“When we invest in people, we invest in life itself.” A recent economic study on Human Capital Inequality, Life Expectancy and Economic Growth offers profound insights that resonate directly with the mission of Holistic Wealth Planners. It shows how education, health, and opportunity are deeply interconnected — and why planning that focuses only on money … Continue reading Human Capital, Life Expectancy, and the Planner’s Role in Breaking Poverty Traps
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.
⚖️ Who Trains the Machines? Preventing the Oligopoly from Owning the Next Generation of Advice
It’s easy to get dazzled by headlines like: “Digital adviser Aida passes the CII diploma.”An AI, trained by intermediaries, outperforming most human advisers in product-based exams. The industry hails it as progress. But we must stop and ask: progress for whom? The Problem: Exams Built on the Old Paradigm When I sat the CII exams … Continue reading ⚖️ Who Trains the Machines? Preventing the Oligopoly from Owning the Next Generation of Advice
🌍 From Exploited to Empowered: The Unified Vision of the Academy of Life Planning
For too long, financial systems have been built on extraction—where ordinary citizens lose out while institutions and intermediaries take more than their share. At the Academy of Life Planning (AoLP), we believe it’s time for a new story. One that replaces extraction with empowerment. That’s why we created M-POWER, the global movement for financial sovereignty, … Continue reading 🌍 From Exploited to Empowered: The Unified Vision of the Academy of Life Planning
🌑 From Shadow to Stewardship: Why Our Pricing Is Changing
🧭 Our Pricing Compass At the Academy of Life Planning, pricing is never arbitrary. It follows a relational framework that ensures fairness, transparency, and stewardship: By Means Full Market Rate — when the client has the capacity to pay. Discounted Rate — when means are limited. Pro Bono / Free to Need — when support … Continue reading 🌑 From Shadow to Stewardship: Why Our Pricing Is Changing
🌀 M-POWER: Replacing Exploitation with Empowerment
Most people don’t need a financial middleman clipping fees from their hard-earned wealth. What they need are the right tools, the right support, and the confidence to run their own affairs. That’s where M-POWER—the Money Empowerment Movement—steps in. We are holistic wealth planners, and our mission is simple:👉 To help you avoid exploitation,👉 To help … Continue reading 🌀 M-POWER: Replacing Exploitation with Empowerment
🏠 The Phantom Mortgage: A Case Study in Systemic Failure
At Get SAFE, we see cases that expose cracks in the financial and legal system so deep they threaten the very foundations of trust.Here’s one such case — anonymised, but real — that shows how ordinary families can lose everything, even when the paperwork doesn’t add up. 🔎 The Story In the late 2000s, a … Continue reading 🏠 The Phantom Mortgage: A Case Study in Systemic Failure
DeFi vs. TradFi: Hype, Reality, and the Ethical Frontier
“When everyone is rushing to the goldfields, beware those selling pickaxes and shovels.” The financial services world is buzzing with talk of DeFi (Decentralised Finance) overtaking TradFi (Traditional Finance). Commentators describe it as a revolution: decentralisation versus centralisation, innovation versus stagnation, freedom versus control. But as with all revolutions, the truth is more complicated. For … Continue reading DeFi vs. TradFi: Hype, Reality, and the Ethical Frontier
The Future of AI: Lessons for Financial Planners
Every few generations, technology rewrites the rules of society. The steam engine drove the Industrial Revolution. The internet transformed communication, commerce, and culture. Now, AI is reshaping entire industries, including financial services and insurance. For planners in the Academy, the message is clear: AI isn’t optional. It’s existential. The firms and advisers who embrace it … Continue reading The Future of AI: Lessons for Financial Planners
From Policy to Practice: Lessons on Empowerment for Planners
When governments test education reforms, we often find lessons that resonate far beyond schools and universities. One such lesson comes from the economics of human capital research [Essays on the economics of human capital accumulation By Lucio Rizzica]: raising aspirations alone is not enough. The UK’s Widening Participation initiative in the 1990s, for example, encouraged teenagers … Continue reading From Policy to Practice: Lessons on Empowerment for Planners
Get SAFE Community Briefing: Government Review of Opt-Out Collective Actions
Open call for evidence: Opt-out collective actions regime reviewFrom: Department for Business and TradePublished: 6 August 2025Deadline for responses: 11:59pm on 14 October 2025 Why This Matters for Get SAFE For too long, victims of financial exploitation have been forced to battle alone. Individual complaints to regulators, ombudsmen, or the courts can be exhausting, expensive, … Continue reading Get SAFE Community Briefing: Government Review of Opt-Out Collective Actions
Academy of Life Planning 