From the Post Office Horizon scandal to the fresh allegations in BBC Panorama’s Did Lloyds Bank Fail My Business?, 2025 has thrown the same problem into sharp relief: when organisations control the evidence and can afford heavy-hitting lawyers, consumer protection is the first casualty. Latest news & breaking headlinesThe Guardian Yet the very technologies once … Continue reading Data Darkness vs. Digital Daylight – Why 2025 Feels Like the UK’s Transparency Tipping-Point →

A Shifting Landscape in London’s Financial Hub The City of London, long revered as a bastion of financial integrity, is showing signs of an unsettling transformation. Observers point out that Britain’s financial centre is increasingly mirroring smaller offshore jurisdictions – places like Malta, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands – where the local … Continue reading City of London: Heading Toward Offshore-Style Deregulation? →

By Steve Conley, Founder of the Academy of Life Planning For nearly a decade, victims of a sprawling international pension fraud—centred around QROPS (Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes)—have been fighting for justice. These scams, many linked to the disgraced adviser John Maurice Pye, have devastated lives, wiping out life savings under the watch of multiple … Continue reading “Enough Is Enough: Why Victims of QROPS Pension Scams Deserve Answers” →

Now Enrolling for Cohort 2 – In Memory of Ian Davis 🌱 Have you been impacted by financial crime, fraud, or systemic injustice?You’re not alone—and your future is still yours to reclaim. We’re proud to announce that Cohort 2 of Rebuild & Thrive – In Memory of Ian Davis is now open for bookings.This free … Continue reading Rebuild & Thrive: Reclaiming Your Life After Financial Crime →

In today's challenging climate, many financial advice firms find themselves in distress. With more than 16,000 UK financial services companies now classified as being in "significant distress" according to Begbies Traynor’s latest Red Flag Report, it’s clear: even the guardians of financial security are not immune. At the Academy of Life Planning, we’ve long championed … Continue reading Could There Be a Financial Advice Firm in Distress? Here’s How We Can Help. →

In the face of sweeping reforms to inheritance tax reliefs announced in the UK's 2024 Autumn Budget, small family farms are at a crossroads. With Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR) now capped at £1 million, farms that have survived generations face an unprecedented threat: crippling tax bills that could force the … Continue reading From Rainmakers to Legacy Builders: How Strengths-Based Succession Can Save Family Farms →

https://youtu.be/6iTgqUucfIk?si=0shDwDZvi1GQqud9 The recent conversation between Marcello Hamel and Mike Conway of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) — now publicly available — is deeply troubling. It highlights systemic failings within one of the UK's most powerful regulatory bodies: delays, breaches of due process, disregard for grievance procedures, and attempts to manage disputes through minimal compensation rather … Continue reading Whistleblowing, Accountability, and the Need for Change: A Reflection on the FCA Case →

Introduction At the Academy of Life Planning (AoLP), we deliver financial planning services that are client-centred, transparent, and ethically grounded.While we operate outside the FCA regulatory perimeter — because we do not provide regulated financial advice — we are not unregulated.We are proudly governed by UK consumer protection law and overseen by the Competition and … Continue reading Academy of Life Planning (AoLP) Compliance Charter →