Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy — and in the UK, more than 6,500 families faced that loss in 2022.
According to new research from the Samaritans and the London School of Economics, each suicide costs society an estimated £1.46 million, with an overall annual cost of £9.58 billion. Behind these numbers lies a deeper human story — one of pain, stigma, and systemic neglect.
At the Academy of Life Planning, we have seen this story unfold time and again in our own profession.
Not only among the public, but also among financial advisers, accountants, and other professionals whose livelihoods have been shattered by debt, regulatory failure, or financial exploitation. When personal or business debt spirals out of control, it does more than deplete savings — it destroys reputations, erodes self-worth, and in many cases, leaves people with credit records that render them unemployable.
🧩 The Hidden Victims of Financial Harm
Professionals who once helped others manage money can find themselves ostracised when they fall into financial difficulty.
Under current systems, a single bankruptcy, CCJ, or default can end a financial career — even when caused by circumstances beyond one’s control: a fraud, a business collapse, or a regulatory injustice.
These individuals often face:
- Professional exclusion, where industry rules prevent them from re-entering their field.
- Social isolation, driven by stigma and fear of judgment.
- Mental health decline, as shame, stress, and powerlessness take hold.
For some, the despair becomes unbearable.
And yet, these are people who dedicated their lives to safeguarding the financial wellbeing of others.
🛡️ Get SAFE: Support After Financial Exploitation
That’s why we are developing Get SAFE — a new charitable initiative of the Academy of Life Planning.
Get SAFE stands for Support After Financial Exploitation, but it reaches further: into prevention, recovery, and empowerment.
Its purpose is threefold:
- Support – providing free emotional, practical, and legal guidance to victims of financial harm, whether members of the public or professionals.
- Advocate – challenging systemic injustices and promoting fair treatment across financial, legal, and regulatory systems.
- Empower – helping people rebuild confidence, purpose, and livelihood after financial collapse.
Through Get SAFE, we aim to reduce suicides linked to financial stress, restore hope, and rebuild lives with dignity and transparency.
🌱 From Exploitation to Empowerment
Debt should not be a death sentence.
We must move from a system that punishes failure to one that restores human potential.
By recognising the economic and emotional costs of suicide, we can begin to value prevention as a public good — not just a personal responsibility.
Get SAFE will work hand in hand with the Academy’s Holistic Wealth Planners to offer a new kind of safety net — one that connects financial recovery with emotional, social, and spiritual healing. Together, we can show that a person’s worth is more than a credit score and that every life has value beyond money.
❤️ Join the Movement
As we lay the foundations for Get SAFE, we invite professionals, planners, and policymakers to stand with us.
We’re building a future where financial harm no longer leads to despair — but to renewal, justice, and empowerment.
To learn more or get involved, visit http://www.aolp.co.uk or contact steve.conley@aolp.co.uk.
Let’s ensure that no one who has lost everything financially ever feels they have nothing left to live for.
About Get SAFE
Get SAFE (Support After Financial Exploitation) was born from a simple truth: too many victims of financial abuse are left to suffer in silence.
We exist for people like Ian Davis—for the ones who did everything right, only to be failed by the systems they trusted. We know that behind every vanished pension, every ignored complaint, and every stonewalled letter is a person—frightened, exhausted, and too often alone.
Get SAFE offers more than sympathy. We offer structure, support, and solidarity.
We provide a voice where there’s been silence, and clarity where there’s been confusion.
We stand beside those who have been exploited, not just to help them recover—but to help them reclaim their story and rebuild their future.
Because financial justice is not a luxury.
It’s a human right.
If you or someone you know has been affected by financial exploitation, we are here.
You are not alone.
Learn more at: Get SAFE (Support After Financial Exploitation).
Academy of Life Planning 