By Steve Conley, Founder — Academy of Life Planning & Get SAFE There is a moment most of us have experienced. You are about to sign something. A contract, an agreement, a set of terms and conditions. The other party hands you a document — sometimes thick, sometimes thin, always dense — and waits. There … Continue reading We Built Something to Level the Playing Field. It’s Now Live.
Month: May 2026
Financial Planning or Financial Conditioning? Why Human Capital May Matter More Than Financial Products
The Octopus Money research is interesting — and in many ways encouraging. People who received guidance, structure, and support reported feeling more resilient, more hopeful, and more engaged with saving and investing. That matters. In summary, the survey suggests that people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds can experience significantly improved financial confidence and resilience when they … Continue reading Financial Planning or Financial Conditioning? Why Human Capital May Matter More Than Financial Products
Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire?
Should Financial Advice Academies Market Themselves as a Wellbeing Escape Route? There was something in a recent recruitment message from St. James's Place that genuinely stopped me in my tracks. The campaign highlighted rising levels of burnout, stress, emotional exhaustion, and poor mental wellbeing across the UK workforce. It cited research suggesting: 1 in 4 … Continue reading Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire?
Human Capital Is the New Financial Capital: What Total Wealth Planners Can Learn from Development Economics
There is a quiet but profound shift happening beneath the surface of financial planning. For decades, much of the profession has focused on managing financial capital:pensions, ISAs, investments, tax wrappers, accumulation rates, withdrawal strategies. But a deeper question is now emerging: What actually creates sustainable human prosperity in the first place? A fascinating academic paper … Continue reading Human Capital Is the New Financial Capital: What Total Wealth Planners Can Learn from Development Economics
From Support Systems to Agency Systems
What if the real crisis is not stress — but disconnection from inner authority? There is a quiet assumption running through much of modern wellbeing culture: People are struggling because life has become too complex to navigate alone. In response, society has built layer upon layer of support systems: employee assistance programmes,financial wellbeing services,mental health … Continue reading From Support Systems to Agency Systems
The End of Search Rankings? Why The Leveller May Be Arriving at Exactly the Right Time
For years, app discovery was largely a game of keywords, rankings, and visibility hacks. Developers fought for attention in crowded marketplaces using optimisation tactics designed for algorithms rather than humans. But something fundamental is changing. At Google I/O 2026, Google revealed a major shift in how people will discover apps on Google Play. Instead of … Continue reading The End of Search Rankings? Why The Leveller May Be Arriving at Exactly the Right Time
From Employee Assistance to Human Agency: What Today’s Wellbeing Programmes Reveal About the Future of Planning
For decades, Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) have sat quietly in the background of organisational life. Originally designed as counselling and crisis-support services, they were often associated with stress, addiction, bereavement, or workplace difficulties — a safety net for people under pressure. But something is changing. Modern EAPs are no longer simply mental health helplines. They … Continue reading From Employee Assistance to Human Agency: What Today’s Wellbeing Programmes Reveal About the Future of Planning
Choosing AI for Your Practice: Efficiency Tool or Human Agency Operating System?
A new McKinsey study on AI competitive advantage raises important questions for financial planners choosing the next generation of technology platforms. The study makes a simple but profound point: When everyone has access to the same AI models, the real competitive advantage no longer comes from the AI itself. It comes from the operating system … Continue reading Choosing AI for Your Practice: Efficiency Tool or Human Agency Operating System?
When Justice Arrives Too Late: The Human Cost of the LCF Scandal
In May 2026, former London Capital & Finance (LCF) CEO Michael Thomson was jailed for contempt of court after breaching Serious Fraud Office restraint orders designed to preserve assets linked to the collapse of the mini-bond firm. His wife received a suspended sentence for related breaches. The offences involved the sale of luxury items, including … Continue reading When Justice Arrives Too Late: The Human Cost of the LCF Scandal
The Trust Dividend: Why Structurally Trustworthy Financial Systems Would Create More Wealth, Not Less
For years, public debate around financial services has been framed as a battle between markets and consumers. One side argues that finance drives prosperity.The other argues that finance extracts wealth from society. But both sides may be missing something important. The real issue is not whether financial services should exist.The real issue is whether the … Continue reading The Trust Dividend: Why Structurally Trustworthy Financial Systems Would Create More Wealth, Not Less
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