The financial press is sounding the alarm — but is it ringing it for the right reasons? A recent FT Advice article titled “Bridge the retirement divide: millions risk falling through the cracks” paints a familiar picture: widespread financial fragility, inadequate pension savings, and a generation unprepared for retirement. But beneath the surface, the real … Continue reading Bridging the Retirement Divide — Or Deepening It?
Month: June 2025
🛡️ How to Avoid Being a Victim of Investment Fraud:
By Steve Conley, Academy of Life Planning In 2024, according to UK Finance’s annual fraud report, investment fraud losses in the UK soared to £649 million—a stark reminder that no one is immune, and that fraud is evolving faster than most protections can keep up. What’s most alarming? Fewer scams, higher losses. Case numbers are … Continue reading 🛡️ How to Avoid Being a Victim of Investment Fraud:
🚨 The Growth Agenda That Shrinks the Economy: Why Rachel Reeves’ City-Centric Strategy Is Failing Britain
"When those in power mistake trickle-down promises for policy, the only thing that trickles is hardship." April’s GDP figures are in—and they make for grim reading. A 0.3% contraction in the UK economy, worse than expected, has put paid to any illusions that the Government’s “growth agenda” is delivering for the people. The contraction comes … Continue reading 🚨 The Growth Agenda That Shrinks the Economy: Why Rachel Reeves’ City-Centric Strategy Is Failing Britain
🔍 Growth at What Cost?
A Customer Advocate’s Response to the FCA’s New Regulatory Direction "The biggest scandals are not the ones that break the rules, but the ones that rewrite them." Last week’s POLITICO Europe panel made one thing painfully clear: the UK’s financial regulators are walking a tightrope between protecting consumers and fuelling economic growth. The new strategy, … Continue reading 🔍 Growth at What Cost?
🎯 Rebuilding Trust After Financial Exploitation – From the Inside Out
“The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm.” – Swedish Proverb For over a decade, I’ve stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Transparency Task Force in the fight for a financial system people can trust. Before that, I was deep inside the system itself—Head of Investments at HSBC and … Continue reading 🎯 Rebuilding Trust After Financial Exploitation – From the Inside Out
One Rule for SJP? Why We Must Question Who Teaches Our Children About Money
When your CEO sits on the CityUK Leadership Council and co-authors the Mansion House Accord, what can you get away with? Apparently, quite a lot. If your firm’s fee-for-no-service scandal gets waved away by regulators more interested in growth than justice…If your calls to deregulate are echoed by the Treasury while whistleblower complaints are ignored…If … Continue reading One Rule for SJP? Why We Must Question Who Teaches Our Children About Money
Your Money or Your Life: The Regulator That Turned a Blind Eye
For Paul Birch. For every whistleblower they tried to silence. They say justice is blind. But in Paul’s case, the FCA didn’t just close its eyes—it looked the other way. Paul Birch is not a footnote. He’s not an isolated case. He’s a British citizen who played by the rules—who asked for protection and got … Continue reading Your Money or Your Life: The Regulator That Turned a Blind Eye
🕵️♀️ The Citizen Investigator’s Playbook
A Free-to-Need Toolkit for Justice After Financial Exploitation When the system lets you down, the power to investigate, expose, and seek redress must come from you. That’s why we created the Citizen Investigator’s Playbook — a structured, AI-supported toolkit from Get SAFE (Support After Financial Exploitation). This Playbook is offered on a Free to Need … Continue reading 🕵️♀️ The Citizen Investigator’s Playbook
Financial “Growth” Authority: Says “Risk Is Good”? The Language of a Captured Regulator
By Steve Conley, Founder, Academy of Life Planning "Risk is good," proclaims the watchdog. But when the guard dog starts wagging its tail at the City, who’s protecting the public? Last week, FT Adviser reports that at the Global Management Summit, Simon Walls—Executive Director of Markets at what is still officially called the Financial Conduct … Continue reading Financial “Growth” Authority: Says “Risk Is Good”? The Language of a Captured Regulator
Behind the Curtain: How Anonymous Private Equity Voices Are Shaping the Advice Industry Narrative
“If you want to know who’s in control, ask who’s writing the story—and who’s paying to print it.” A curious phenomenon is emerging in the UK financial media. At the very moment private equity’s influence over financial advice is accelerating—drawing scrutiny from regulators, parliamentarians, and consumers—some PE firms are opting not for transparency, but anonymity. … Continue reading Behind the Curtain: How Anonymous Private Equity Voices Are Shaping the Advice Industry Narrative
Academy of Life Planning 