Yeah, you read that right – someone under 30, advising mostly 50+ year olds on how to manage their money. I get it, you might hesitate before sitting down with me (or any so-called “young” financial adviser). But here’s the thing: age isn’t the golden ticket to being good at this job. These days, financial advice is less about old-school handshakes and connections, and more about rigorous education, technical skill, and the ability to cut through complexity. The cowboy finance days are over – this is a profession built on brains, not bravado.

Before I get too stuck into things, let us take a moment to define what a great financial adviser is. What would you, not only expect, but dream to have in a financial adviser?

I’d argue a few likely inclusions might be:

Honest and transparent in their communication
Great understanding of strategies and concepts relevant to the clients they serve 
Not only an expert in understanding financial markets, but in cutting through the noise and delivering back to you the information that is truly relevant and impactful
Committed to continuous learning to stay on top of the constantly changing legislative environment
Proactive, driven, kind, and genuinely care about getting you to the best outcomes – whatever that looks like for you

If we look at the above in isolation – I’d say none of these traits are age dependent. Although, obviously, I might be a little biased… So, let’s break them down one at a time. I’m going to try my darnedest to argue that each of the above are in fact exclusive to the gen. that’s come before me.

Honest and transparent in their communication

Advisers that have been in the industry longer have typically built a strong reputation that they don’t want to risk losing. If they weren’t honest, they probably wouldn’t still be standing. They’ve seen regulatory shake ups, market ups and downs (hello GFC) and survived. That endurance is often interpreted as a badge of integrity. 

Sure – older advisers may have stuck around long enough to prove they’re honest – but you could also argue that new advisers have no choice but to be transparent. The industry has been scrubbed clean of the old school sales-first, advice-later era. New entrants have been inducted into the space on stringent education standards, compliance, and consumer first obligations. Honesty isn’t a nice-to-have anymore – it’s baked into the job.

Great understanding of strategies and concepts relevant to the clients they serve 

A more mature adviser has walked the financial journey their clients are on. They’ve started a family, taken out a mortgage, managed their super, maybe even retired once (or helped a partner do it). They’ve not only read the textbooks and completed the degree (or have they…) – they’ve lived it! Clients might feel that they ‘just get me because they’ve lived it’.

This could also be a blind spot – just because your strategy worked 15 years ago, heck, let alone 5 years ago, doesn’t mean it’s the best solution in today’s tax, super and investment landscape. Younger advisers don’t solely rely on lived experience. We rely on technical training, modelling and a clear view of today’s rules. I guess you could say – advice grounded on fact rather than nostalgia.

Not only an expert in understanding financial markets, but in cutting through the noise and delivering back to you the information that is truly relevant and impactful

Older advisers have lived through multiple cycles: the dot com bubble, the GFC, the Covid crash. This lived market memory helps them keep a cool head during market volatility. They can reference previous scars to reassure clients that ups and downs in the market are not new. They can show you patterns that only decades of observation reveal (though, to be fair, any index chart will tell you the same thing).

Although older advisers may have the battle scars – the new generation of advisers have grown up in a 24/7 news cycle. Every wobble in the market is over analysed and every earnings season report sees disproportionate shocks to a share price. Cutting through the noise is second nature to younger advisers because we’ve never known a world without noise. We’re fluent in filtering the hype, the clickbait, and the misinformation – skills that are arguably more relevant to clients today than remembering where they were when the State Bank of Victoria collapsed.

Committed to continuous learning to stay on top of the constantly changing legislative environment

They’ve been threatened with the end of their careers if they didn’t adapt and get back to the books. They’ve re-sat exams, navigated the shift from cowboy commissions to fees, and adjusted to new compliance standards. To be still in the game after all that, they must be committed.

On the flip side – new entrants have only been able to breach into the profession after years of study, exams and formal education, plus a supervised year, that never existed for previous generations. For new advisers, staying sharp isn’t an edge, it’s a bare minimum requirement.

Proactive, driven, kind, and genuinely care about getting you to the best outcomes – whatever that looks like for you

Having seen hundreds of families’ financial lives up close, they often have deep pools of empathy and stories to draw from. Clients may feel an older adviser has a kind of “financial bedside manner” that only time and experience can bring.

But here I’ll suggest that kindness and drive aren’t about age – they’re about character. In fact, younger advisers often go above and beyond to prove themselves, because we know we don’t have instant credibility. That hunger translates into being more proactive, more responsive, and more deeply invested in client outcomes. 

The Takeaway 

You don’t need your mechanic to own the same car as you to trust they know how to fix it. You don’t need your doctor to have battled the same illness to believe they can treat you. It’s the same with financial advice. What matters is whether your adviser has the tools, discipline and perspective to diagnose the problem, cut through the noise, and guide you toward the right solution for your goals.

So my key ask of you today – when you’re sitting down to interview potential advisers, rather than asking yourself “does this person reflect the position I want to be in?”, consider “does this person have the qualities and intellect to be able to get me to the position I want to be in?”.