Advice Guru has launched a new AI-driven business planning tool designed to support financial advisers who lack a formal or regularly updated business strategy.
The tool, called Business Guru, has been developed to address what the company describes as a persistent gap in adviser planning, particularly among smaller firms and sole traders.
It follows a pilot programme involving later life advisers and is now being rolled out more widely across the advice market.
Business Guru forms part of Advice Guru’s wider Guru Growth System and is intended to guide advisers through the process of building a structured business plan from the ground up.
The platform takes users through up to 59 targeted questions covering key aspects of an advice business, including current performance, future priorities and areas for development.
Advice Guru said the tool differs from traditional planning templates by using AI to adapt the process in response to each adviser’s answers.
This allows the system to highlight gaps, introduce relevant considerations and support decision-making around marketing activity, capability building and longer-term sustainability.
Stuart Powell, founder of Advice Guru, said: “Our own research with members and the wider advice community showed us that at least 60% of advisers don’t have a current, active business plan.
“Many advisers know they should have a plan, but struggle to turn that intention into something practical.
“Business Guru is designed to remove that barrier by guiding advisers through the process step by step, using AI to keep it focused, relevant and usable.”
The company said the platform has been designed with time and resource constraints in mind, particularly for smaller advice firms that may not have access to dedicated business planning support.
By breaking the process into manageable stages, the aim is to make planning more achievable and actionable.
The wider launch is being supported by a series of Fast Start 2026 events taking place in January. The rollout is sponsored by later life lending providers Aviva, more2life and Pure Retirement, with business development managers from those lenders engaging with advisers through the Business Guru platform.
Kay Westgarth, head of retirement distribution at Aviva, said: “Older borrowers need skilled, well-informed later-life lending advisers now more than ever.
“This is an ideal moment for advisers to refresh and energise their business plans and we’re delighted to collaborate with all the partners driving this forward.
“Together, we can build a stronger later-life lending market that delivers outstanding outcomes for customers.”
Dave Harris, chief executive of more2life, said: “We’re delighted to co-sponsor Business Guru, and the pilot phase has already shown how powerful it can be.
“Later life lending is evolving quickly and expectations are rising. Advisers are central to this market, yet many still do not have a formal business plan.
“Business Guru makes planning practical. It guides advisers through a structured process and produces a clear, personalised plan for the year ahead. At more2life, we have seen how innovation and technology can open up new opportunities.
“We are confident the advice community will welcome the support Business Guru provides in 2026.”
Scott Burman, head of distribution at Pure Retirement, said: “We’re proud to be standing behind Advice Guru’s mission, further underlining the commitment we have to helping advisers that is currently seen through our Marketing Toolkit.
” At a time when housing equity is perceived as an important part of retirement planning, helping advisers to leverage resources and technology to drive sustainable market growth is paramount, and we’re pleased to have the opportunity to support this important initiative, offering advisers the tools to enhance their business development for 2026.”
Advisers working with business development managers from the three sponsoring lenders will be able to access the entry-level version of Business Guru at a discounted introductory rate. Advice Guru said this represents a saving of more than £200 on the annual fee and also includes a free listing on its adviser directory and lifetime access to its educational platform.
