From Product to Purpose: Reframing the SSAS Conversation Through the GAME Plan

The problem isn’t the tool. It’s where we start. There’s a familiar pattern in financial services. A product is introduced.Its benefits are explained.Case studies are shared.And somewhere along the way, it begins to feel like the answer. A recent SSAS property booklet is a good example. 7_REASONS_SSAS_BOOKLET__December_2025_.pdfDownload It speaks the language of control.It highlights flexibility.It … Continue reading From Product to Purpose: Reframing the SSAS Conversation Through the GAME Plan →

Epistemic Liberation: Why the Future of Financial Planning Begins with Who Gets to Know

By Steve Conley, Academy of Life Planning For decades, the financial planning profession has focused on improving answers. Better models.Better forecasts.Better products. But what if the real issue is not the quality of the answers…but who is allowed to ask the questions? This is the deeper challenge now emerging across multiple fields—education, policy, healthcare, and … Continue reading Epistemic Liberation: Why the Future of Financial Planning Begins with Who Gets to Know →

Active Management Partnership (AMP): The Idea That Almost Fixed the System—But Didn’t Go Far Enough

By Steve Conley In 2009, a quietly radical idea was proposed in the pages of a private investor magazine. It did not call for revolution.It did not reject the financial system.It simply asked a very reasonable question: What if fund managers were only paid when they genuinely outperformed? The proposal—known as the Active Management Partnership … Continue reading Active Management Partnership (AMP): The Idea That Almost Fixed the System—But Didn’t Go Far Enough →

The Evidence That Went Missing: One Business Owner’s Fight for Answers from Lloyds, Police and Regulators

In 2013, a Norfolk business owner walked into his bank with a concern. He believed something was wrong inside his own company accounts—potential fraud, possibly involving a senior employee. He expected support. Instead, he says, the system turned against him. What followed is a 12-year battle involving allegations of unauthorised payments, missing evidence, regulatory inaction, … Continue reading The Evidence That Went Missing: One Business Owner’s Fight for Answers from Lloyds, Police and Regulators →

The Great Misunderstanding: Why Empowering Consumers Will Grow—Not Shrink—the Financial System

A system built on extraction is mistaken for necessity There is a deeply embedded belief within financial services—and, crucially, within Government—that empowering consumers will come at a cost. The logic runs as follows: If consumers become fully informed If they avoid unnecessary fees and poor-value products If extraction falls Then: Financial sector revenues decline Tax … Continue reading The Great Misunderstanding: Why Empowering Consumers Will Grow—Not Shrink—the Financial System →

Regulation After the Fall: What the Hartley Case Reveals About a System That Reacts Too Late

By Steve Conley | Academy of Life Planning A familiar pattern—only now, it’s formal The Financial Conduct Authority has taken a step toward enforcement action against Hartley Pensions. The allegations are serious. Misleading the regulator Using client pension funds without consent Acting for personal benefit Attempting to conceal wrongdoing For thousands of clients affected, this … Continue reading Regulation After the Fall: What the Hartley Case Reveals About a System That Reacts Too Late →

Hidden Credit. Hidden Power. Hidden Harm.

Why Parliament’s Latest Debate Exposes a Deeper Structural Failure “Protection that comes a decade too late is not protection. It is a post-mortem.” That line, delivered in Westminster Hall this week, captures the essence of a scandal that refuses to die—and perhaps more importantly, refuses to be fully acknowledged. On 14 April 2026, MPs gathered … Continue reading Hidden Credit. Hidden Power. Hidden Harm. →

A 14-year silence… now under review

“£674m a year in hidden fees over 14 years. Now ask yourself: what did you receive — and are you due a refund?” The Financial Conduct Authority has reopened a question many assumed had already been settled: Should trail commission still exist? Not for new business—that was addressed in 2012 under the Retail Distribution Review … Continue reading A 14-year silence… now under review →

AI Is Now Universal in Pensions—So Why Are Some Still Telling Clients Not to Use It?

By Steve Conley | Academy of Life Planning The pensions industry has crossed a line. Quietly. Decisively. Irreversibly. According to the latest Society of Pension Professionals survey, 100% of pension professionals are now using AI. Not experimenting.Not piloting.Using. Let that land. At the very same time, scroll through LinkedIn and you will still find advisers … Continue reading AI Is Now Universal in Pensions—So Why Are Some Still Telling Clients Not to Use It? →

From Aid to Agency

The Total Community Plan and the Future of Community Transformation By Steve Conley Founder, Academy of Life Planning For decades, efforts to address poverty, injustice, and environmental degradation have followed a familiar pattern. Resources flow in. Programmes are delivered. Outcomes are measured. And yet, in many communities, the underlying conditions remain unchanged. Not because people … Continue reading From Aid to Agency →