Context: Why Fairness Is Becoming More Complicated (Synopsis of John Howard’s argument) In a recent reflection, John Howard explores why fairness—once the beating heart of the Financial Ombudsman Service—is becoming increasingly difficult to uphold. Using a simple but powerful thought experiment involving an elderly woman asked to leave a first-class train carriage, John shows how … Continue reading Fairness Is Not Found in Rulebooks
Month: January 2026
When the Debt Letters Arrive: Why Advisers Need a Bridge Before Legal Action
Over the past year, a quiet but troubling pattern has been emerging inside adviser networks. First, firms are deauthorised.Then advisers are moved, paused, or left in limbo.And only later do the debt letters arrive. A recent Citywire investigation has brought this pattern into sharp focus. The Morrinson Wealth case One of St James’s Place Wealth … Continue reading When the Debt Letters Arrive: Why Advisers Need a Bridge Before Legal Action
Beware the Open Gate: Why Stepping Outside the Regulatory Perimeter Puts You at Risk
A Get SAFE warning for citizens, savers, and investors There is a quiet but dangerous shift happening in UK financial regulation. The Financial Conduct Authority has proposed changes that would make it easier for individuals to be classified as “professional investors” — even without significant wealth — provided they pass a subjective assessment by a … Continue reading Beware the Open Gate: Why Stepping Outside the Regulatory Perimeter Puts You at Risk
Why Spiritual Wellbeing Matters
(And why it’s not about religion) In the Academy of Life Planning, we talk openly about total wellbeing.Not just money.Not just mental health.But the whole human experience. That includes spiritual wellbeing — often misunderstood, sometimes avoided, and frequently confused with organised religion. This article is a bridge.It’s not asking you to believe anything.It’s inviting you … Continue reading Why Spiritual Wellbeing Matters
When Your Lender Isn’t Really Your Lender
What the UK’s Private Credit Boom Means for People Who Lose Forbearance Overnight If you’ve ever been told: “We can’t help you anymore — the account is in default,”despite years of good conduct, illness, or temporary hardship — this article is for you. Recent warnings from the House of Lords confirm something Get SAFE members … Continue reading When Your Lender Isn’t Really Your Lender
When Human Capital Increases Inequality
Critical lessons for Total Wealth Planners from the latest economic evidence For decades, financial planning has rested on a comforting assumption: If we educate people more, inequality will fall. It feels intuitively right. Education raises earnings. Skills create opportunity. Human capital lifts all boats. But the evidence no longer supports that simple story. A major … Continue reading When Human Capital Increases Inequality
Adviser Bridge: Why the Academy of Life Planning Supports Advisers Before Lawyers Get Involved
Transitions are part of modern financial advice. Yet for many regulated advisers, leaving a firm or changing structure has become one of the most stressful and disempowering moments of their professional lives. Exit conditions, repayment demands, Business Start-Up or support arrangements, restrictive correspondence, and unclear obligations often surface all at once — frequently accompanied by … Continue reading Adviser Bridge: Why the Academy of Life Planning Supports Advisers Before Lawyers Get Involved
Why “Being Right” Can Destroy Your Case: The hidden trap victims must avoid in court
When you’ve been wronged, your instinct is natural. You want to tell the truth.You want to name the wrongdoing.You want the court to see the injustice for what it is. But here is the hard truth most victims are never told: Courts are not designed to reward moral clarity.They are designed to enforce procedure. And … Continue reading Why “Being Right” Can Destroy Your Case: The hidden trap victims must avoid in court
Human Capital Is the Missing Asset Class: What Total Wealth Planners Must Learn from the Energy Transition
What Do We Mean by the “Energy Transition”? The energy transition refers to the global shift from fossil-fuel-based energy systems (coal, oil, and gas) toward cleaner, lower-carbon sources such as renewables, electrification, and energy efficiency. At its core, it is not just a technological upgrade. It is a structural transformation of how economies produce, distribute, … Continue reading Human Capital Is the Missing Asset Class: What Total Wealth Planners Must Learn from the Energy Transition
What Best-Practice Client Onboarding Looks Like for a Total Wealth Planner — and Why It Matters
In financial services, most problems don’t start with bad advice. They start with bad beginnings. Confused expectations.Blurred roles.Too much given away too early — or too little structure when it mattered most. Total Wealth Planning exists precisely to correct that. Not by adding complexity, but by restoring clarity, boundaries, and client ownership from the very … Continue reading What Best-Practice Client Onboarding Looks Like for a Total Wealth Planner — and Why It Matters
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