Regulators Retreat, Empowerment Must Rise

When the UK Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, told private equity bosses she plans to “take out more regulators,” she was clear: oversight is no longer a priority. Growth is. In recent months, Reeves has: Sacked the Chair of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), Shut down the Payments Regulator, “Severely constrained” the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), … Continue reading Regulators Retreat, Empowerment Must Rise →

AI for the Treasury vs. AI for the People: Why Justice Must Be Bottom-Up

This week, the UK government announced that a new AI tool helped recover nearly £500 million lost to fraud in just one year. Ministers hailed it as the largest anti-fraud clawback ever achieved, with savings now earmarked for public services. On the surface, this is good news. It proves something important: AI works in the … Continue reading AI for the Treasury vs. AI for the People: Why Justice Must Be Bottom-Up →

Lies, Damn Lies, and Advice Statistics

It’s no secret that regulated financial advisers tend to target a very specific group of people: wealthy delegators. These are often older clients, time-poor but asset-rich, who are happy to pay for someone else to manage their finances. As long as their portfolios grow ahead of inflation and their lifestyle feels secure, they are unlikely … Continue reading Lies, Damn Lies, and Advice Statistics →

Human Capital: The Hidden Wealth Planners Can’t Afford to Ignore

A recent study (Human Capital: The Tool for Economic Growth and Development, Dr. Mahesh U. Daru) offers profound lessons for those of us committed to holistic wealth planning. Its insights confirm what many of us already sense: true wealth lies not only in money, but in people. 1. Human Capital is the Core Asset The … Continue reading Human Capital: The Hidden Wealth Planners Can’t Afford to Ignore →

Beyond the Three Questions: Towards a Fuller Life Planning Practice

Recently, a colleague in Italy raised an important concern: many advisers are well-trained in offering financial solutions, yet not sufficiently equipped to help clients truly discover their goals and purpose. Without clarity at this stage, even the most technically sound financial plan risks being “a good solution to the wrong problem.” This challenge is not … Continue reading Beyond the Three Questions: Towards a Fuller Life Planning Practice →

Why Holistic Wealth Planners Must Embrace the Whole-Person Paradigm

"Wealth is not just what you own. It is who you become." For decades, mainstream economics measured growth in narrow terms: GDP, output, financial assets. Yet research consistently shows that these traditional factors—capital, land, labour—cannot alone explain the drivers of prosperity. What’s missing is human capital—the knowledge, health, relationships, and inner strengths that enable people … Continue reading Why Holistic Wealth Planners Must Embrace the Whole-Person Paradigm →

London’s Dirty Money Problem: Why Deregulation Is No Growth Strategy

For centuries, London has been the beating heart of global finance. Its history is tied to empire, trade, and innovation. But behind the gleaming towers of the City lies another story—one of greed, capture, and complicity in the flow of dirty money. A recent article by Jochen Ressel traces how London became the world’s dirty … Continue reading London’s Dirty Money Problem: Why Deregulation Is No Growth Strategy →

The Trusted Adviser Project – My 15-Year Mission

Trust: What Customers Want Most Fifteen years ago, when I was Head of Investments at HSBC, we set out to understand what mattered most to people when choosing a financial adviser. We expected answers like qualifications, products, or price competitiveness. The response was strikingly clear: the number one priority was Trust. Not performance charts. Not … Continue reading The Trusted Adviser Project – My 15-Year Mission →

Why the Next Generation of Wealth Owners Prefer Empowerment Over Extraction

The numbers are stark: according to new research from Boring Money, four in five advised clients over the age of 65 believe their children will not stay with their current financial adviser once wealth transfers across generations. That’s over 1.2 million families expecting a break in the advice relationship. Why? Because the next generation isn’t … Continue reading Why the Next Generation of Wealth Owners Prefer Empowerment Over Extraction →

Introducing the Holistic Wealth Planner: The Future of Financial Advice

Moving Beyond Products to Life Strategy The financial services profession is at a crossroads. For decades, Independent Financial Advisers (IFAs) have been seen as the pinnacle of advice, guiding clients through investments, pensions, insurance, and mortgages. Yet, growing consumer demand for impartiality, transparency, and holistic life guidance reveals a gap that the traditional advice model … Continue reading Introducing the Holistic Wealth Planner: The Future of Financial Advice →