Are you an SJP adviser feeling the pressure?Or do you know someone stuck in that system—frustrated, exhausted, conflicted? If so, you’re not alone.And there is another way. ✅ Let’s start with two simple questions: Do you want to run a planning business built around your values, not someone else’s targets? Do you believe clients deserve … Continue reading Is It Time to Leave St. James’s Place? Discover a New Path in Financial Planning
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.
Is Bitcoin Really the World’s Most Ethical Asset? A Conscience Check.
I was recently challenged—respectfully but firmly—for expressing concern about Bitcoin’s role in our shared future. The criticism? That my take was “outdated and just plain wrong.” I welcomed it. Because in an age of shouting and silencing, there’s value in slowing down to listen. To revisit claims. To check facts. To sit with conscience, not … Continue reading Is Bitcoin Really the World’s Most Ethical Asset? A Conscience Check.
💥 Keep Your Bitcoins: Why I Won’t Enrich Myself at the Expense of the Future
By Steve Conley, Founder of the Academy of Life Planning Bitcoin has just smashed through the $120,000 mark. Social media timelines are flooded with FOMO-fuelled headlines and chest-thumping crypto champions proclaiming, “We told you so.” But while the markets roar, I choose silence. I’m not buying. Not because I don’t understand the opportunity. I do. … Continue reading 💥 Keep Your Bitcoins: Why I Won’t Enrich Myself at the Expense of the Future
Flowing Around the Rock: Ethical Leadership in Financial Services
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists; when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” — Lao Tzu In the Age of Aquarius, leadership is no longer about dominance, extraction, or control. It’s about flow. About quietly influencing change not by overpowering the rock, but … Continue reading Flowing Around the Rock: Ethical Leadership in Financial Services
Who Guards the Guardians? The FCA, Money Box, and the Disappearing Line Between Advocacy and Sales
“Trust is built in drops and lost in buckets.”— Kevin Plank It began, as many things do, with a trusted voice on the radio. The BBC’s Money Box has long been a staple of consumer advocacy in Britain — a comforting soundscape of sensible financial advice, delivered with journalistic credibility. But something didn’t sit right … Continue reading Who Guards the Guardians? The FCA, Money Box, and the Disappearing Line Between Advocacy and Sales
From Smoke and Mirrors to Clear Water: Why the SJP Fee Revamp Is Too Little, Too Late
“We do not see the world as it is. We see the world as we are.”— Anaïs Nin Today, St. James’s Place (SJP) made front-page news in Telegraph Money, announcing the long-awaited revamp of its fee structure. The message? Transparency. Value. Reform. The truth? An illusion of change designed to protect a model under pressure—not … Continue reading From Smoke and Mirrors to Clear Water: Why the SJP Fee Revamp Is Too Little, Too Late
🧭 Reimagining Financial Empowerment in the Aquarian Age: A Response to FCA CP25/17
By Steve Conley, Founder, Academy of Life Planning The FCA's Consultation Paper CP25/17, “Supporting consumers' pensions and investment decisions: proposals for targeted support,” sets out to close the so-called “advice gap” through a new regime of cohort-based recommendations. But to those of us working to empower individuals, not intermediaries, this paper represents a step backwards—toward … Continue reading 🧭 Reimagining Financial Empowerment in the Aquarian Age: A Response to FCA CP25/17
How to Manage Your Finances in the Age of Aquarius
“The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm.” We are standing at the threshold of a new financial era. The Age of Pisces—marked by hierarchy, dependence, and delegation—is giving way to the Age of Aquarius, a time of transparency, empowerment, and self-agency. Nowhere is this shift more … Continue reading How to Manage Your Finances in the Age of Aquarius
Keep It Simple — And Boring: Why Private Markets Don’t Belong in Your Pension
“Complexity is not a solution. It's a smokescreen.”— Steve Conley In July 2025, Donald Trump signed an executive order opening the door for U.S. 401(k) retirement plans to invest more heavily in private markets. On the surface, it’s sold as “democratisation”—letting everyday investors access the same high-return opportunities as institutions. But beneath the rhetoric, this … Continue reading Keep It Simple — And Boring: Why Private Markets Don’t Belong in Your Pension
🕊️ From Intermediation to Empowerment: Why the Decline of Advisers Is a Sign of Progress
“We cannot transform a system unless we transform the consciousness of the people within it.”— Otto Scharmer I hear the cries from within the financial advice industry.Cries echoed by trade press journalists keen to stay in favour.Echoed by product manufacturers, trade bodies posing as regulators, and government agencies eager to tap the public’s assets for … Continue reading 🕊️ From Intermediation to Empowerment: Why the Decline of Advisers Is a Sign of Progress
Academy of Life Planning 