By the Time the FCA Writes the Warning Letter, the Shirt Has Already Done the Selling The Financial Conduct Authority’s warning to football clubs over sponsorship deals with unauthorised financial firms raises a much bigger question than football sponsorship. It asks us to look at how trust is created, transferred and monetised before most people … Continue reading By the Time the FCA Writes the Warning Letter, the Shirt Has Already Done the Selling
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.
2.2 Million People Think Pension Engagement Is Pointless. That Should Worry Us All.
Ask My Pension is now in free beta at AskMyPension.app — built to help people ask clearer pension questions before they give up. A new report from People’s Pension should give everyone in financial planning pause. According to research reported by Zoe Wickens, one in eight employees — around 2.2 million people — say it … Continue reading 2.2 Million People Think Pension Engagement Is Pointless. That Should Worry Us All.
Goliathon Version 3 Has Arrived: Turning Evidence into Action Just Became Easier
When people are harmed by powerful institutions, the first barrier is rarely the absence of evidence. More often, the barrier is overwhelm. The documents are there. The letters are there. The emails are there. The statements, decisions, timelines, contradictions and red flags are often scattered across inboxes, folders, drawers and memory. But when someone is … Continue reading Goliathon Version 3 Has Arrived: Turning Evidence into Action Just Became Easier
Lessons Learnt: Agency Restoration, Narrative Harm, and the Role of the Total Wealth Planner
Today’s events brought an important lesson into sharp focus. The greatest risk during periods of complexity, stress, or change is not always lack of information. It is the loss of agency. This matters deeply for Total Wealth Planners because people rarely lose agency all at once. It is often eroded gradually by complexity, professional authority, … Continue reading Lessons Learnt: Agency Restoration, Narrative Harm, and the Role of the Total Wealth Planner
Nearly One Million Young People Are Stuck Outside Work and Education. We Need a First Step Back to Agency.
The app is here, accessible for all and available free of charge: http://www.get-secure.app It will not solve everything. But it may help someone take the first step from drift to direction. Nearly one million young people in the UK are not in education, employment or training. Alan Milburn’s recent review into young people and work … Continue reading Nearly One Million Young People Are Stuck Outside Work and Education. We Need a First Step Back to Agency.
One Mission. Four Doors.
Restoring human agency in financial and life decisions — through human support, AI-assisted systems, practitioner training, and safe recovery after financial harm. There is a simple idea sitting at the heart of the Academy of Life Planning. People do not need more systems that make them dependent. They need systems that help them recover their … Continue reading One Mission. Four Doors.
Goliathon v2.0 Has Arrived: Building an Evidence Dossier Just Became Much Easier
"When you're overwhelmed, the hardest part is often knowing where to start." For many people affected by financial exploitation, negligence, maladministration, or other forms of harm, the evidence exists. The problem is not the lack of evidence. The problem is organising it. Letters. Emails. Screenshots. Medical notes. Regulatory correspondence. Court papers. Phone records. Photographs. Hundreds … Continue reading Goliathon v2.0 Has Arrived: Building an Evidence Dossier Just Became Much Easier
The Advice Gap Isn’t the Real Problem. The Agency Gap Is.
For years, policymakers, regulators, pension providers, and financial institutions have worried about the "advice gap." How do we get more people saving? How do we encourage better pension outcomes? How do we help people invest for the future? These are important questions. But they overlook a more fundamental reality. You cannot save money you do … Continue reading The Advice Gap Isn’t the Real Problem. The Agency Gap Is.
Introducing Get Secure: The Bridge to Freedom
For more than a decade, I have been asking a simple question. Why is it that the people who most need high-quality planning are often the people least able to access it? Traditional financial planning has largely been built around people who already have assets, investments, pensions, and wealth to manage. Yet millions of people … Continue reading Introducing Get Secure: The Bridge to Freedom
KPMG Global AI in Finance Report 2026, the opportunity is not simply better finance.
KPMG's AI in Finance 2026 report concludes that AI is moving from an experimental technology to a core operating capability, with 76% of organisations now using AI in financial planning and 71% reporting that it meets or exceeds ROI expectations. The greatest benefits are not coming from cost reduction or automation alone, but from improved … Continue reading KPMG Global AI in Finance Report 2026, the opportunity is not simply better finance.
Academy of Life Planning 