By Steve Conley, Founder of Get SAFE (Support After Financial Expoitation) and the Academy of Life Planning. I am a champion of the people — the voice of the little person on the street.I fight for justice. I stand up for what I believe in. For too long, ordinary people have been losing against the … Continue reading From Victim to Victor: How the Goliathon Helps Survivors Fight Back Against Financial Injustice
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.
Inheritance Tax Raid Rumours: When “Warm Hands” and “Cold Hands” Make No Difference
The government is once again rumoured to be eyeing the assets of those who have worked hard all their lives—this time by tightening inheritance tax (IHT) rules. According to reports in the Times today, Treasury officials are exploring measures that could make it harder for people to pass on wealth to their children without a … Continue reading Inheritance Tax Raid Rumours: When “Warm Hands” and “Cold Hands” Make No Difference
The Deregulation Time Machine: From Lehman to Sizewell — Same Plot, Higher Stakes
Deregulation Across Sectors: The Hidden Risks to People, Planet, and Prosperity We have seen the dangers of deregulation before. In 2008, the global financial crisis cost the world economy an estimated $10 trillion. Beyond the economic damage, research shows it directly contributed to more than 10,000 suicides in Western countries alone. Entire communities lost jobs, … Continue reading The Deregulation Time Machine: From Lehman to Sizewell — Same Plot, Higher Stakes
From Jobs Crisis to Growth Crisis: Why the UK Must Shift from Financial Capital to Human Capital Strategies
The latest KPMG and REC survey confirms what many of us have been warning about: the UK labour market is cooling fast. Starting salaries are growing at their slowest rate since March 2021, vacancies are contracting at their fastest pace in over three years, and the availability of workers has surged to levels not seen … Continue reading From Jobs Crisis to Growth Crisis: Why the UK Must Shift from Financial Capital to Human Capital Strategies
The Plot Twist: Option 5 – Retire from Regulation, Not from Clients
When financial advisers start thinking about stepping back, the conversation is usually framed around the “big exit.” Consolidators, phased buyouts, successors — the market is full of templates for selling up. But what if you could cash in your business without cashing out on the relationships that matter most? What if you could have your … Continue reading The Plot Twist: Option 5 – Retire from Regulation, Not from Clients
Trapped in the SJP Debt Cycle? Here’s the Alternative They Don’t Teach You
The headlines tell a stark story: St. James’s Place advisers now owe a staggering £847 million—and that figure is climbing by £1.5 million every week. This debt isn’t just a number. It’s a heavy chain around the necks of thousands of advisers, often taken on to buy books of business or entire practices under the … Continue reading Trapped in the SJP Debt Cycle? Here’s the Alternative They Don’t Teach You
Why Human Capital Strategies Are the Missing Piece in Most Financial Plans – And How You Can Try Them for Just £4.99
After decades in financial planning, I’ve noticed a surprising gap in even the most experienced advisers’ toolkits: human capital strategies. Many planners I meet still operate under the assumption that financial capital—the money you’ve saved and invested—represents the total picture of wealth. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Over the course of a … Continue reading Why Human Capital Strategies Are the Missing Piece in Most Financial Plans – And How You Can Try Them for Just £4.99
🛡️ Goliathon: Exposing Systemic Failures at the Financial Ombudsman Service
Is the Financial Ombudsman Service protecting consumers—or protecting the system? At Get SAFE (Support After Financial Exploitation), we are compiling a dossier of systemic issues in the way the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) handles complaints—particularly those involving fraud, maladministration, and regulatory failure. This is part of The Goliathon Project, a programme empowering Citizen Investigators to … Continue reading 🛡️ Goliathon: Exposing Systemic Failures at the Financial Ombudsman Service
🕊️ From Extraction to Creation: Replacing the Piscean Cycle
✝️ The Piscean Age: One Lifetime. One Cycle. One System of Extraction. For over 2,000 years, under the Age of Pisces, society has operated under a singular, extractive lifetime model—mandated by institutions that benefit from your compliance and contribution. This is how it goes: Accumulate wealth through your working years, and hand it over to … Continue reading 🕊️ From Extraction to Creation: Replacing the Piscean Cycle
Unfit for Purpose: Why the UK’s Financial Intermediation Model Is Structurally Untrustworthy
By Steve ConleyFounder, Academy of Life PlanningMember, Transparency Task Force Advisory Board For decades, consumers have been assured that financial institutions act in their best interests. From glossy advertising to friendly face-to-face meetings with brokers and advisers, the public is encouraged to believe that customer-facing staff—whether in banks, insurers, or wealth firms—are working for them. … Continue reading Unfit for Purpose: Why the UK’s Financial Intermediation Model Is Structurally Untrustworthy
Academy of Life Planning 