By Steve Conley
Founder, Academy of Life Planning
What’s the difference between traditional financial planning and holistic wealth planning?
It’s a question I’m often asked, and the answer is both simple and profound.
Andy Agathangelou, founder of the Transparency Taskforce and a lifelong veteran of the financial services industry, once described our work together in a way I’ll never forget:
“The comparison is like comparing selling horses and carts, compared to Ferraris.”
Andy was reflecting on the transformational difference he experienced—between what he’d expected based on decades of exposure to traditional financial planning, and what he encountered through holistic wealth planning at the Academy.
It’s not just a difference of speed or style. It’s a difference in purpose, process, and power.
Traditional Financial Planning: The Horse and Cart
Traditional financial planning, as widely practiced, tends to follow a linear, product-driven model. It focuses primarily on:
- Needs and shortfall analysis
- Cashflow forecasts (sometimes!)
- Risk profiling
- Product recommendations (typically leading to commission or AUM-based fees)
This model is rooted in intermediation—where planning is a means to an end: selling financial products. It typically ignores the human behind the plan. As a result, most clients receive a version of the same generic plan—adapted only slightly based on financial metrics.
For many planners, this approach is “business as usual.” But for those of us focused on client empowerment, it’s no longer fit for purpose.
Holistic Wealth Planning: The Ferrari
Holistic wealth planning is a complete reimagining of the process. It begins not with your money, but with your life.
We ask:
- What’s your favourite future?
- What brings meaning, purpose, and fulfilment to your life?
- How can your financial and human capital align to support that vision?
Instead of leading with products, we lead with possibilities. The result is a powerful, structured framework—the GAME Plan—built around:
- Life planning and values alignment
- Human capital strategy (your skills, knowledge, and time)
- Dividend strategies (generating value beyond money)
- Social return on investment
- Well-being and fulfilment metrics
- A completely client-owned strategic direction
Where traditional planning is reactive—plugging gaps—holistic planning is proactive, creative, and strategic.
Why This Matters
Just this morning, a new joiner raised questions that reminded me how common the confusion is. They had spoken with a well-respected investment journalist—someone brilliant in their domain but unfamiliar with the structural differences between these two planning paradigms.
What we offer at the Academy is not merely a “business in a box.” It is a transformational practice model, built for mission-driven individuals who want to empower clients with the tools to create wealth in every sense—financial, emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual.
We’re not here to work near the regulatory perimeter. We’ve built something entirely outside of it, by design. A model based on life coaching, empowerment, and non-intermediated advice—with full professional indemnity protection and ethical governance to match.
The Future of Financial Planning
We believe holistic wealth planning isn’t just an alternative; it’s the future.
In a world where consumers demand transparency, alignment, and purpose, the horse and cart model simply won’t do. We’re equipping planners to build Ferraris—high-performance, purpose-driven practices that take people where they truly want to go.
If you’re ready to leave behind the old ways and embrace a more meaningful model, the Academy is here to support you.
Let’s build something better. Together.
Your Money or Your Life
Unmask the highway robbers – Enjoy wealth in every area of your life!
By Steve Conley. Available on Amazon. Visit www.steve.conley.co.uk to find out more.
Academy of Life Planning 