💡 The Academy Welcomes Budget 2025: Britain Finally Puts Human Capital First “Strong Foundations, Secure Future” — that’s the slogan of the UK’s 2025 Budget. But beneath the fiscal charts and economic forecasts lies a much deeper signal: the government has finally recognised that the true foundation of wealth is human capital. This year’s Budget … Continue reading 🌍 Human Capital is the New GDP: 10 Lessons for Holistic Wealth Planners from Budget 2025
Author: Steve Conley
Steve Conley is the founder of the Academy of Life Planning, a movement dedicated to restoring human agency in financial planning and helping people navigate life's decisions with greater confidence, capability and independence.
With over 40 years' experience in financial services, Steve has held senior leadership roles with HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland, Santander and Royal London. A Chartered Financial Planner and Chartered Insurer, he combines deep industry expertise with a passion for challenging systems that leave people unnecessarily dependent on experts.
Steve believes the future of financial planning is not about replacing advisers with artificial intelligence, but using AI to strengthen people's ability to understand, question and make informed decisions for themselves. This philosophy underpins Academy OS, a growing ecosystem of AI-powered tools designed to help individuals, families and planners build capability rather than dependency.
Through the Academy of Life Planning, Steve works with financial planners, organisations and individuals who share a vision of a more transparent, ethical and human-centred approach to planning. His work spans education, research, technology, speaking and professional development, with a focus on creating practical solutions that improve financial capability and restore confidence in decision-making.
Steve is also the creator of the Total Wealth Planner approach, which recognises that a fulfilling life depends on far more than money alone. By integrating financial, personal, social and purpose-driven wellbeing, he helps people pursue what he calls "enough"—a life of balance, resilience and meaning.
As a speaker, mentor and author of *Your Money or Your Life: Unmask the Highway Robbers*, Steve continues to challenge conventional thinking about financial planning, arguing that the profession's greatest opportunity is to move beyond advice alone and become a catalyst for greater human agency.
To learn more or connect with Steve, visit the Academy of Life Planning or email steve@academyoflifeplanning.com.
🚖 Waymo vs. Uber: When the Driver Becomes the Passenger
Let me tell you a story. A friend of mine was in San Francisco recently and decided to try one of those new Waymo autonomous taxis.You just open an app, order a car, and a few minutes later, up it rolls — completely empty.No driver. No small talk. No “Sorry, mate, wrong turn.”Just a quiet … Continue reading 🚖 Waymo vs. Uber: When the Driver Becomes the Passenger
How AI Is Helping Ordinary People Find Their Voice – and Why the Judiciary Is Catching Up
“Hi Steve,Just wanted to say a big thank you again for introducing me to my GPT – Co-pilot 🧑✈️.It’s honestly changed everything for us.”— John Galajsza, citizen investigator and survivor advocate When Joshua Rozenberg recently revealed that “every judicial office-holder in England and Wales now has access to Microsoft Copilot,” it marked a historic turning … Continue reading How AI Is Helping Ordinary People Find Their Voice – and Why the Judiciary Is Catching Up
The Next Lloyd’s of London: How Structural Untrustworthiness Still Destroys Lives
“History doesn’t repeat — it compounds.” In 1993, thousands of wealthy professionals opened letters from Lloyd’s of London demanding sums that made no sense.£300,000. £1 million. £3 million.Not what they’d invested — what they owed. Doctors. Farmers. Aristocrats. Widows.All ruined by a system that told them they were special. They were called “Names.” They pledged … Continue reading The Next Lloyd’s of London: How Structural Untrustworthiness Still Destroys Lives
🏛️ From Swindle to Structure: Decoding The Great British Mortgage Swindle
How Citizen Investigators Are Turning Outrage into Evidence-Based Reform By Steve Conley | Academy of Life Planning & Get SAFE Fellowship 1. A Folk Tale That Struck a Nerve A decade ago, a film and lecture series titled The Great British Mortgage Swindle swept through online communities of disillusioned homeowners. Its creator, Michael of Bernicia … Continue reading 🏛️ From Swindle to Structure: Decoding The Great British Mortgage Swindle
Judicial Ambiguity & Structural Collusion: Evidence from the Get SAFE Fellowship
Judicial Ambiguity & Structural Collusion: Evidence from the Get SAFE Fellowship By Steve Conley, Academy of Life Planning Introduction: When Justice Becomes a Maze For over a decade, Britain’s financial victims have been told that justice exists — they simply need to follow the process. But as the Get SAFE Fellowship has shown, those processes … Continue reading Judicial Ambiguity & Structural Collusion: Evidence from the Get SAFE Fellowship
Financial advisers – your jobs have gone.You and your clients just don’t know it yet.
Financial advisers – your jobs have gone.You and your clients just don’t know it yet. That’s the uncomfortable starting point for this piece. Mind the gap? What gap? For years, the UK financial services industry and its regulators have talked about the advice gap – the millions who “need advice” but don’t get it. The … Continue reading Financial advisers – your jobs have gone.You and your clients just don’t know it yet.
“Earn While You Learn” or “Sell While You Serve”? What the New LIBF Apprenticeship Pathway Really Means for Financial Planning
A new “degree apprenticeship” route into financial advice has just been launched by the London Institute of Banking & Finance (LIBF) and Future Financial Adviser (FFA). It promises an appealing blend of “earn while you learn” opportunities, government-funded qualifications, and a fast track to chartered status. At first glance, it seems like a welcome move … Continue reading “Earn While You Learn” or “Sell While You Serve”? What the New LIBF Apprenticeship Pathway Really Means for Financial Planning
Key lessons for Holistic Wealth Planners
Here are the key lessons for Holistic Wealth Planners drawn from Essays on the Economics of Human Capital (Lucia Rizzica, UCL 2013) — translated from academic economics into the context of AoLP’s human-centred planning philosophy: 1. Aspiration Is an Economic Asset The UK “Widening Participation” study showed that raising non-cognitive traits such as aspiration and … Continue reading Key lessons for Holistic Wealth Planners
The Real Value of Advice: Why We Don’t Charge by the Pound of Assets Under Management
“If your worth is measured by the market, you’ve already sold your soul to it.” Across the financial advice industry, one number continues to dominate — 1%.Whether your wealth grows or falls, the adviser’s fee remains tethered to it. The Citywire Top 100 Firms 2025 and FCA data show the same pattern: ongoing charges clustered … Continue reading The Real Value of Advice: Why We Don’t Charge by the Pound of Assets Under Management
