In early December 2025, Saturn released a short film about Albon Financial Planning. The piece is part of Saturn’s video series that highlights “the humans behind financial advice” as we navigate the integration of technology and AI into our profession. Shortly after the video was published, FT Adviser picked up the story, providing an additional boost of visibility for our small but growing firm. That coverage prompted many clients, professional connections, and even people new to our brand to ask about our experience, why we chose to take part, and what role technology truly plays in our day‑to‑day advice process. I wanted to share my perspective as a firm owner and a financial planner, and to expand on some of the themes that sit behind the film.
At its heart, the film explores a simple but powerful idea: that while technology is reshaping financial planning at pace, the core of great advice remains deeply human. For us, this has never been a question of “either/or.” Instead, it is about finding the right balance between intelligent systems and genuine human relationships.
A journey from big tech to personal finance
Before entering the world of financial planning, I spent more than a decade working at Microsoft and Amazon (Read more about my switch in a previous FT Adviser article). Those roles taught me a huge amount about systems, efficiency, automation, and customer experience at scale. I was surrounded by world‑class technology, complex data, and highly refined operational processes. However, over time, I began to feel a growing disconnect between the scale of what I was building and the personal impact of the work. Ultimately, I realised that no one’s life was going to be truly transformed by my work there in the way I wanted it to be.
During the Covid‑19 pandemic, that sense of wanting to do something more meaningful became impossible to ignore. I decided to take a leap into financial services and study for the necessary qualifications. I joined a firm as a paraplanner (the job title used for back‑office research and report writing) and spent time learning the detail, discipline, and responsibility that sits behind every piece of advice. I qualified as an independent financial adviser in 2022.
Launching Albon Financial Planning has been the natural extension of that journey. It allowed me to build a business centred on clear, human‑led advice that empowers people to make confident decisions about their finances, their families, and their futures. From day one, the goal has been to combine technical excellence with empathy, clarity, and accessibility.
Why advice will always be human
In the film, I emphasised that “advice will always be human.” While technology can streamline processes and surface insights, there are nuances in clients’ lives that algorithms alone will never fully understand. Money is emotional. It is tied up with fear, ambition, family responsibility, life change, and personal identity. Understanding someone’s wider goals, family dynamics, and emotional relationship with money requires empathy, trust, and context that only a person can genuinely provide.
Our firm exists to be that trusted person for our clients. The value we bring is not simply in calculations or recommendations, but in helping people make sense of complex decisions, trade‑offs, and long‑term consequences. As I said in the film, the reason to build a tech‑enabled business is to get as close as possible to our clients, not to distance ourselves from them.
For us, technology should remove friction, not introduce barriers. It should give us more time for conversations, not less. And it should allow us to be proactive, consistent, and responsive, rather than reactive and overwhelmed.
How we use Saturn
Saturn’s technology helps us live up to that promise in a very practical way. The AI tools handle a lot of the background work, from summarising meetings and drafting documents to supporting compliance workflows and structuring data. This significantly reduces the administrative burden that traditionally sits behind financial advice.
By automating these time‑intensive tasks, Saturn frees up our time to focus on the parts of the job that matter most: listening to clients, understanding their goals, challenging assumptions where needed, and building long‑term relationships. It helps ensure that high standards of quality and compliance are delivered consistently and efficiently, without slowing down the human connection.
Crucially, Saturn is not about replacing advisers. It is about supporting them. It acts as a second brain in the background, enhancing accuracy, consistency, and speed, while leaving the judgement, care, and personalised guidance firmly in human hands. This blend of AI and adviser is what allows us to scale our service without diluting the experience our clients receive.
Closing thoughts
Being featured in Saturn’s film was a privilege, and seeing FT Adviser recognise the story was an unexpected honour. It has sparked some brilliant conversations with clients, peers, and other advisers who are all grappling with similar questions about the future of advice and the role of technology.
At Albon Financial Planning, we firmly believe that technology should enhance, not replace, the human relationships at the heart of financial advice. By embracing tools like Saturn in a considered and responsible way, we can work more efficiently without losing sight of what matters most: helping people navigate life’s ups and downs with clarity, empathy, and confidence.
I’m hugely grateful to everyone who has watched the film and reached out with kind words and thoughtful questions. If you haven’t seen it yet, I encourage you to watch it and let me know what you think. And if you’re curious about how technology can support your financial planning journey, please get in touch. We’re always happy to have a conversation.