By Steve Conley, Founder, Academy of Life Planning
“For too long, we have presented investment in too negative a light,” said Chancellor Rachel Reeves, urging regulators to loosen the reins and let the financial sector ‘grow’ once again.
On the surface, it sounded like optimism. But beneath the oratory at the Mansion House Dinner, one could hear the creaking timbers of an exhausted economic model—the final wheezes of the Piscean financial system, gasping for another fix of growth.
“Human beings interpret change in different ways—some through logic and evidence, others through intuition, cycles, and symbols. What follows may not resonate with everyone, but for many, the transition from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius offers a compelling lens to understand what’s unfolding in finance, politics, and society. Whether literal or metaphorical, it helps explain why the systems that once felt solid are now crumbling—and why new paradigms, grounded in transparency, empowerment, and collaboration, are taking shape.”
A Return to the Old Religion
Reeves’s message to regulators—”don’t bend to the temptation of excessive caution”—was applauded by 350 City elites. But let us be clear: this was no revolution. It was a resurrection of the same City-centric growth-at-all-costs ideology that led us to stagnating wages, rampant inequality, and financial exclusion.
Reforms unveiled included:
- A dilution of post-crisis capital rules,
- Loosening accountability for senior bankers,
- Weakening of Financial Ombudsman powers,
- And, tellingly, a taxpayer-facilitated nudge campaign to funnel the nation’s cash savings into stock markets.
Dubbed a modern-day “Tell Sid” campaign, the initiative aims to convince millions of cash savers to shift into higher-risk equity markets—with less risk warning, more glossy persuasion.
Financial Capital First, Again
This is classic Piscean finance: treating people not as whole human beings with multidimensional needs, but as yield-seeking capital vectors. Reeves’ plans reduce us to investors, our futures to forecasts, and our pensions to portfolios—risk optionality be damned.
It’s worth noting the figures:
- 29 million Britons hold cash savings yielding about 1%.
- Stock markets returned 9% annually over the last decade.
- So why not “nudge” people toward riskier returns?
The answer is simple: context matters.
Austerity in Disguise
The push to get households investing isn’t really about empowering the public—it’s about shoring up a fragile economy without raising taxes. With a £5 billion fiscal hole and a downgraded growth forecast, the Chancellor is asking everyday Britons to fill the gap with their own risk capital.
This campaign may boost short-term capital flows, but it puts savers at greater risk of loss, particularly those already under-prepared for retirement. Ironically, many of the same banks backing this initiative were bailed out during the last financial crisis—on the back of public caution, not recklessness.
What’s Missing: Human Capital and Empowerment
What the Mansion House speech revealed was not just a policy choice—it was a philosophical commitment to a system where wealth is built on financial assets, not on people. Missing from the reforms were any serious proposals to:
- Invest in financial education beyond industry-led nudges,
- Develop human capital—skills, creativity, entrepreneurship,
- Support autonomous, self-directed life planning,
- Or challenge the information asymmetry at the heart of the advice gap.
How does human capital compare with financial capital in driving growth?
- 64% of economic growth comes from human capital
- Just 16% from physical (financial) capital
- Returns on human capital investment are up to 2x higher than those on physical infrastructure.
Human capital multiplies; financial capital extracts.
Aquarian Alternatives: Empowerment Over Extraction
As we shift into the Aquarian Age, a new financial paradigm is emerging—one that prioritises:
- Transparency over opacity,
- Purpose over profit,
- Community over competition.
Instead of “targeted support” that steers savers into markets they don’t understand, we should be offering life-first financial planning, rooted in individual goals, values, and capacities.
We need to decentralise planning. Reclaim autonomy. Teach people how to plan their lives—not just their portfolios.
Conclusion: The Final Course or the First Crack?
Last night’s Mansion House dinner felt more like the Last Supper of the Piscean system than a visionary roadmap. Its prescriptions—lighter-touch regulation, risk-based nudging, and softened warnings—reflect a system still obsessed with GDP and AUM, not wellbeing or sustainability.
But change is coming.
The GAME Plan, the M-POWER Movement, and our global network of holistic planners represent a living alternative: not less regulation for growth, but greater empowerment for justice.
Because the real engine of economic renewal isn’t financial capital—it’s human capital. Not risk-taking by the many for gain by the few—but collective autonomy, resilience, and dignity.
The City may toast its survival.
We choose to build the future.
Join the M-POWER Movement: From Piscean Planning to Aquarian Prosperity
We’re not just planning for retirement. We’re designing reality.
The old world extracted your time, energy, and wealth.
The new world empowers your purpose, vision, and impact.
What’s in it for you?
- Empowerment: Learn to align your money with your mission — no products, no pressure.
- Entrepreneurship: Build a purpose-driven business that transforms lives — starting with yours.
- Elevation: Shift your mindset, your model, and your movement into higher dimensional leadership.
How to Begin
Join the M-POWER Community
→ Free access to resources, events, and peers redefining the future of planning.
→ Community Link
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Final Word
This isn’t financial planning.
This is dimensional alignment.
It’s time to stop surviving and start creating —
for yourself, your family, and your future humanity.
Are you ready to step through the veil?
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