Devon Klumb tells advisors to expect AI questions before meetings

Advisors should assume a client has already asked ChatGPT or Claude a basic financial question before the meeting, Devon Klumb, director of sales at Betterment Advisor Solutions, told InvestmentNews. He sees that as an opening rather than a threat: the meeting can skip some explanation and move to the trade-offs, behavioral gaps and "what does this mean for me" questions a model cannot own.

The 2026 Betterment Advisor Solutions survey found that 75% use AI at least occasionally for financial tasks, and just 3% would consider replacing their advisor with an AI-powered alternative, InvestmentNews reported. The study surveyed 1,001 U.S. investors who work with a financial advisor and was fielded in June 2026.

Gen Z investors are the most likely to use AI for financial research but also the most engaged with their advisors, according to the survey. Klumb said younger clients have more information at their fingertips than any prior generation and are at the life stage with the most open questions, which can make long-term decisions or small daily choices harder to act on.

“The technology part is fairly simple,” Klumb said: a firm should mirror the experience younger clients have elsewhere, with information easy to reach and no phone call required for every request. Operationally, that means adopting technology that gives clients what they need and gives the firm more capacity for personalized, face-to-face work.

Technology alone is not enough, he said: the best thing an advisor can do is help a client get clear about what they want to accomplish and why it matters to them.