Buckminster Fuller once said, “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” That’s exactly what I’ve done throughout my career—and what we’re doing now in financial planning.
The Hard Truth About Top-Down Change
For years, as an Ambassador for the Transparency Taskforce, I worked alongside other expert volunteers to persuade those in power—regulators, policymakers, financial institutions—to change for the better. But let’s be honest: there’s no real desire for change. The system is designed to protect those who profit from it. The regulators are captured. The hierarchies of profit and power are in control.
Many believe that in such circumstances, change will take decades, if it happens at all. That’s when I knew: persuasion isn’t the answer. Instead of waiting for permission from those in power, I turned to a bottom-up approach—a proven method I’ve successfully used to transform financial markets before.
Building a Better Model from the Bottom Up
In 2003, as Head of Wrap Development at Abbey, I introduced the UK’s first single-provider wrap platform. At the time, only 25% of financial advisers had even heard of wrap platforms. After my launch campaign, that number tripled to 75%. Suddenly, all UK life and pension companies had to become platforms—or risk obsolescence. The system didn’t change because regulators forced it to. It changed because the market demanded it.
I repeated this strategy in 2005, launching Tactica, the first retail multi-asset auto-rebalancing fund with Goldman Sachs. At the time, most fund houses followed an outdated, industry-advised quarterly asset allocation model. After my campaign, they had to ditch their old models or go out of business.
The Academy of Life Planning: A New Model for Financial Advice
With the Academy of Life Planning, I’m applying the same bottom-up approach to change financial planning forever.
For decades, the industry has pushed product-based advice—because it’s profitable. Advisers have been conditioned to sell rather than serve. But the world is waking up to holistic wealth planning—a model that’s not about selling products, but about transforming lives.
It’s taken 13 years to gain traction, but the shift is happening. Today, thousands of advisers are embracing a new way of thinking. The idea of non-intermediating, client-focused planning is becoming mainstream.
The proof? My annual impression rates on LinkedIn now exceed 1.2 million. People are listening. The industry is shifting. And just like with wrap platforms and multi-asset funds, the old model will soon become obsolete.
Want to Be Part of the Change?
The future of financial planning isn’t about waiting for regulators to act—it’s about building a better alternative. We’ve already started. Are you ready to join us?
➡️ Learn more about the Academy of Life Planning and how you can be part of the movement.
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Academy of Life Planning 