A financial advisory meeting template, from booking page to follow-up summary
Booking page copy for an initial advice meeting, a what-to-bring list, a pre-meeting agenda email, a structured meeting agenda and a post-meeting summary email, all with [placeholders] to fill in.
This free financial advisory meeting template covers the whole first meeting, not just the booking page. It gives you wording for the page clients book from, a list of what to bring, an email that sets the agenda in advance, a running order for the meeting itself and a summary email to send afterwards. Copy the sections and replace everything in [square brackets].
It is written for independent financial advisers and planners in the UK, financial advisers in Australia and similar firms elsewhere. It does not replace your compliance process, your disclosure documents or your licensee's or network's templates. Use it to make the logistics around those documents clearer. If you are still choosing a booking tool, our comparison of booking software for financial advisers sets out the options.
The template: seven parts of an initial advice meeting
Each part below is ready to copy. Wording in single quotes is client-facing; notes in square brackets are for you.
1. Booking page headline
'[Firm name]: an initial meeting about [retirement planning / investments / pensions and superannuation / protection] with [adviser name], [role].'
2. Meeting description
'A [45 / 60]-minute [video / phone / in-person] meeting at [our office / by Microsoft Teams] to understand your situation and goals, explain how we work and what our advice would cost. This first meeting is [free / charged at [fee]] and there is no obligation. We will not make a personal recommendation in this meeting; that comes later, in writing, if you decide to go ahead.'
3. Booking questions
- 'Your name, and the name of anyone joining you' [Short text]
- 'Best phone number' [Short text]
- 'What would you like help with?' [Choice: retirement / investing / pension or super consolidation / protection / later-life planning / not sure yet]
- 'How did you hear about us?' [Optional, short text]
- 'Anything we should know to make the meeting accessible?' [Optional, short text]
[Do not ask for account numbers, policy numbers, balances, income, National Insurance or tax file numbers, or health information in the booking form. Collect those later through your secure client portal or fact-find.]
4. What to bring
- 'Recent statements for pensions, superannuation, investments and savings, if you have them to hand'
- 'A rough idea of your monthly income and outgoings'
- 'Details of any existing insurance or protection policies'
- 'Questions you want answered, written down'
- '[Photo ID, if we need to verify your identity at this stage]'
5. Pre-meeting agenda email
'Hi [first name], I am looking forward to meeting you on [day, date] at [time] [time zone], [at [address] / by [video link]]. Here is what we will cover: your goals and timeframes, where things stand today, how you feel about investment risk, and how we work and charge. I have attached [our services and costs document / our Financial Services Guide]. Please read it before we meet. Bringing the items on the list will help, but do not worry if you cannot find everything. Please do not email statements or account details; we will send you a secure way to share them.'
6. Meeting agenda
- Introductions and housekeeping (5 minutes): who is in the room, how long you have, consent to take notes.
- Objectives (10 minutes): what the client wants to achieve, by when, and why it matters.
- Current position (15 minutes): income, assets, debts, pensions or super, protection, in broad terms.
- Risk discussion (10 minutes): attitude to risk, capacity for loss, previous investing experience.
- How we work (10 minutes): services, fees, what happens next, how to complain.
- Next steps (5 minutes): what you will send, what the client will send, and the date of the next meeting.
7. Post-meeting summary email
'Hi [first name], thank you for your time today. To summarise: you would like to [objective] by [timeframe]. Next, [I will send / you will send] [document or information] by [date]. Our fee for [stage] is [fee or basis], as set out in [document]. This email is a summary of our conversation, not advice. If anything above is wrong, just reply and let me know. Our next meeting is [booked for [date] / yours to book at [link]].'
Why a written structure helps advisers and clients
First meetings with a financial adviser are often a client's first time talking openly about money with a stranger. A clear booking page, a list of what to bring and an agenda in advance lower the anxiety and make the meeting more useful. Clients who arrive with statements and a list of questions take less time to understand, and the conversation moves past fact-gathering sooner.
Structure also helps with regulation, as long as you keep the template within its proper limits. In the UK, the FCA's Consumer Duty expects firms to help clients understand what they are getting and to avoid foreseeable harm, and that includes clear communication about costs and next steps. In Australia, advisers have a best interests duty under the Corporations Act and must give clients a Financial Services Guide. This page is general information, not compliance advice. The template deliberately sticks to logistics, objectives and next steps; personal recommendations belong in your suitability report or Statement of Advice.
Data handling is the third reason. Booking forms are not the place for account numbers or balances. Keeping those out of the booking tool, and saying so in the pre-meeting email, reduces what you hold in one more system and teaches clients good habits about sharing financial details by email.
Finally, the summary email is where many advisers lose momentum. A short, prompt summary with a dated next step keeps the client moving towards advice instead of drifting. Our guide on how financial advisers manage client meetings covers the wider review cycle, and automated follow-up emails explains how to keep follow-ups consistent without sounding canned.
