Why the Future of Financial Planning Begins with the Soul
Recently, a valued member of our community wrote to say that while he respected our work, he felt the Academy had “departed from holistic financial advice toward a more spiritual and altruistic purpose.” He wished us well but chose to step away, explaining that his clients “do not appreciate that level of introspection.”
I share this not as criticism, but as clarity. Because it captures exactly where the financial planning profession stands today — at the threshold between two paradigms.
🧠The Old Paradigm: Planning from the Outside In
Traditional “holistic” financial planning has always meant including the client’s life goals — but rarely inquiring into where those goals come from. The focus has been on optimising cashflows, returns, and tax efficiencies — aligning money with lifestyle, but not necessarily with meaning.
Even in well-intentioned holistic models, the process begins with egoic goals — things the conscious mind believes it wants: retirement ages, property aspirations, income targets. Yet many clients reach those goals and still feel unfulfilled, anxious, or restless. Something deeper remains unresolved.
That “something” is the soul’s desire — the part of us that knows why we are here.
đź’ˇ The New Paradigm: Planning from the Inside Out
Through the Academy’s thirteen-year journey, we’ve learned that the true life plan doesn’t originate in spreadsheets or projections; it begins in purpose. The soul’s intention — that quiet, enduring pull toward meaning, contribution, and coherence — is what gives rise to everything else.
From this realisation emerged the GAME Plan™ — a cyclical, practical framework that translates purpose into form. It mirrors the universal creative process found in wisdom traditions and systems thinking alike:
- G — Goals: Clarify the soul’s direction — who you are and why you’re here.
- A — Actions: Identify and remove inner and outer obstacles to expression.
- M — Means: Mobilise human and financial capital to sustain the life plan.
- E — Execution: Implement, reflect, and renew — letting each cycle refine awareness and action.
Far from being abstract, this is profoundly practical. It’s about structuring a livelihood, cashflow, and asset base that enable a lifetime of growth, service, and freedom. It’s financial planning as a spiritual discipline — not religion, but realignment.
🔄 A Living, Breathing Planning Cycle
Every time we ask, “Who are you?” and “Why are you here?” we invite a new layer of truth. As clients evolve, their life plans evolve — and so must their financial architecture.
That’s why the GAME Plan is a living cycle, not a one-time document. It turns planning from a transactional service into a transformational relationship.
This is not “woo-woo.” It’s systems thinking applied to the human experience — blending neuroscience, behavioural finance, depth psychology, and contemplative wisdom into a coherent, teachable process.
🛠️ From Money Managers to Meaning Architects
Financial planners who grasp this shift become something extraordinary. They move beyond managing assets to stewarding transformation.
They help clients align time, talent, and treasure with the rhythm of their becoming. They coach implementation, hold accountability, and translate intangible purpose into tangible prosperity.
The outcome? Clients who feel safe, seen, and significant — with money that serves life, not the other way around.
🌱 An Invitation to the Pioneers
Some professionals, like our departing colleague, will choose to remain within the familiar paradigm. That’s perfectly fine; every calling has its time.
But for those who feel the tide turning — who sense that financial planning must evolve to meet the human condition in full — we welcome you.
Join us at the Academy of Life Planning.
Become part of the fellowship restoring depth, trust, and purpose to our profession.
Together, we are building lives of significance, not just success.
Because this — the integration of soul and structure, meaning and money — is the most important conversation you will ever have.
At the Academy of Life Planning, we turn these insights into practice through the GAME Plan™ — a framework that places Goals, Actions, Means, and Execution within the natural cycle of human development. It helps individuals and planners alike to align financial design with personal growth, restoring balance between wealth and well-being.
If you believe, as we do, that prosperity should be empowering, transparent, and shared, explore how the GAME Plan can help you or your clients grow wealth in every dimension of life — human, social, and financial.
Academy of Life Planning 