Last year, we surveyed 4,360 UK savers and 93 financial advisers to understand how people think about managing their cash, and what that means for the advisers working alongside them. The findings still hold up, and we have released a revised edition to help advisers understand how and why to make cash a considered part of their client’s wider financial plans.
In this article, we look at where the findings show opportunities for advisers, and how savings platforms can help you put clients’ cash to work without asking them to compromise on access or security.
Advisers are already engaged with cash as an asset class: 79% discuss it regularly in client reviews, and 70% say optimising cash very important for an effective wealth strategy.
Even so, there is often a gap between that conversation and what happens next because 48% of advisers estimate that more than a quarter of their clients' cash earns under 2%.
This has a real, material impact on client wealth.
Take a client holding £500,000 in cash for a year while they weigh up their options. In a one-year fixed account at 4.85%, that could earn £24,250 gross. Even in an easy access account, they could still earn between £18,250 and £19,125 depending on rate movements over the year. It's the equivalent of several terms of school fees, or a family holiday.*
*Illustrative example only. Rates as at September 2026, taken from the Insignis panel, and gross of tax. Assumes £500,000 held for the full 12 months with no withdrawals. Easy access rates are variable and can change at any time; past rate movements are not a guide to future rates.
Clients aren’t staying in these accounts out of habit, the willingness to move is there. 66% of advisers say their clients would switch to a better-yielding option if access stayed reasonable, and only 25% say clients would prioritise instant access regardless.
The barrier then is the perceived absence of an option that offers both. Advisers who can bridge that gap are well placed to add real value while gaining fuller visibility of client assets.
There is a protection angle too. Since 1 December 2025, FSCS cover has stood at £120,000 per eligible person per authorised firm, up from £85,000. The FSCS has paid out more than £26.5 billion in compensation since 2001, including £327 million in 2024/25 alone.
Between the returns available and the protection now in place, there's rarely a good reason for cash to sit unreviewed.
Cash is often viewed through a single, unfocused lens, either a safe haven, or a missed opportunity for better returns. That binary view undersells its value as a strategic asset. What this research shows is that people are not holding cash by accident, they are doing so with intent, even where there is real room to hold it more efficiently.
From key liquidity moments, whether a bonus, redundancy payment, or inheritance to later-life planning and decumulation, these are not random windfalls. They're opportunities to turn cash injections into the foundations for long-term financial security.
At Insignis, we believe no one should have to choose between market-leading returns and access to their money. Our role, and yours, is to deliver both, which is why we built our cash savings platform, giving advisers the tools to:
Together, these turn cash from something held by default into something you actively manage. Cash is allocated, protected, and reviewed with the same intent as any other part of a client's plan.
Download the full Beyond Inertia report to see the complete findings and learn how a savings platform could fit into how you manage cash for your clients.
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