“Finance is not about making money per se…it exists to support other goals—those of society.”— Robert Shiller, Nobel Laureate For decades, we’ve accepted a version of finance that has become bloated, opaque, and detached from its true purpose. A recent paper, Does Finance Fulfil Purpose? by David Pitt-Watson and Dr Hari Mann, does something rare: … Continue reading 💡 Finance for What? Reclaiming Purpose in the Age of Aquarius
Month: July 2025
Why White-Collar Britain Needs a GAME Plan
The age of AI has arrived — and it’s not the builders and bricklayers who should be worried. White-collar Britain is waking up to a rude shock. The cognitive class — long protected by degrees, desks, and digital skillsets — is now in the firing line of the very technology it helped create. The tables … Continue reading Why White-Collar Britain Needs a GAME Plan
🚨 What’s Stopping You? 10 Financial Planning Myths Debunked
This is when the penny drops. You feel it, don’t you? The industry is changing. The clients are changing. You’re changing. And yet, something holds you back from making the shift—from Piscean financial adviser to Aquarian financial planner. Let’s bust the myths and break through the mental hurdles keeping you trapped in an outdated model. … Continue reading 🚨 What’s Stopping You? 10 Financial Planning Myths Debunked
🐷 Hands Off Our Pensions: Why Mandating Investment Isn’t Reform—It’s Raid
By Steve Conley | 9 July 2025 This week, Parliament debated the new Pension Schemes Bill—a bill that, if passed, would allow government ministers to direct how private pension funds are invested. It's being sold as a benign “backstop,” but to many in the profession, it looks less like reform and more like requisition. Bank … Continue reading 🐷 Hands Off Our Pensions: Why Mandating Investment Isn’t Reform—It’s Raid
💡 From Debt Prisoner to Life Planner: A Way Forward for Struggling Advisers
By Steve Conley, Founder – Academy of Life Planning They say we’re the experts.The ones people turn to for clarity, security, and peace of mind. But what happens when the financial adviser is the one feeling trapped? What happens when you are the one secretly battling the burden of debt? 🎭 The Hidden Reality of … Continue reading 💡 From Debt Prisoner to Life Planner: A Way Forward for Struggling Advisers
Last Nail in the Coffin – But for Whom?
Last Nail in the Coffin – But for Whom? “You can’t build a strong economy by hollowing out its people.” As we approach the next Mansion House Speech on July 15, the spotlight once again turns to the cosy relationship between government and City lobbyists. Behind closed doors, the so-called “growth agenda” will be showcased … Continue reading Last Nail in the Coffin – But for Whom?
Beyond the Perimeter: Why the Financial Ombudsman Is Failing Survivors of Financial Exploitation
"Justice too long delayed is justice denied." – Martin Luther King Jr. The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) was meant to be a safety net—a free, fair, and accessible route for ordinary people to seek redress when the financial system fails them. But for thousands of victims of financial exploitation, that promise rings hollow. At the … Continue reading Beyond the Perimeter: Why the Financial Ombudsman Is Failing Survivors of Financial Exploitation
From Product Seller to Purpose Partner: The Rise of the Holistic Wealth Planner
“Financial capital is only part of the picture. True wealth is the life you build with it.” A question I often get asked is this: What’s the difference between a financial planner and a financial adviser? And what on earth is a “non-intermediating” financial planner? Let me demystify it.At the Academy of Life Planning, we … Continue reading From Product Seller to Purpose Partner: The Rise of the Holistic Wealth Planner
🌍 From Growth-at-All-Costs to Global Responsibility: Why We Must Rethink Financial Systems in the Age of Aquarius
“The crime of our age is not merely theft—it is complicity through inaction.” As financial planners, citizen advocates, and architects of new systems, we stand at a crossroads. The global financial order is no longer just unsustainable—it is systemically complicit in human suffering, economic inequality, and environmental collapse. Nowhere is this more evident than in … Continue reading 🌍 From Growth-at-All-Costs to Global Responsibility: Why We Must Rethink Financial Systems in the Age of Aquarius
Future-Proof Your Practice: Serve the Empowered Generation Without the Red Tape
As the financial landscape evolves, one truth becomes increasingly clear: we are moving from a generation of wealthy delegators to an new age of empowered decision-makers. Tomorrow's clients don’t just want to be told what to do with their money—they want to be educated, empowered, and guided holistically. For regulated financial planning firms, this shift … Continue reading Future-Proof Your Practice: Serve the Empowered Generation Without the Red Tape
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