Critical lessons for Total Wealth Planners from the latest economic evidence For decades, financial planning has rested on a comforting assumption: If we educate people more, inequality will fall. It feels intuitively right. Education raises earnings. Skills create opportunity. Human capital lifts all boats. But the evidence no longer supports that simple story. A major … Continue reading When Human Capital Increases Inequality
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.
Adviser Bridge: Why the Academy of Life Planning Supports Advisers Before Lawyers Get Involved
Transitions are part of modern financial advice. Yet for many regulated advisers, leaving a firm or changing structure has become one of the most stressful and disempowering moments of their professional lives. Exit conditions, repayment demands, Business Start-Up or support arrangements, restrictive correspondence, and unclear obligations often surface all at once — frequently accompanied by … Continue reading Adviser Bridge: Why the Academy of Life Planning Supports Advisers Before Lawyers Get Involved
Why “Being Right” Can Destroy Your Case: The hidden trap victims must avoid in court
When you’ve been wronged, your instinct is natural. You want to tell the truth.You want to name the wrongdoing.You want the court to see the injustice for what it is. But here is the hard truth most victims are never told: Courts are not designed to reward moral clarity.They are designed to enforce procedure. And … Continue reading Why “Being Right” Can Destroy Your Case: The hidden trap victims must avoid in court
Human Capital Is the Missing Asset Class: What Total Wealth Planners Must Learn from the Energy Transition
What Do We Mean by the “Energy Transition”? The energy transition refers to the global shift from fossil-fuel-based energy systems (coal, oil, and gas) toward cleaner, lower-carbon sources such as renewables, electrification, and energy efficiency. At its core, it is not just a technological upgrade. It is a structural transformation of how economies produce, distribute, … Continue reading Human Capital Is the Missing Asset Class: What Total Wealth Planners Must Learn from the Energy Transition
What Best-Practice Client Onboarding Looks Like for a Total Wealth Planner — and Why It Matters
In financial services, most problems don’t start with bad advice. They start with bad beginnings. Confused expectations.Blurred roles.Too much given away too early — or too little structure when it mattered most. Total Wealth Planning exists precisely to correct that. Not by adding complexity, but by restoring clarity, boundaries, and client ownership from the very … Continue reading What Best-Practice Client Onboarding Looks Like for a Total Wealth Planner — and Why It Matters
AI isn’t replacing financial planners. But it is changing what good planning looks like
There’s a lot of debate right now about whether AI can “do” financial planning. I think most of that debate misses the point. AI doesn’t replace judgement, empathy, or trust.It never will. But it does remove friction from planning. It helps people: organise complexity see their whole picture clearly explore scenarios they’ve been avoiding articulate … Continue reading AI isn’t replacing financial planners. But it is changing what good planning looks like
From Evidence to Empowerment: Why Financial Literacy Tests Are Necessary — and Why They Are Not Enough
An Academy of Life Planning perspective on Britain’s overdue reckoning Last week, Michael Mainelli, Chairman of Z/Yen Group and former Lord Mayor of the City of London, published a sharp and timely intervention calling on the UK to stop avoiding international scrutiny and finally participate in the OECD PISA Financial Literacy Assessment. His argument is … Continue reading From Evidence to Empowerment: Why Financial Literacy Tests Are Necessary — and Why They Are Not Enough
Human Capital Isn’t a “Soft” Concept — It’s the Hardest Driver of Fair Wealth Outcomes
Lessons for Total Wealth Planners from Global Evidence on Income Equality For decades, financial planning has been dominated by one narrow question:How do we grow financial capital? But global evidence increasingly points to a deeper, more foundational truth: Societies that invest in human capital don’t just grow wealth — they distribute it more fairly. A … Continue reading Human Capital Isn’t a “Soft” Concept — It’s the Hardest Driver of Fair Wealth Outcomes
Litigants in Person: Practical Lessons for Citizen Investigators
How Davids Can Still Stand Against Goliaths Transparency Task Force recently hosted a powerful session on one of the hardest realities in modern justice:what it is really like to go to court alone against banks, regulators, or large institutions. For many people, this is not a choice.It is what happens after money runs out, lawyers … Continue reading Litigants in Person: Practical Lessons for Citizen Investigators
AI Is at the Door — and It’s Knocking in 2026
AI Is at the Door — and It’s Knocking What Matthew Griffin’s warning really means for the future of financial planning Dear reader, the quote below isn’t just an observation. It’s a signal flare. When Matthew Griffin — widely described as “the adviser behind the advisers” — says “AI is coming for your lunch”, he’s … Continue reading AI Is at the Door — and It’s Knocking in 2026
Academy of Life Planning 