By Steve Conley, Founder, Academy of Life Planning Most people do not wake up wanting financial advice. They wake up wondering whether they can afford to leave a job. Whether retirement is possible. How to help their children without putting their own future at risk. What to do when an institution they trusted lets them … Continue reading Why agency matters now: build the ark before the rain
Author: Steve Conley
Steve Conley is the founder of the Academy of Life Planning, a movement dedicated to restoring human agency in financial planning and helping people navigate life's decisions with greater confidence, capability and independence.
With over 40 years' experience in financial services, Steve has held senior leadership roles with HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland, Santander and Royal London. A Chartered Financial Planner and Chartered Insurer, he combines deep industry expertise with a passion for challenging systems that leave people unnecessarily dependent on experts.
Steve believes the future of financial planning is not about replacing advisers with artificial intelligence, but using AI to strengthen people's ability to understand, question and make informed decisions for themselves. This philosophy underpins Academy OS, a growing ecosystem of AI-powered tools designed to help individuals, families and planners build capability rather than dependency.
Through the Academy of Life Planning, Steve works with financial planners, organisations and individuals who share a vision of a more transparent, ethical and human-centred approach to planning. His work spans education, research, technology, speaking and professional development, with a focus on creating practical solutions that improve financial capability and restore confidence in decision-making.
Steve is also the creator of the Total Wealth Planner approach, which recognises that a fulfilling life depends on far more than money alone. By integrating financial, personal, social and purpose-driven wellbeing, he helps people pursue what he calls "enough"—a life of balance, resilience and meaning.
As a speaker, mentor and author of *Your Money or Your Life: Unmask the Highway Robbers*, Steve continues to challenge conventional thinking about financial planning, arguing that the profession's greatest opportunity is to move beyond advice alone and become a catalyst for greater human agency.
To learn more or connect with Steve, visit the Academy of Life Planning or email steve@academyoflifeplanning.com.
The Academy Ark: preparing for a flood of better questions
People are taking back control of their money and lives. The Academy is where planners learn to help them do it. An ark looks like an unnecessary expense while the ground is dry. There is timber to buy, work to do and no immediate evidence that any of it is needed. Meanwhile, the people around … Continue reading The Academy Ark: preparing for a flood of better questions
AI can help you fight for justice. But be careful what you upload.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has issued an important warning about AI, confidentiality and legal privilege. Here is what it means for ordinary people using AI to challenge powerful institutions. Steve Conley | Get SAFE | 30 October 2026 AI is changing the balance of power For years, people challenging banks, insurers, pension providers and other … Continue reading AI can help you fight for justice. But be careful what you upload.
BREATHING SPACE FOR TODAY: FRESH HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
Budget 2026: what changes when we plan for a whole life? The key points for Total Wealth Planners are: Budget measurePlanning relevanceState Pension uprating changes from April 2030Revisit retirement forecasts that assume the existing Triple Lock continues indefinitely.Future National Care Service in EnglandMonitor developments, while retaining care-cost assumptions until entitlements and implementation are clear.Pension Tax … Continue reading BREATHING SPACE FOR TODAY: FRESH HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
Keeping Goliathon fair, safe and sustainable: what changed today
Oct 28, 2026 · @Steve Conley Today we made Goliathon safer, fairer and more sustainable. Everyday use now runs on a shared monthly AI allowance that we fund, and anyone planning a large job can switch to their own Anthropic key in a few clicks. Goliathon helps people in a dispute with an institution turn … Continue reading Keeping Goliathon fair, safe and sustainable: what changed today
Before You Join, Ask What It Costs to Leave
A new SJP group claim raises an uncomfortable question for the financial advice profession: do recruits understand the risks as clearly as they understand the opportunity? By Steve Conley | Academy of Life Planning | 27 October 2026 Imagine being offered a new career helping people make better financial decisions. You receive training, gain a … Continue reading Before You Join, Ask What It Costs to Leave
Three Ways Successful Total Wealth Planners Build Their Businesses Through Trust
The Secret to a Successful Financial Planning Practice? It's Who Trusts You. Why professional expertise alone doesn't generate clients — and what we've learned from the practices that are succeeding. By Steve Conley | Academy of Life Planning | 27 October 2026 You can have excellent qualifications, years of experience, sophisticated financial planning tools and … Continue reading Three Ways Successful Total Wealth Planners Build Their Businesses Through Trust
The FCA identified the problem six years ago. Are you still paying for the wrong service?
What the regulator’s findings mean for people who wanted financial planning but were offered an ongoing investment relationship By Steve Conley | Academy of Life Planning You had a question. Could you afford to retire? Could you help your children financially? Could you buy your dream home? Could you change career without putting your future … Continue reading The FCA identified the problem six years ago. Are you still paying for the wrong service?
You Asked for Financial Advice. Did You Get the Planning Help You Needed?
After 15 years of listening to people let down by financial advice, I've finally understood who my business is for. And why AI could change everything. By Steve Conley | Founder, Academy of Life Planning | 26 October 2026 Over the past few weeks, I've been taking a hard look at my business. Not at … Continue reading You Asked for Financial Advice. Did You Get the Planning Help You Needed?
How to become an accredited Total Wealth Planner
Four pathways. One purpose: helping people take ownership of their lives and financial decisions. By Steve Conley | Academy of Life Planning People can access more financial information than ever. They can ask AI to explain a pension, organise their records or explore a planning question. What they still need is the capability to connect … Continue reading How to become an accredited Total Wealth Planner
