What a global development study reveals about planning, productivity, and prosperity For Total Wealth Planners, human capital is not a soft concept. It is the primary engine of long-term wealth, resilience, and freedom. A major academic study on the development and effective use of human capital in developing countries offers powerful lessons that are just … Continue reading Human Capital Lessons Every Total Wealth Planner Should Understand
Author: Steve Conley
Steve Conley brings over four decades of innovation and expertise to the forefront of financial planning. As the founder and driving force behind the Academy of Life Planning and HapNav Ltd, Steve has been a pivotal figure in transforming financial services to be more democratic and decentralised. His role as a Game Plan Practitioner, Coach, Mentor, Speaker, and Author of "Your Money or Your Life: Unmask the Highway Robbers - Enjoy Wealth in Every Area of Your Life" underlines his comprehensive approach to financial education.
The Academy of Life Planning, hailed as the "Most Pioneering Financial Planner Network," reflects Steve's commitment to fostering transparency, integrity, and accessibility. This institution serves as a testament to his dedication to enhancing the financial planning landscape.
Under Steve's innovative leadership, HapNav Ltd has launched groundbreaking advancements, including the first end-user financial planning app integrated with open banking. This app guides users towards achieving 'Kokoro'—a life rich in financial, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual abundance.
Recently, Steve introduced "Planning My Life" and "Financial Life Coach"—services that extend his ethos into practical, impactful tools for financial autonomy. "Planning My Life" offers an affordable subscription model, giving members access to an AI Life Planner, comprehensive resources, and expert insights. These initiatives epitomise Steve’s commitment to empowering individuals, nurturing community growth, and contributing significantly to global efforts to eradicate poverty.
Steve's journey is more than a career; it's a steadfast crusade to revolutionise financial education and planning, creating a world where financial wellbeing is not just attainable, but enriches every aspect of our lives. Contact steve.conley@aolp.co.uk.
When Procedure Fails at Scale and How Citizens Can Test Whether Justice Was Done
Why Millions May Be Exposed to Unchecked Financial Enforcement — and How Citizens Can Test Whether Justice Was Done When people think about injustice in the courts, they usually imagine dramatic errors: the wrong person convicted, a forged document, a corrupt official. What rarely gets attention is something quieter — and potentially far larger in … Continue reading When Procedure Fails at Scale and How Citizens Can Test Whether Justice Was Done
Human Capital Is the Real Engine of Wealth: Lessons for Total Wealth Planners
For decades, financial planning has treated people as inputs to portfolios rather than the primary source of value itself.This study on The Impact of Stimulating the Development of Human Capital on Economic Development quietly dismantles that error—and in doing so, reinforces why Total Wealth Planning must start with people, not products. [European Journal of Social … Continue reading Human Capital Is the Real Engine of Wealth: Lessons for Total Wealth Planners
Growth, Trust, and Protection: Rethinking the UK’s Regulatory Direction for 2026
An Academy of Life Planning perspective Why this article exists The regulatory outlook for 2026 is framed as modernising, pro-growth, and inclusive. Many of the measures are presented as pragmatic responses to low participation, technological change, and political pressure to stimulate economic activity. From the Academy of Life Planning’s standpoint, the test is not whether … Continue reading Growth, Trust, and Protection: Rethinking the UK’s Regulatory Direction for 2026
Human Capital Is Not a Footnote to Financial Planning
What Three Landmark Studies Teach Total Wealth Planners For decades, financial planning has treated human capital as a background assumption—future earnings, career trajectory, or “capacity for work.”The evidence tells a very different story. Across three major studies—spanning poverty, inequality, life expectancy, and economic growth—a consistent message emerges: Human capital is not merely an input to … Continue reading Human Capital Is Not a Footnote to Financial Planning
AI Banking Is Scaling Faster Than Consumer Protection
Why financial modernisation without accountability is creating the next harm wave The banking industry is once again telling a familiar story. Legacy banks must “radically modernise,” adopt artificial intelligence, and compete with fast-moving fintech challengers or risk irrelevance. Former Antony Jenkins has framed this moment as existential: upgrade technology or lose ground to digital-native rivals … Continue reading AI Banking Is Scaling Faster Than Consumer Protection
What Total Wealth Planners Can Learn from the “Education Irony”
Most people arrive at financial planning believing education equals security.Degrees. Credentials. Certifications.Yet the evidence increasingly shows a deeper problem: education can fail to develop the very human capabilities people need to navigate work, money, and life well. A recent peer-reviewed study, The Education Irony: When College Degrees Lead to Unemployment, Mindless Thinking, Debt, and Despair, … Continue reading What Total Wealth Planners Can Learn from the “Education Irony”
Ikigai Is Not a Feeling: Using Purpose as a Design Tool, Not a Career Pitch
At the start of a new year, many professionals find themselves asking quiet but persistent questions. Not “Am I successful?”But “Is this still right for me?” Often, nothing dramatic has gone wrong. Performance is solid. Income is acceptable. Reputation is intact. Yet something feels misaligned — not emotionally fragile, but structurally unresolved. This is where … Continue reading Ikigai Is Not a Feeling: Using Purpose as a Design Tool, Not a Career Pitch
Why a Total Wealth Plan Feels So Different from a Financial Plan
Why a Total Wealth Plan Feels So Different from a Financial Plan And why it isn’t a bolt-on People approaching a Total Wealth Plan—whether as individuals or professional advisers—often do so with a familiar mental model. They expect a better financial plan.More depth. More insight. Better projections. That expectation is understandable.It’s also where confusion usually … Continue reading Why a Total Wealth Plan Feels So Different from a Financial Plan
Lessons on Human Capital for Total Wealth Planners
Lessons on Human Capital for Total Wealth PlannersWhat long-term economic growth teaches us about life-first planning Most financial planning still treats people as inputs into a system: earn, save, invest, retire.The attached study on human capital as a determinant of long-term economic growth quietly dismantles that assumption. Its core finding is simple but profound: Sustainable … Continue reading Lessons on Human Capital for Total Wealth Planners
Academy of Life Planning 