Stress and disrupted sleep are the dominant problems faced by around half of financial advice professionals, according to a CoreData survey, rising for those who are self-licensed.
The firm’s Future of Advice report described how “stress is the hidden cost of ambition” with the stressed advisers more likely to be working at growth-orientated practices.
Over 80 per cent of advice firms say they are embracing a growth focus, including 29 per cent who say they have ‘strong growth plans’.
In 2026, the average adviser manages 135 clients, up from 127 in 2025.
Some 49 per cent of advisers in total said they are experiencing work-related stress but this rose to 52 per cent of those who working with firms with strong growth plans.
Practice principals, in particular, experienced the highest stress levels across all criteria.
For those practices who were looking to maintain or trim their client base, the volume feeling stressed fell to 36 per cent.
As for this how stress manifests itself, 50 per cent said they are unable to switch off from work and 37 per cent are losing sleep as a result. More than a third (35 per cent) said they were overworking and 30 per cent said they felt disengaged and unmotivated from work.
The findings varied by licensee type; 36 per cent of licensed advisers said they are losing sleep, but this rose to 45 per cent for self-licensed advisers. Similarly, 54 per cent of self-licensed advisers say they are unable to switch off compared to 49 per cent of licensed advisers.
However, 38 per cent of licensed advisers said they are overworked compared to 32 per cent of self-licensed ones.
Around a quarter of self-licensed firms say they would consider moving over to a network with stress levels cited as a reason.
Craig Phillips, managing director at CoreData, said: “Growth in this industry is not free. Half of advisers now describe themselves as stressed, and it is the ambitious, fastest growing practices carrying most of that load, through disrupted sleep, overwork and not being able to switch off.”
Although the details aren’t necessarily positive, the situation is an improvement from a report back in 2022 assessing the impact of the Hayne royal commission.
A survey by financial adviser Phillipa Hunt and Forte Asset Solutions of 693 respondents, it found 95 per cent said their stress levels had slightly or significantly increased while just 2 per cent said it had slightly or significantly decreased.
Some 87 per cent said their mental health had significantly or slightly declined, 73 per cent said the same about their physical health and 70 per cent said their sleep was suffering.
Over half said they were drinking more to cope and, of those, 39 per cent said their intake had significantly increased. Some 10 per cent said they were taking non-medicated drugs, primarily sleeping tablets.
Some 18 per cent said they were on medication compared to 7 per cent prior to the Royal Commission and more than 20 per cent said they had entertained thoughts of self-harm.