Building Whitman, Staying Relevant, and Listing Plans

The financial planning industry has grown considerably over the last few years. Between 2015 and 2022, the number of financial planning firms increased by 42 per cent, from 31 to 44 firms as at end-2022, while the number of licensed representatives grew by 145% over the same period to 1,455.

Despite that growth, the industry needs to keep up with the times, as changing demographics along with the rise of digital solutions and AI powered tools, could pose challenges to the long term health of this industry.

To get a sense for the business of financial planning, address criticisms of the industry, and ofcourse get into the potential disruption from tech and digital solutions, we speak to Yap Ming Hui, the Founder and Managing Director of Whitman Independent Advisors - holistic wealth management firm.

Now advising more than RM2 billion worth of client’s wealth, Whitman was founded back in 2000 and initially focused on wealthier clients, but the firm expanded its client base in 2008 in a bid to help more Malaysians with their journeys to financial freedom.