Financial advisers need to place a higher priority on the 'financial wellness' of clients and potential clients to ensure fewer people are left behind financially, Susie Logan, brand and marketing director of Standard Life told 300 delegates at the CISI Annual Financial Planning Conference today

Giving the first keynote address at the two-day event at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel at the NEC, she said the financial wellness of all clients needed to be a higher priority if Financial Planners and the financial advice sector were to reach more people.

Ms Logan said financial wellness was "not just about wealth - it's about confidence in future."

Good Financial Planning and advice could "liberate clients from the fear of their money running out in retirement," she said.

She said: "Good Financial Planning is crucial to financial wellness" and good financial advice could create long term "peace of mind."

However there were issues with affording financial advice that needed to be tackled and many could never afford "holistic Financial Planning."

She said she believed workplace savings and pensions were an excellent way to reach millions more and advisers could help reach this market.

She said each generation was facing different issues in achieving financial wellness but nearly all people wanted to have more confidence in their financial futures.

Financial Planners and financial advisers needed to change their approach, she said, to reach more people.

Planners could become more like "financial personal trainers" to help coach people. Technology such as robo advice could also help advisers reach more people.

Among the ideas planners could look at adding was "pure robo advice" technology and also utilising remote financial adviser tech such as video technology to give more access to face to face advice. Giving clients access to online services could also help engage with more people.

There was also a need to train and retain the right people and attract the next, maybe younger generation. She urged delegates to avoid employing people only like themselves and look for more diversity, perhaps targeting younger advisers to reach different client segments and different genertions.

Other good options for Financial Planning firms were refreshing brands, updating the firm's values and joining forums and social media to connect to more people.

Firms could also be more collaborative and look to build relationships with other firms.

She was speaking at the opening of the two day annual event in Birmingham today on the topic of ‘Financial Wellness – it’s our obligation.’ Standard Life is one of the gold sponsors of the event. 

• Financial Planning Today will be reporting throughout the event themed 'Changing Lives' - check out our coverage on Monday and Tuesday.