What the template gives your practice
Better-prepared clients: the what-to-bring list means statements arrive at the first meeting rather than weeks later.
Calmer first meetings: an agenda sent in advance tells clients exactly what will happen.
Cleaner data handling: account numbers and balances stay out of booking forms and email.
Clear expectations on cost: the description and agenda both point to your fee information early.
Consistent follow-up: every client gets a written summary and a dated next step.
Less admin per meeting: one booking page and saved emails replace ad hoc arrangements.
Putting the template into practice
Check it against your compliance framework — Ask your compliance officer, network or licensee to review the client-facing wording and add any statements they require.
Create the initial meeting type — Set the length, location or video option and a buffer afterwards for file notes. One meeting type fits the Calenix Free plan.
Add the five booking questions — Paste them in as custom questions and keep financial details out. Make the accessibility question optional.
Connect your calendar and video tool — Connect Google Calendar or Outlook so client reviews and internal meetings block time, and Microsoft Teams or Zoom where enabled for video meetings.
Save the pre-meeting and summary emails — Use the booking confirmation for logistics, then send the agenda email with your disclosure document attached from your usual secure system.
Offer a booking link for the next meeting — Add a second meeting type for advice presentations or reviews on the Individual plan, and include its link in the summary email.
Where each part of the template belongs
| Feature | When it is sent | Where it lives | Keep out of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booking page and questions | Before booking | Calenix booking page | Account numbers, balances, health details |
| Confirmation | On booking | Calenix email confirmation | Anything resembling advice |
| What-to-bring list | With confirmation | Booking page or agenda email | Requests to email statements |
| Pre-meeting agenda email | 2 to 3 days before | Your email or client portal | Personal recommendations |
| Meeting agenda | In the meeting | Your meeting notes or CRM | Nothing; record fully in your own systems |
| Post-meeting summary | Within 1 to 2 working days | Your email or client portal | Advice not yet given in writing |
Tips for running the first advisory meeting
State plainly on the booking page that the first meeting does not include a personal recommendation.
Send your services and costs document or Financial Services Guide before the meeting, not at the end.
Tell clients how to share statements securely, and never ask them to email account details.
Allow a buffer after each meeting for file notes while the conversation is fresh.
Invite clients to bring a partner or family member, and leave room on the form to name them.
Keep meeting notes and fact-finds in your CRM or practice software; Calenix is not a CRM.
Send the summary email within one or two working days with a dated next step.
Mistakes to avoid
Turning the booking form into a full fact-find, which puts people off booking a first meeting.
Asking for account, policy or tax file numbers in a booking form or by plain email.
Writing summary emails that read like recommendations before advice has been formally given.
Leaving fees until the end of the meeting, when clients feel awkward asking.
Booking first meetings back to back with no time for notes or compliance records.
Forgetting to say whether the meeting is in person or by video, and where to go.
Example: the template filled in for an adviser in Leeds
Take a fictional independent financial adviser in Leeds, Sarah Okafor, who works mainly with people approaching retirement. Here is her template, filled in.
- Headline: 'Aire Valley Financial Planning: an initial meeting about retirement planning with Sarah Okafor, Chartered Financial Planner.'
- Description: 'A free 60-minute meeting at our Wellington Street office or by Microsoft Teams. We will talk about your plans for retirement, explain how we work and what advice would cost. No recommendation is made at this meeting.'
- Booking questions: name and anyone joining, phone number, what you would like help with, how you heard about us, accessibility needs.
- What to bring: recent pension and ISA statements, a rough monthly budget, existing protection policies, your questions.
- Pre-meeting email: 'Hi David, I am looking forward to meeting you and Anne on Thursday 23 October at 10am at our office. I have attached our services and costs document. Please do not email statements; I will send a secure upload link.'
- Summary email: 'You would like to stop full-time work at 62 and are unsure about your two workplace pensions. Next, you will upload statements by 31 October and I will send our engagement letter. This is a summary, not advice.'
Sarah runs it on Calenix. The first meeting fits the Free plan; she later moved to Individual to add a separate 'Advice presentation' and 'Annual review' meeting type. Her Outlook calendar is connected so client reviews and school runs block time, and Teams links are added for video meetings. Her notes and fact-finds stay in her practice software. For more on organising reviews, see our appointment scheduling guide for financial advisers, and for confirmation wording our guide to appointment confirmation emails.
The illustrative maths: if better-prepared first meetings save 20 minutes of follow-up chasing per client, across 8 new clients a month that is about 2 hours 40 minutes a month. These figures are illustrative.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
For financial advisers and planners
Turn this template into your initial meeting page
Start free with one meeting type, a connected calendar and email confirmations. Add review and advice meeting types on Individual when you need them. No card needed.