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.

Before You Join a Financial Adviser Academy: The Questions Every Career Changer Should Ask

A recent career-change newsletter from St. James’s Place Financial Adviser Academy uses the idea of “learned helplessness” to speak to people who feel stuck, frustrated, or uncertain about their working lives. On one level, this is understandable. Many people do feel trapped in careers that no longer fit. Mid-life career dissatisfaction is real. So is … Continue reading Before You Join a Financial Adviser Academy: The Questions Every Career Changer Should Ask →

Consumer-Side AI: The Public Interest Use Case Financial Services Must Not Ignore

There is a missing half in the financial services AI conversation. At the moment, much of the debate is about how firms use artificial intelligence. How firms govern it. How firms test it. How firms manage risk. How firms explain AI-assisted decisions. How firms improve efficiency, productivity, compliance, and customer service. All of that matters. … Continue reading Consumer-Side AI: The Public Interest Use Case Financial Services Must Not Ignore →

Detox: Why Cleaning Belongs at the Heart of Personal Growth

Detox: Why Cleaning Belongs at the Heart of Personal Growth At its best, the Japanese philosophy of cleaning says: A clean space supports a clear mind.Caring for your environment is caring for yourself and others.No task is beneath you.Order is not control; it is respect.Cleaning is not preparation for life — it is part of … Continue reading Detox: Why Cleaning Belongs at the Heart of Personal Growth →

Who Is Protected When Public-Interest Harm Prevention Tools Are Restricted?

There is a strange irony in trying to protect people before harm happens. You build a tool that helps ordinary people read what they are being asked to sign. You make it simple. You make it affordable. You design it to slow people down at the moment of risk, before they give away rights, control, … Continue reading Who Is Protected When Public-Interest Harm Prevention Tools Are Restricted? →

Pension transfer protections are changing. Overseas investment risk must not be hidden.

The Government has opened a consultation on new protections for people transferring pensions into Small Self-Administered Schemes, known as SSASs. You can read the Government consultation here:Protecting pension savers: proposals to amend the transfer regulations Some of the proposed changes are welcome. But one part of the proposal should concern anyone who cares about pension … Continue reading Pension transfer protections are changing. Overseas investment risk must not be hidden. →

Only 9% Are on Course for a Comfortable Retirement. The Real Problem Is Not Just Pension Saving.

A newspaper headline this week captured something many people already feel in their bones: Only 9% of the working population are on course for a comfortable retirement. Another headline put the figure even more starkly: The £1.2m cost of a comfortable retirement in Britain today. The story is familiar. People are living longer. The cost … Continue reading Only 9% Are on Course for a Comfortable Retirement. The Real Problem Is Not Just Pension Saving. →

Should clients use AI to check a financial adviser’s suitability report?

A financial adviser may object to The Leveller being used on a suitability report for several overlapping reasons. Some are legitimate. Some are defensive. The fair version is this: a suitability report is a regulated artefact. It is meant to evidence the adviser’s professional judgement, the client’s circumstances, the rationale for the recommendation, the risks, … Continue reading Should clients use AI to check a financial adviser’s suitability report? →

Dead Firms. Live Harm. Delayed Justice.

Why agency before advice is becoming a consumer protection necessity A financial firm can disappear. The harm it caused often does not. That is the uncomfortable lesson emerging from recent analysis of Financial Ombudsman Service complaints and the wider enforcement record across UK financial services. Complaints are still being upheld against firms that are no … Continue reading Dead Firms. Live Harm. Delayed Justice. →

The Wealth We Keep Forgetting: Lessons on Human Capital for Total Wealth Planners

For decades, financial planning has been built around a narrow idea of wealth. Money. Assets. Investments. Pensions. Portfolios. Tax wrappers. These things matter. But they are not the whole story. In many cases, they are not even the starting point. The deeper question is this: What enables a person to live well, adapt, contribute, recover, … Continue reading The Wealth We Keep Forgetting: Lessons on Human Capital for Total Wealth Planners →