What human capital theory gets right — and what it misses For many financial planners, the early years of practice are shaped by a simple equation: More qualifications → better outcomes → better lives That logic feels solid. It is rooted in decades of human capital theory, where education, skills, and credentials are treated as … Continue reading Lessons You Learn When You Become a Total Wealth Planner
Month: January 2026
Life Planning Has Outgrown Its Original Frame
A bridge-safe reflection for planners sensing the next step For many planners, life planning began as a profound shift. A move away from product talk.A deeper conversation.A focus on meaning, freedom, and what really matters to the client. For some, that training was genuinely life-changing. It restored dignity to the profession and reminded us why … Continue reading Life Planning Has Outgrown Its Original Frame
The £10 Billion Question: Is “Ongoing Advice” Still Fit for a World That Changes Daily?
The UK financial advice profession is facing a quiet but profound contradiction. According to the Financial Conduct Authority, around 4 million clients currently pay for ongoing advice. Together, they generate an estimated £8–10 billion a year in fees—around 80% of total adviser-charge revenue. On the surface, this suggests a healthy, sustainable model. Look closer, and … Continue reading The £10 Billion Question: Is “Ongoing Advice” Still Fit for a World That Changes Daily?
Why Human Capital Is Quietly Reshaping the Future of Financial Planning
Most financial planners were trained to focus on capital.Portfolios. Products. Structures. Optimisation. But a lesser-discussed body of economic research points to a deeper truth: Wealth is ultimately created by people, not by products. A classic (but still relevant) study on the significance of human capital for economic growth makes this explicit: physical and financial capital … Continue reading Why Human Capital Is Quietly Reshaping the Future of Financial Planning
When Financial Education Stops — and Responsibility Begins
Most financial innovation cycles follow a familiar pattern. New ideas emerge.Confidence rises.Education accelerates.Narratives spread faster than understanding. This is not a criticism. It’s how progress has always unfolded — from railways to dot-coms to structured finance to today’s digital assets and alternative investments. The problem isn’t innovation. The problem is what happens after the confidence … Continue reading When Financial Education Stops — and Responsibility Begins
Standing at the Bridge:
Why Human Capital Is Pulling Financial Planning Beyond Its Old Limits Most financial planners were trained in a world where capital meant money, assets, and structures. But a growing body of research — including a widely cited study on the Significance of Human Capital for Economic Growth — points to a quieter truth: Financial capital … Continue reading Standing at the Bridge:
A Story for Industry Leaders
From Intermediation to Agency. From Extraction to Empowerment. For decades, the traditional advice industry has acted as an intermediary to a structurally untrustworthy system. Not because advisers are bad people — but because the system itself is misaligned. It extracts value before it creates it It prioritises products over people It rewards compliance over conscience … Continue reading A Story for Industry Leaders
Crossing the Bridge — Without Burning the Shore Behind You
There comes a moment in many professional lives when nothing is wrong—yet something no longer fits. The clients still value you.Your competence hasn’t diminished.The practice still works—on paper. And yet, beneath the surface, the model begins to feel misaligned. Not broken.Just… no longer true. At the Academy of Life Planning, we’ve spent more than a … Continue reading Crossing the Bridge — Without Burning the Shore Behind You
The Great Wealth Transfer: Why Traditional Advice Models Should Be Paying Attention — and What Comes Next
Here's the thing, the headline figure is arresting: £6 trillion set to change hands across generations in the UK. But the quieter message beneath it is more uncomfortable. According to multiple studies cited at a recent adviser technology conference, existing advisers may only retain around 10% of that wealth. Not because markets collapse. Not because … Continue reading The Great Wealth Transfer: Why Traditional Advice Models Should Be Paying Attention — and What Comes Next
Why the Future of Financial Planning Is Human Capital-Led
Lessons for Financial Planners Aspiring to Become Total Wealth Planners For decades, financial planning has been built around financial capital: portfolios, products, performance and projections. Yet one of the most consistent findings in economic research tells a different story. Human capital—not financial capital—is the primary driver of long-term prosperity. A 2012 study published in the … Continue reading Why the Future of Financial Planning Is Human Capital-Led
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