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.

AI in Financial Planning: The Debate Is Missing the Most Important Question

The financial services industry is entering a period of rapid technological change. Artificial intelligence is now capable of analysing complex scenarios, modelling financial outcomes, and interacting conversationally with users in ways that were impossible even a few years ago. As a result, an increasingly lively debate has emerged across the profession about what AI will … Continue reading AI in Financial Planning: The Debate Is Missing the Most Important Question →

The Shift No One in Financial Planning Is Talking About

Agency Now Sits With People — Not Experts For most of the past century, financial planning has operated on a simple assumption: Experts decide. Clients follow. The adviser analysed the numbers, produced the recommendation, and the client implemented it. But quietly — and very rapidly — that assumption is breaking down. Not because expertise has … Continue reading The Shift No One in Financial Planning Is Talking About →

The Asset Most Financial Planners Still Ignore: Human Capital

For decades, financial planning has been dominated by a simple idea: Build financial capital so you can eventually stop working. Portfolios.Pensions.Assets under management. But something profound is changing. In the age of artificial intelligence, automation, and longer working lives, the real driver of prosperity is no longer financial capital alone. It is human capital. And … Continue reading The Asset Most Financial Planners Still Ignore: Human Capital →

When Clients Become Capable: What the Latest SJP Results Reveal About the Future of Advice

For years, the advice industry believed its greatest risk was regulation. Then came fee transparency. Now a deeper shift is underway. Clients are becoming capable. Artificial intelligence is quietly redistributing power in financial decision-making. Clients can now analyse portfolios, run retirement scenarios, compare products, and test planning assumptions in minutes. This does not eliminate advisers. … Continue reading When Clients Become Capable: What the Latest SJP Results Reveal About the Future of Advice →

Clients Are Already Using AI. Many Advisers Haven’t Noticed Yet.

The Perception Gap in Financial Planning Two pieces of evidence landed this week. Individually they are interesting. Together they reveal something much bigger. 1️⃣ What investors are saying A new industry study reported in Financial Planning Today (12 March 2026) found growing openness to AI tools among investors. The numbers are striking: 63% of investors … Continue reading Clients Are Already Using AI. Many Advisers Haven’t Noticed Yet. →

The Pension Gap Panic: Why Gen X Is Being Scared About Retirement — and Why the Story Is Incomplete

Half of Gen X savers now say they fear running out of money in retirement. That statistic has been widely reported across financial media. But something important is missing from the conversation. The narrative assumes that retirement security depends almost entirely on financial capital — the size of your pension pot. For millions of people … Continue reading The Pension Gap Panic: Why Gen X Is Being Scared About Retirement — and Why the Story Is Incomplete →

Why “Agency” Is Becoming One of the Most Important Ideas in Economics, Psychology, and Governance

For more than a decade, the Academy of Life Planning has focused on a simple but powerful principle: Human agency. The ability of individuals to consciously design their lives, make meaningful choices, and shape their own futures. At first glance, this might appear to be a philosophical idea. But over the past twenty to thirty … Continue reading Why “Agency” Is Becoming One of the Most Important Ideas in Economics, Psychology, and Governance →

The GAME Plan Manifesto

A System for Human Agency Every human being is born with the capacity to shape their own life. Yet many of the systems that surround us—economic, institutional, and cultural—quietly encourage the opposite. They train people to follow predefined paths, to defer decisions to experts, and to postpone their own aspirations until some distant future. Over … Continue reading The GAME Plan Manifesto →

The Friday Planner Forum Returns

A safe runway for advisers to land, think, and meet fellow practitioners Something interesting has been happening in conversations with financial planners over the past year. Not loudly.Not dramatically. But quietly, almost in the background. More advisers are beginning to ask the same question: Where is our profession heading next? For the last two decades, … Continue reading The Friday Planner Forum Returns →