For years, discussions about artificial intelligence in financial planning have centred on one question: How will AI affect financial advisers? A new analyst note from UBS, reported by Citywire, suggests that question is no longer theoretical. UBS has accelerated its assumptions about AI disruption, bringing forward the point at which it expects AI to affect … Continue reading UBS Sees AI Disrupting Financial Advice. We See Something Even Bigger.
Month: July 2026
The Missing Piece in the Mills Review: What Does a Public-Interest AI Financial Capability Service Actually Look Like?
"The question is no longer whether to allow AI, it is who is AI going to serve?... the answer must be citizens."— Sheldon Mills, AI and the Future of Retail Financial Services (2026) The publication of the Mills Review marks an important moment in the evolution of financial services. For the first time, a major … Continue reading The Missing Piece in the Mills Review: What Does a Public-Interest AI Financial Capability Service Actually Look Like?
Why Total Wealth Planning Could Be the Highest Return on Investment You Ever Make
People often ask whether they can justify spending time on Total Wealth Planning. I think they're asking the wrong question. The real question is this: What is the financial cost of not doing it? For decades, financial planning has often been presented as something that helps people "live a better life." That's true. But it … Continue reading Why Total Wealth Planning Could Be the Highest Return on Investment You Ever Make
From the Advice Gap to the Agency Gap
Why the FCA's AI Review could transform financial planning—if we put citizens first For more than two decades, policymakers have talked about the advice gap. Millions of people cannot afford regulated financial advice, do not qualify for it, or simply choose not to use it. The result has been a familiar debate. Should advice become … Continue reading From the Advice Gap to the Agency Gap
Opinion: The AI Debate Is Missing the Most Important Participant
Why the future of financial planning won't be decided by firms adopting AI—but by citizens doing the same. Every week there seems to be another discussion about artificial intelligence in financial services. Should advisers build their own AI? Should firms rely on specialist providers? Will AI replace paraplanners? Are the productivity gains worth the investment? … Continue reading Opinion: The AI Debate Is Missing the Most Important Participant
17 Million Pension Policies. £500 Billion Invested. The FCA Says Many Could Be Poor Value.
The Financial Conduct Authority has issued a clear warning to pension providers. Millions of people holding older unit-linked pension and savings policies may not be receiving fair value. The scale is remarkable. Around 17 million policies. Around £500 billion invested. Many of these products are no longer sold. They sit quietly in the background, often … Continue reading 17 Million Pension Policies. £500 Billion Invested. The FCA Says Many Could Be Poor Value.
If Even the FCA Says Investment Documents Are Too Hard to Understand… Perhaps It’s Time to Level the Playing Field
The Financial Conduct Authority has reached a striking conclusion. After reviewing 172 investment disclosure documents, it found that almost all were written at a level too difficult for the average consumer to understand. Only 6% were considered to be written in plain English, and every single document reviewed fell below the level expected for someone … Continue reading If Even the FCA Says Investment Documents Are Too Hard to Understand… Perhaps It’s Time to Level the Playing Field
Proportional Planning™: Support when it adds value. Agency remains yours.
The right support at the right time. For decades, we have framed financial planning as a choice between two extremes. Do it yourself. Or hand responsibility to an adviser. Neither reflects how most people actually make decisions. Most of us are capable of managing much of our own lives. We seek help when life becomes … Continue reading Proportional Planning™: Support when it adds value. Agency remains yours.
Academy OS Is Now Live: AI That Strengthens Human Agency
For the past year, I've been building something that has gradually become much bigger than a collection of AI tools. Today, I'm pleased to announce the launch of the new Academy OS page on the Academy of Life Planning website. This isn't simply a software catalogue. It represents a different philosophy about the relationship between … Continue reading Academy OS Is Now Live: AI That Strengthens Human Agency
Academy of Life Planning 