What will your future clients expect? And will you be ready for them? We sat down with award-winning Australian social researcher and futurist Mark McCrindle to unpack Generation Beta: the AI-native, sustainability-driven cohort just beginning to enter the world. Discover what sets them apart and how financial advisers can start adapting now to meet the needs of this next-gen clientele.
Who is Generation Beta?
Generation Beta includes those born between 2025–2039, following Gen Alpha (2010–2024). They’re projected to make up around 16 % of the global population by 2035.
What shapes Gen Beta’s upbringing and worldview?
Gen Beta will grow up fully immersed in AI, automation, and smart systems, from self-driving transport to personalised education and healthcare. They’ll also be raised in families of younger Millennials and older Gen Z parents, who are generally cautious about screen time, digital safety, and mental wellbeing.
What values and priorities might Gen Beta hold?
Environmental consciousness and innovation‑for‑purpose will likely be core. Sustainability is expected to be non‑negotiable, not a preference. They’ll also have a stronger sense of global citizenship and collaborative community values.
How will Gen Beta engage with technology and identity?
They’ll seamlessly blend physical and digital worlds, curating digital identities early with parental guidance. Expect them to weave hyper‑connectivity with individuality, navigating both online and offline communities.
What are the key implications for financial advisers?
- Early and holistic family engagement: Advisers will need to connect not only with parents (Millennials and Gen Z), but position financial planning as a family-wide endeavour, covering child education, health, and welfare in a tech-enabled context.
- Integrated, tech-powered advice delivery: Expect Gen Beta to demand seamless digital tools, augmented reality goal‑setting sessions, AI-driven cash flow tracking, gamified education savings plans, and real-time updates via mobile and wearable integrations.
- Ethical and sustainable investment demand: ESG and impact investing will be table stakes. Gen Beta will expect portfolios aligned with climate action, social equity, and long-term sustainability.
- A lifespan approach to planning: With AI education and personalised learning in place, advisers must adopt a lifetime model - from newborns’ education funds to future adult career transitions. This includes planning for multi‑career trajectories and ongoing upskilling.
- Digital identity and privacy concerns: With increasing focus on digital footprints, advisers may need to consider advising on safeguarding digital assets and data privacy as part of legacy and estate planning.
What should advisers be doing now to prepare?
- Stay ahead on tech trends: Invest in AI‑powered tools for advisory workflows and client engagement that are secure and intuitive.
- Master ESG frameworks: Polish expertise in sustainable investment methodologies, reporting standards, and outcome measurement.
- Redesign client experience: Build digital-first onboarding, collaborative dashboards for parents and children, and modular financial roadmaps.
- Learn about digital identity protection: Understand privacy regulations and how to bake them into financial planning solutions.
- Build partnership channels: Consider connecting with ed‑tech platforms, lifestyle brands, and even health‑tech startups that serve Gen Beta families.
Generation Beta heralds a new era of hyper‑connected, sustainability‑driven, tech-immersed potential advice clients. For financial advisers, this means evolving from transaction- or product-focused services to digital-first, ethical, multigenerational wealth architects. By embracing AI, ESG, family-focused digital engagements, and privacy stewardship, advisers can position themselves as trusted guides for this next wave of clients, even before the first ones turn five.
Mark McCrindle will be unpacking Australia's shifting demographics and how they'll redefine advice delivery at Iress’ WealthTech Summit on 6 August.
