By Steve Conley, Founder, Academy of Life Planning
Published July 2025
When financial advisers start worrying that clients can’t afford their fees, the industry faces more than just a commercial dilemma—it confronts a crisis of identity.
As reported by Laura Purkess, advisers are increasingly watching clients—some earning over £100,000—struggle to pay ongoing advice fees. The gut response of many planners is admirable: to “bend on fees,” offer flexibility, or continue pro bono. That compassion is welcome—but the structural issue remains unaddressed.
The truth is this: the dominant fee model in the financial advice industry is no longer fit for purpose.
The Lazy Income Problem
In the Piscean model, fees are often extracted directly from the client’s investment product—usually as a percentage of assets under management (AUM). This facilitates a steady income for advisers but comes with critical flaws:
- Fees persist whether or not services are needed or delivered.
- Clients remain unaware of what they’re paying, or why.
- Planners are incentivised to retain assets, even when clients may want to spend, gift, or repurpose them.
The FCA’s own Ongoing Advice Fees Review has acknowledged these concerns. Its consultation paper points to widespread issues around “fee for no service,” poor disclosure, and weak client value. In other words, the model enables lazy income at best, and systemic harm at worst.
The Aquarian Alternative
At the Academy of Life Planning, we’ve built a different model. It’s inspired by the approach used by the NHS:
“90% of people, 90% of the time, can manage their own health—with the right support.”
We simply swap health for wealth.
Most people don’t need full-time, ongoing financial planning. What they need is education, empowerment, and access to support when life changes.
Here’s how we apply that:
- âś… Done-by-you: Free or low-cost self-planning tools (Planning My Life toolkit, HapNav, digital guides).
- 🤝 Done-with-you: Group planning support, mentorship, peer circles.
- 🎯 Done-for-you: One-to-one planning only in moments of change, complexity, or crisis.
No Collars. No Capture. No Conflicts.
We don’t operate a “minimum fee collar.” We don’t embed fees into products. And we don’t extract AUM percentages that compound into conflicts of interest.
Instead, we build adaptive pricing—based on the client’s capacity and actual need.
Because we believe:
- 🧠The client should always be in control.
- đź‘Ł Planning should be episodic, not eternal.
- 🔄 Fees should reflect service—not just presence.
A Way Forward
For advisers feeling the strain, the solution isn’t just to “be flexible” or absorb losses. It’s to pivot the business model—from extraction to empowerment.
Clients don’t want to feel like hostages to fees. Nor should advisers be caught between compassion and commercial survival.
What’s needed is a third way—an Aquarian way—that sees planning as a transformative partnership, not a financial tether.
If you’re ready to leave behind lazy income and step into a role that empowers, educates, and uplifts—we’re here to help you transition.
đź”— Learn more about how the Academy of Life Planning supports advisers to move beyond regulation, build ethical fee models, and serve clients with integrity and purpose.
Join the M-POWER Movement: From Financial Extraction to Personal Liberation
We’re not here to sell you products. We’re here to help you reclaim your power.
The old financial system thrived on confusion, dependency, and hidden fees.
The new era is about clarity, confidence, and conscious choice.
What You’ll Gain
Empowered Planning
Learn how to manage your money without salespeople or smoke and mirrors.
Flat fees. No jargon. Total control.
Purposeful Enterprise
Turn your experience into a mission-led practice.
Whether you guide others or just guide yourself — we’ll show you how.
Conscious Evolution
Grow beyond old paradigms. Step into Aquarian leadership, where financial planning meets soul purpose.
How to Begin
Join the M-POWER Community
→ Free access to resources, events, and peers redefining the future of planning.
→ Community Link
Book a Discovery Call
→ Personal guidance to align your money with meaning — no sales, just insight
→ Booking Page
Be the Ripple
→ Share this post or invite others to the movement.
→ Join Planning My Life Facebook Group
The future isn’t built on percentage fees.
It’s built on purpose, participation, and personal agency.
Let’s shift the system — one planner at a time.
#MPOWER #FinancialFreedom #AquarianPlanning #SelfAgency #FlatFees #DimensionalLeadership #GAMEPlan #FinancialTransparency
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