Why Customer Operating Systems belong at the centre of the conversation about the future of financial planning. By Steve Conley, Founder, Academy of Life Planning Imagine your next prospective client arriving with their financial records organised, their objectives written down and several possible futures already explored. They have compared charges. Read the documents. Identified inconsistencies. … Continue reading Clients have AI too. What happens to your business when they become more capable—and need less of what you currently sell?
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 wealth a balance sheet cannot show
Lessons on human capital for Total Wealth Planners By Steve Conley, Academy of Life Planning Two people can have the same savings and very different futures. One has skills people need, the health to use them and access to worthwhile opportunities. The other has equally valuable experience but is exhausted, caring for a relative or … Continue reading The wealth a balance sheet cannot show
HSBC’s adviser cuts: we have seen this before. This time, redesign the role.
AI creates an opportunity to combine continuous personal capability with episodic human expertise. Cutting advisers is only one possible response. By Steve Conley, Founder, Academy of Life Planning7 October 2026 Reading the news that HSBC could cut around 70% of its UK wealth financial advisers gave me a strong sense of déjà vu. Fifteen years … Continue reading HSBC’s adviser cuts: we have seen this before. This time, redesign the role.
Having money is one thing. Having a say is another.
Introducing the Academy’s new Financial Activation Scorecard You can have a pension, savings and a financial adviser—and still feel unsure what you own, why you own it or what to do next. You can also have very little money and be actively making decisions, asking useful questions and taking steps towards a life that matters … Continue reading Having money is one thing. Having a say is another.
What Is Freedom Worth If You Cannot Afford to Exercise It?
Why personal capability and a fairer economy belong in the same conversation. By Steve Conley, Founder, Academy of Life Planning We tell people to take responsibility for their lives. Save for the future. Develop their skills. Make better decisions. But what happens when someone makes careful decisions and still cannot afford a secure home? When … Continue reading What Is Freedom Worth If You Cannot Afford to Exercise It?
“I now know where I’m going”: early feedback on Get ICE
“I now know where I’m going”: early feedback on Get ICE There is a moment in planning when the question changes. You begin with “What am I going to do?” and find yourself asking “What shall I do first?” One of the first people to try Get ICE described that shift in a comment this … Continue reading “I now know where I’m going”: early feedback on Get ICE
Who Is the AI Operating System For?
A firm can become more efficient while its clients remain just as dependent. That is the question beneath this week's agentic AI announcements. Imagine joining a wealth management firm. You upload identification, answer questions about your finances and supply documents. An AI agent notices what is missing, prepares the forms, starts identity and sanctions checks, … Continue reading Who Is the AI Operating System For?
Customers Have AI Too!
The profession is asking how AI can make advisers more productive. What happens when it makes customers more capable? This week, financial planners gather in Windsor to “turn the page on established thinking”. Here is the page I would turn. Imagine your next prospective client arriving on a video call. They have organised their financial … Continue reading Customers Have AI Too!
When Speaking Up Costs You Your Life Back: Lessons from Simon Andriesz’s Case
Acting on a whistleblower’s information and protecting the person who provides it are different outcomes. Someone facing retaliation needs a plan for both. By Steve Conley, Founder, Academy of Life Planning3 October 2026 At the end of a Transparency Task Force event in July, Simon Andriesz explained what he wanted. An independent investigation. Parliamentary scrutiny. … Continue reading When Speaking Up Costs You Your Life Back: Lessons from Simon Andriesz’s Case
The risk bitcoiners rarely tell you about
When you become your own bank, your family can become part of the security perimeter. By Steve Conley | Asset Recovery | 3 October 2026 Content note: this article discusses violent robbery and threats against a family. The attackers did not need to break the encryption. They broke into the house. In a BBC report … Continue reading The risk bitcoiners rarely tell you about
