Only a fifth, 19%, of people would seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser despite less than half (46%) saying they felt financially secure.
In a survey for advice firm Continuum, 44% of people said they were very unlikely to seek advice.
Just one in ten (11%) said they were more likely to seek independent financial advice following last Autumn Budget, despite 63% expecting to have less disposable income as a result of the measures announced by the Chancellor.
Scots were the most likely to feel financially secure (54%), with just 18% feeling financially insecure. They were also one of the regions most likely to take professional advice, with 20% having already or planning to take financial advice. Recent political and financial changes had not made much of a difference to this, with just 9% saying they are more likely to seek advice following the Budget.
Northern Ireland was the region where the lowest number of savers felt financially secure, with just 37% feeling in control of their finances and over a third (39%) saying they felt insecure about their financial future. However, it would seem many Northern Irish savers have plans to change this, with 27% planning to seek advice from a financial adviser. The Budget had impacted this choice, with 13% saying they were morel likely to take financial advice as a result.
In England, the region with the least financially secure savers was the Midlands (40%), with Northerners the most confident with 48% feeling financially secure. Savers in the Midlands were also one of the most likely to be looking for financial advice, with 21% either receiving advice or looking to do so in the near future, second only to those in London (22%).
How likely will people seek professional financial advice?
|
|
England |
Wales |
Scotland |
Ireland |
|
Likely |
19% |
18% |
20% |
27% |
|
Fairly unlikely |
28% |
24% |
28% |
26% |
|
Very Unlikely |
44% |
49% |
48% |
35% |
|
Don’t know |
9% |
10% |
4% |
9% |
Source: Continuum
Ben Alcock, Chartered Financial Planner at Continuum, said: “It is concerning to see that despite knowing that the Autumn Budget will have a negative impact on their finances, just one in ten savers plan to take professional financial advice as a result.
“Our research shows that those taking independent financial advice feel the benefits and are considerably more confident in their financial future. We need to increase the awareness of how and why to work with a Financial Planner, so that more people can benefit from seeking advice.”
• YouGov surveyed 2,181 adults in the UK on behalf of Continuum between 1 and 2 December 2025.