[A reflection on Citywire's article, How SJP advisers are using Policy Services to pitch independent advice 14 May 2026] By Steve Conley The financial advice profession has spent decades arguing over a question that, from a genuine life planning perspective, may matter far less than the industry would like to believe. Restricted or independent? Whole … Continue reading Op-ed: The Great Independent Advice Illusion
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 Institutions Start Calling Agency Dangerous
Why agency-expanding technologies are often resisted precisely when they begin dissolving dependency structures For most of modern history, institutions have held a structural advantage over individuals. Not always because they were more intelligent.Not always because they were malicious.But because they possessed something ordinary people did not: Access. Access to information.Access to expertise.Access to analytical capability.Access … Continue reading When Institutions Start Calling Agency Dangerous
Do People Need Life Planning Anymore?
There is a quiet question emerging beneath the noise of modern self-improvement, financial planning, coaching, and even parts of the AI revolution: What happens when the goals no longer feel meaningful? For decades, society has organised itself around achievement. Earn more. Accumulate more. Optimise more. Retire earlier. Scale faster. Build the business. Hit the target. … Continue reading Do People Need Life Planning Anymore?
Everest, AI, and the Tilting Platform of Power
There is a game in the TV programme Gladiators called Everest. Two people stand on a narrow elevated platform. One is the Gladiator. The other is the competitor. Their objective is simple: force the other person off balance and off the edge. But the most interesting part of the game is not the pushing. It … Continue reading Everest, AI, and the Tilting Platform of Power
AI Should Not Replace Human Meaning — It Should Help Restore Human Agency
For much of the public conversation, artificial intelligence is being framed in extremes. Either: AI will save humanityor AI will destroy it. In reality, the more important question may be much simpler: What role should AI actually play in human life? At the Academy of Life Planning, we believe the answer matters enormously because the … Continue reading AI Should Not Replace Human Meaning — It Should Help Restore Human Agency
Is Ongoing Remuneration Payment for Ongoing Work… or Payment for Historical Distribution?
The UK financial advice sector may be approaching another quiet inflection point. Recent reports suggest the FCA is examining the future of trail commission as part of its broader review of simplified advice and targeted support. Industry responses have been swift. Some providers and commentators warn that banning trail commission could create unintended consequences for … Continue reading Is Ongoing Remuneration Payment for Ongoing Work… or Payment for Historical Distribution?
Response to the FCA’s Consultation Paper CP26/9:Modernising the Redress System
From an AoLP perspective, this is a significant and largely well-argued intervention into a very important structural issue: whether the UK redress system is evolving to protect consumers — or evolving to manage institutional liability more efficiently. Overall, though, this is a serious, thoughtful, and important contribution. It articulates many concerns that ordinary consumers struggle … Continue reading Response to the FCA’s Consultation Paper CP26/9:Modernising the Redress System
AI Is Not Replacing Financial Advice — It Is Replacing Information Dependency
A recent news story [Millions turn to AI for mortgage advice despite concerns, Money Marketing 11th May 2026] reported that almost a quarter of Britons have already used artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and Grok for mortgage guidance. Consumers are increasingly using AI to understand jargon, assess affordability, compare mortgage products, and … Continue reading AI Is Not Replacing Financial Advice — It Is Replacing Information Dependency
AI Is Reshaping the Ladder Into Financial Services — So What Should We Train Apprentices For?
For decades, the financial services profession followed a relatively familiar developmental path. Junior entrants learned through repetition. They prepared reports.Updated spreadsheets.Sat in meetings.Shadowed senior advisers.Observed difficult conversations.Watched mistakes unfold.Gradually absorbed judgment through exposure, supervision, and experience. It was not always efficient.But it developed professional instincts. Now AI is changing that ladder — rapidly. Tasks that … Continue reading AI Is Reshaping the Ladder Into Financial Services — So What Should We Train Apprentices For?
Pandora’s Box Is Open: AI, institutional trust collapse, and the rise of ecosystems for restored human agency
For decades, institutions benefited from one overwhelming structural advantage: They held the information. Banks held the expertise.Governments held the systems.Corporations held the infrastructure.Professionals held the knowledge.Media held the narrative.Universities held credentialed authority. Ordinary people largely depended on institutions because complexity exceeded individual capability. That dependency shaped the modern world. It shaped: employment, finance, education, healthcare, … Continue reading Pandora’s Box Is Open: AI, institutional trust collapse, and the rise of ecosystems for restored human agency
Academy of Life Planning 