7 Proven Financial Assessment Questionnaires Every Financial Advisor Should Use

When it comes to personal finance, one thing is clear: money is more than math, it’s rooted in psychology, behavior patterns, and emotional bonding with money.

As financial advisors, you often face a problem: clients may say they want financial security. But their behaviors, attitudes, and even fears around money don’t always match up. This gap can make planning harder.

Imagine walking into every client meeting with a toolkit that reveals what’s really going on, how comfortable they are with risk, how anxious they feel about money, or how confident they are in their own money management skills. That’s exactly what well-designed financial assessment questionnaires can do.

The good news? You don’t need to spend hours building these from scratch. I’ve curated seven proven assessments, adapted into ready-to-use templates on BlockSurvey, so you can start using them right away with your clients. All while keeping your data with utmost privacy and end-to-end encryption.

Let’s dive in.

1. CFPB Financial Well-Being Scale

Developed by The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)

This scale is one of the most widely used/trusted tool for measuring someone’s overall financial health. It doesn’t just ask about income or savings - it digs into how people feel about their financial situation, both in the present and future.

How Advisors Can Use These: This tool helps advisors identify if clients feel financially secure, in control, and prepared. Use the insights to design personalized plans that boost both confidence and financial outcomes.

Use the ready-made CFPB Financial Well-Being Scale template on BlockSurvey. Please refer to the score sheet attached in reference of the template to interpret the results.

2. Grable & Lytton Risk Tolerance Assessment

Developed by John Grable & Ruth Lytton, widely cited in academic financial planning research.

This questionnaire is a gold standard for assessing risk tolerance. It explores how comfortable clients are with uncertainty and potential losses, crucial when designing investment strategies.

This version has been adapted under fair use for research and educational purposes. If you’re using it commercially, you may need permission from the original authors.

How Advisors Can Use These: By understanding a client’s true comfort with risk, advisors can create investment strategies that align with their emotions as well as their financial goals.

Note: BlockSurvey has adapted this assessment under fair use, making it free to use in client meetings and for research. If you plan to package, resell, or embed it into financial software, you’ll need to seek permission from the original authors.

Try the Grable & Lytton Risk Tolerance template on BlockSurvey

3. Financial Anxiety Quiz

Money stress is real. Even clients who “look fine on paper” may be losing sleep over bills, debt, or future uncertainty. This quiz measures the emotional side of money - specifically, anxiety linked to financial decisions.

How Advisors Can Use These: Advisors can use results to spot stress triggers early and provide extra reassurance, pacing, or stress-reduction strategies within financial planning.

Check out the Financial Anxiety Quiz template on BlockSurvey

4. Money Management Quiz

Based on practical frameworks for evaluating budgeting and cash flow habits.

Ever met a client who earns well but still feels “broke” at the end of every month? This quiz helps assess how well someone is managing their day-to-day money. It looks at skills like budgeting, saving, paying bills on time, and planning for expenses.

How Advisors Can Use These: This tool highlights gaps in budgeting and cash flow. Advisors can focus coaching on daily money habits before introducing more complex financial strategies.

Use the Money Management Quiz template on BlockSurvey

5. Financial Wellness Quiz

Adapted from workplace financial wellness programs and academic studies. 

Financial wellness goes beyond spreadsheets. This quiz helps clients reflect on their overall sense of stability - covering savings, debt management, financial confidence, and future readiness.

How Advisors Can Use These: Advisors gain a complete picture of clients’ strengths and weak spots, making it easier to prioritize which financial areas to improve first.

Explore the Financial Wellness Quiz template on BlockSurvey

6. Financial Capability Survey

Inspired by global surveys on financial literacy and behavior

Financial capability is about more than knowledge - it’s about applying that knowledge in real life. This survey assesses how clients make decisions, manage resources, and navigate financial products.

How Advisors Can Use These: Use this tool to identify literacy gaps and decision-making behaviors. Advisors can then tailor education and coaching to empower better client choices.

Try the Financial Capability Survey template on BlockSurvey

7. Financial Survey Questions

Curated set of common financial planning questions

Sometimes you just need a flexible survey that covers the essentials: income, expenses, savings, goals, and financial concerns. This template gives you a straightforward set of questions to start any client engagement.

How Advisors Can Use These: Advisors can quickly gather baseline financial details to start meaningful conversations and set the foundation for deeper planning.

Start with the Financial Survey Questions template on BlockSurvey

Power Your Advisory with BlockSurvey

With BlockSurvey, you’re not limited to these seven questionnaires. You can easily create your own financial assessments tailored to your practice using its intuitive, no-code builder. And, every survey comes with end-to-end encryption and privacy-first features, ensuring your clients feel safe to share honestly - without hesitation.

By collecting feedback and insights with BlockSurvey, you gain a deeper understanding of your clients’ financial health, mindset, and needs - all with atmost privacy and peace of mind. Get started now! Have questions on how it works? Book a demo!