasting client relationships that generate referrals and long-term engagement, these human-first questions are essential tools in your kit. They enable you to shift the dynamic from transactional to relational — a move that the most successful UK advisors have already made.

What's more, they allow you to adapt and tailor your advice amid the constantly changing financial landscape in Britain. Whether clients are facing interest rate shifts, tax reforms, or opportunities in green investments, these questions keep the conversation anchored in what truly matters — their lives, their goals, and their emotions.

A Sample Client Meeting Kickoff Agenda

To help you bring structure to your next financial planning session, here’s a simple agenda format you can follow. It blends all the strategies discussed into a repeatable process that delivers value in minutes:

Meeting Time	Agenda Focus	Key Questions
0 - 5 min	Welcome and Relationship Check-In	- “How are things with you?” - “What’s on your mind today?”
5 - 10 min	Context and Life Updates	- “Has anything changed since last time?” - “Any new decisions I need to be aware of?”
10 - 15 min	Client Goals and Concerns	- “What do you want to walk away with today?” - “What concerns you most about your finances right now?”
15+ min	Strategy, Solutions, Next Steps	Tailor based on answers above

Final Thoughts

By leading each meeting with genuine, curiosity-driven questions, you set yourself apart in a saturated marketplace of advisors and wealth managers. More importantly, you offer your clients something algorithms and apps never can: human connection, deep understanding, and trusted partnership.

In today’s UK financial landscape — where costs are rising, markets are volatile, and clients are savvier than ever — your ability to start every meeting with intention may be your greatest differentiator.

Train yourself and your team to listen more, ask better questions, stay humble, and be curious. You’ll not only build a loyal client base, but redefine what it means to be a trusted financial advisor for this generation and the next.