For the ones they’re grooming.
For the ones they say don’t need that cash for five years.
For the ones about to be sold down the river in the name of “growth.”
This is for you.
Welcome to the Snake Pit
They called it “idle cash.”
They said it had “wrinkles.”
So, in a six-week feeding frenzy, the Financial Conduct Authority held hands with the City’s biggest product pushers and whispered a new narrative: Let’s get that lazy money working. Not for you, mind. For them.
The FCA’s first-ever “policy sprint” wasn’t about protecting consumers. It was about greasing the rails—helping banks, platforms, and product providers fatten up unsuspecting savers for a feast of fee-laden investments. Under the cloak of “targeted support,” they created a new route to the markets. One that skips advice, dodges duty, and sidesteps the truth.
Let’s not mince words. This is not reform.
This is repackaged exploitation.
Behind the Smile: Who Was Really at the Table?
Barclays. Hargreaves Lansdown. Vanguard. St. James’s Place. Quilter. Wealth Wizards. The names sound familiar because they already dominate the game.
And now, with a wink and a nod from the regulator, they get to “suggest” investments to you—without technically giving advice, without responsibility, without liability. All under the guise of “helping consumers make better choices.”
It’s the perfect con. No advice, no duty, no comeback.
If anything goes wrong, you were never advised.
The Rhetoric of Responsibility, the Reality of Risk
The FCA paints a caring picture: We just want people to do more with their money. We just want them to understand their options. But here’s the sleight of hand—
The so-called “cash-to-equity” solutions target people with no experience.
People with no understanding of risk.
People the FCA says don’t need access to that £10k for five years.
Let’s pause there.
Who decides that?
Who has the right to declare your rainy-day fund “surplus”?
And who profits when that cash is transferred from your account to theirs?
You already know the answer.
Targeted Support or Tactical Sales?
This “sprint” is no light jog for public good. It’s a full-speed race to deregulation. A blueprint for selling at scale—without calling it selling. The very firms already caught mis-selling in the past are being re-invited, through the back door, to do it again. Only this time, they get to call it support.
They even admit it’s not advice. They just “suggest.”
But what happens when a suggestion feels like a recommendation?
What happens when the cost of trust is buried in fine print?
What happens is this:
You are sold to without knowing it.
You bear the risk, they pocket the fee.
And Yet They Smile
They smile because they’re not the ones with skin in the game.
They smile because the regulator they once feared now works for their agenda—driven by a government mandate not to protect consumers, but to stimulate markets.
They smile because the consumer duty is now a marketing slogan, not a shield.
And more to the point:
The regulators are not the gatekeepers they claim to be, but prioritise market stimulation and their own private financial schemes over consumer protection.
But We’re Not Smiling
We’re not smiling because we’ve seen what happens when savers trust too easily.
We’re not smiling because we’ve held the hands of victims after the crash.
We’re not smiling because we know who really pays when this goes wrong—and it isn’t Barclays.
The Lesson? If It’s Free, You’re the Product
You’re told this targeted support is free. But nothing in finance is free.
If they’re not charging you up front, they’re making it somewhere else—through the products, the platform, the margin, the churn.
And when you lose?
They’ll remind you, you were never advised.
The Call to Arms
If you’re one of the many with “idle cash,” don’t let them shame you.
You’re not lazy. You’re cautious. Wise. Patient.
If they say it’s “safe,” ask: for whom?
If they say it’s “free,” ask: who profits?
If they say you don’t need that cash, ask yourself: Do they know your life—or just your balance?
And if you’re tired of being a mouse in their maze, step off the treadmill.
Take the power back.
Get your GAME Plan in place.
Final Word
This isn’t a consultation. It’s a con.
This isn’t innovation. It’s infiltration.
This isn’t about your growth. It’s about theirs.
So don’t be groomed.
Don’t be grateful.
And whatever you do—
Don’t get eaten.
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 