In last year’s Dealers’ Report Card, we explored a variety of themes tied to advisors’ technology and general business needs. The data collected in 2024 revealed mixed sentiment from advisors on key aspects like their training on new technologies, the branch manager-advisor working relationship, the quality of financial planning tools and advisors’ team dynamics (read New advisors in the dealer space look to colleagues for support).
Advisors in the dealer space continue to say their firms need to provide training amid digital upgrades — and firms generally understand this.
For 2025, the benchmark performance average for the “general technology training & internal IT support” category was 7.8 out of 10, unchanged from a year ago. Its importance average was 8.8, from 8.7.
There were advisors with all of the 11 firms assessed who felt their dealers were actively working to improve technology training and boost IT support, especially where new systems and tools are being used.
For example, an advisor with Portfolio Strategies Corp. said their firm was “improving all the time” and making changes that show they’re “really, really trying.” The firm was rated 7.6 in the technology training category, up from 7.1.
That mutual fund-only dealer is developing a new dashboard with VieFund and said it aims to increase advisor efficiency, working with whomever may struggle with digital change. (Check out Dealers’ Report Card highlights for more on this and other firms’ strategies.)
These advisors appreciate one-on-one training. Another of Portfolio Strategies’ advisors said there’s solid guidance on product rules and tangible business aspects, but that hands-on technology training can always be expanded.
One firm, Carte Wealth Management Inc., has taken a slow-and-steady approach, preferring “bite-size” technology shifts made over a long period rather than a major, singular digital overhaul, said Kirk Purai, founder and CEO of the dealer. The firm was rated 9.2 in the technology training category, similar to 9.1 in 2024.
The firm had experienced pushback from advisors in the past, Purai added, inspiring them to switch to implementing small changes every week, with advisor information calls, training and support. “If they [advisors] looked at how they used to do things even a year ago compared to how they’re doing [things] now, we have shaved off so much time,” he said.
The firm’s advisors were mixed on this point, with 43.5% acknowledging the introduction of time-saving tools. Purai noted the firm’s improvements may not seem as “revolutionary” or obvious due to their drawn-out approach.
As for the average advisor’s remote system access, firms’ support for business flexibility and hybrid work remains important. This means ensuring new systems can work smoothly from anywhere. The benchmark performance average for “support for remote system access & transactions” was up slightly to 9.1, from 9.0 in 2024. The importance average also rose to 9.3, from 9.0.
Two firms saw their ratings rise significantly in this category: CI Assante Wealth Management (rated 9.1, from 8.2 in 2024) and Manulife Wealth Inc. (8.1, from 7.4).
A portion of advisors with both firms felt their time and entrepreneurial principles were respected, with remote access being given. One advisor with Manulife Wealth in Quebec lauded their firm’s support for professionals with growing families who might struggle to travel to an office (read Manulife Wealth’s ‘significant transformation,’ available online Sept. 15).
For 2025, five of the 10 categories with the largest satisfaction gaps (calculated as the difference between a category’s performance and importance average) were from the technology category. So, the firms being assessed in the Report Card should seek to close digital gaps while also considering advisors’ workflows (read Dealer firms can’t forget the basics).
Watch financial planning
Only about half of the dealer firms assessed had calculable results in the “financial planning support & technology” category in both 2024 and 2025. While eight of the 11 offer some form of support, either through dedicated in-house resources or partnerships with outside vendors, most allow advisors ample freedom to choose which tools are best for clients.
In 2024, the six dealer firms rated for their financial planning support were given an aggregate performance average of 8.0. The result has improved in this year’s report, with the same set of firms rated 8.3. Three of the firms — CI Assante, Desjardins Financial Security Investments Inc. (DFS Investments) and IG Wealth Management Inc. — garnered significantly improved ratings of 8.8, 7.8 and 9.7, respectively.
A portion of advisors with all three of those firms mentioned Conquest Planning Inc., a wealth services provider that’s been steadily gaining users and expanding its offering. These advisors generally talked about how they’d switched to the platform, finding it easy to use overall. An advisor at IG Wealth in British Columbia appreciated how early their firm had adopted the software, saying, “We’ve been pioneers in that area. … We had a head start and we had a lot of support from head office on that.”
However, the use and implementation of that software was far from the only aspect considered. Firms like CI Assante offer dozens of tools to advisors for back- and front-office functions, including financial planning and projections.
DFS Investments introduced Conquest Planning in spring 2024. Its entire suite of tools and support services are undergoing significant change as the dealer aligns its operations with subsidiary Worldsource Wealth Management Inc.
One of the most important factors to consider for the financial planning category is how much this area may evolve in years to come. Advisors currently value having choice when it comes to which tools are used for crafting clients’ plans, and that’s not likely to change. But some firms have big plans for their investments.
The vast majority (87.4%) of advisors polled said they offered financial planning services to clients. That was up from 83.8% in 2024. These advisors shared that 62.7% of their clients had detailed financial plans, up from 58.9% a year ago.
“I think everyone should have a financial plan,” said an advisor with Investment Planning Counsel Inc. (IPC) in Atlantic Canada, who was optimistic about the tools coming out. “We work with multiple pieces of software and, for someone who has been in the business a long time, it’s an amazing time to [be in the job].” They felt it’s gotten easier to “analyze investment products and compare them,” while building plans.
Branch managers are pulling their weight
The “branch manager” category was another area of the survey where the importance average rose, to 9.0, from 8.8 in 2024. Meanwhile, the category’s performance average increased to 8.7 from 8.5. In the 2024 Report Card, advisors shared their preference for collaborative and skilled branch managers — and those qualities are still highly valued.
“[My branch manager is] exceptional; they’re always on top of things and keep things running very smoothly,” said one advisor with IPC in Ontario. The firm was rated 8.7 in the category, unchanged from a year ago.
An advisor with IG Wealth in Ontario called their branch manager “a good leader,” adding, “If I [have] a question, they answer. You want the branch manager to be strong” as well as respected. IG Wealth employs various advisor support staff, also including sales managers and field managers. The firm was rated 8.9 in this category, from 9.0 a year ago.
CI Assante was one of two firms with significantly higher ratings year over year; no firms had ratings that fell. The dealer was rated 8.8, from 7.7 in 2024. Many of its advisors credited their managers with being more responsive and supportive.
Across the firms assessed, advisors said they should be aware of how branch manager turnover and disconnectedness can affect advisors.
This data was compiled by Roland Inacay and the 2025 research team, including Sangjun (John) Han, Ciara Lalor-Lindo, Alisha Mughal and Sai Tamanna Sharma.