From Promises to Plunder—How Labour's First Year Has Failed Retirees In honour of every pensioner betrayed by policy dressed as progress. For the workers who kept the country running, and the retirees now footing the bill. “Pensioners deserve security in retirement,” they said. But what have they delivered? Stripped benefits.Frozen thresholds.Punitive taxes.And behind it all—the … Continue reading Your Money or Your Life: The Great Pension Pillage →

For every pension holder being told they’ve dodged the taxman with a shiny new Whole of Life policy—this one’s for you. Not because you're being protected. But because you're being played. The New Scam in Town It sounds clever, doesn’t it? “Buy a Whole of Life policy to cover the potential inheritance tax on your … Continue reading Your Money or Your Life: How ‘Protection’ Became Exploitation →

By Steve Conley | Academy of Life Planning17 April 2025 – Reading Time: 5 Minutes In the early 1990s, the name Robert Maxwell became synonymous with pension betrayal. His theft of an estimated £400–£800 million from the Mirror Group pension fund shook the nation and led to major reforms. Yet today, a far greater scandal … Continue reading Britain’s Hidden Timebomb: The Truth About the UK’s Public Sector Pension Deficit →

Now is a great time for bad actors. But who gave them the green light? For the slick-suited product pushers and the private equity vultures circling our pensions—this is their moment. The government’s growth agenda and the FCA’s deregulation playbook have teamed up to roll out the red carpet. But let’s be honest: this isn’t … Continue reading Your Money or Your Life: Growth for Whom? →

As the financial advice profession wrestles with its future identity—sales-driven or planning-led—recent developments at two key professional bodies cast a spotlight on the road ahead. PFS Appoints Carla Brown: A Sales Industry Signal The Personal Finance Society (PFS) has appointed Carla Brown, chief executive of Oakmere Wealth Management and a prominent St. James’s Place (SJP) … Continue reading Sales or Planning? The Diverging Futures of the Financial Advice Profession →

In a world filled with relentless disruption, where geopolitical tension, economic insecurity, and rapid technological change dominate the headlines, it is no wonder that many feel increasingly anxious, uncertain, and powerless. For some, this chronic unease tips into depression, where—as existential psychologist Rollo May once wrote— "depression is the inability to construct a future." At … Continue reading Reclaiming the Future: Human Potential, Mental Resilience, and the Power of the GAME Plan →

For the ones they’re grooming.For the ones they say don’t need that cash for five years.For the ones about to be sold down the river in the name of “growth.” This is for you. Welcome to the Snake Pit They called it “idle cash.” They said it had “wrinkles.” So, in a six-week feeding frenzy, … Continue reading Fattening Up Mice for Snakes: Inside the FCA’s “Sprint” to Feed the City →

In an era marked by housing unaffordability, insecure employment, and widening generational inequality, the rise of the boomerang child—adult children who return to or remain in the family home—has become more than a passing trend. It's a defining feature of modern family life. According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, nearly one in five young … Continue reading Family-Focused Life Planning in the Age of Boomerang Children: Co-Designing a Future That Works for Everyone →