For advisers facing first “debt recovery” contact Before You Attend That First Meeting — Read This In many cases, the initial “debt recovery” meeting is not a neutral conversation. You may find yourself facing two individuals: A regional manager (familiar, measured, supportive tone) A collections or recovery specialist (more direct, procedural, outcome-focused) This pairing can … Continue reading SJP BSP Shock Moment Checklist
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.
From Dependency to Agency: Using AI to Unlock Human Potential
There was a time—not long ago—when access to knowledge was the preserve of institutions. If you wanted expertise, you went to the expert.If you wanted guidance, you deferred to authority.If you wanted to make a major life decision, you were expected to rely on someone else to interpret complexity on your behalf. That model shaped … Continue reading From Dependency to Agency: Using AI to Unlock Human Potential
Most People Don’t Understand Their Defined Benefit Pension. Now They Can.
We have built something we should have built years ago The AoLP Occupational Pension Planning Engine gives defined benefit pension scheme members the ability to understand their entitlements, explore their options, and make informed decisions — without waiting for an adviser appointment that may never come. By Steve Conley · Academy of Life Planning · … Continue reading Most People Don’t Understand Their Defined Benefit Pension. Now They Can.
Total Wealth Plans: The Emergence of Financial Agency in the Age of AI
There is a quiet shift underway in financial planning—one that is easy to miss if you are looking in the wrong place. Much of the current narrative is focused on how artificial intelligence will improve financial advice. Faster modelling, better segmentation, more efficient delivery. The assumption remains largely intact: that individuals require ongoing guidance from … Continue reading Total Wealth Plans: The Emergence of Financial Agency in the Age of AI
The Wrong Question: Why Financial Resilience Is Being Misdiagnosed — and What We Should Measure Instead
Only 20% of people feel on track financially. That is the headline finding from a recent industry survey on financial resilience. At first glance, it is concerning.Look closer, and it becomes something else entirely: A reflection not just of financial anxiety—but of a flawed way of measuring it. Because embedded within the survey is an … Continue reading The Wrong Question: Why Financial Resilience Is Being Misdiagnosed — and What We Should Measure Instead
Agentic AI Won’t Close the Advice Gap — It Will Expose It
There’s a quiet shift happening in financial services. AI firms are now building what they call “agentic operating systems”—platforms designed to automate workflows, increase adviser capacity, and scale advice delivery. On the surface, it sounds like progress. And to be fair—technically—it is. But strategically? It may be solving the wrong problem entirely. The Industry’s Framing: … Continue reading Agentic AI Won’t Close the Advice Gap — It Will Expose It
When Work Becomes Too Heavy: Why Mental Health Support Isn’t Optional
There are moments in life when everything stacks up at once. Pressure. Loss. Financial strain. Conflict. Uncertainty. And when that happens, work doesn’t sit separately from life—it becomes part of the weight. A recent article by Liz Twist highlights something important: Suicide remains one of the leading causes of death for people under 50 in … Continue reading When Work Becomes Too Heavy: Why Mental Health Support Isn’t Optional
Why our contract is designed to protect you—not trap you
By the Academy of Life Planning The uncomfortable truth about most contracts Most contracts in financial services aren’t written for you. They’re written: to protect the provider to reduce liability to lock in revenue And too often, they rely on: complexity inertia and the assumption that you won’t read them That’s not a criticism of … Continue reading Why our contract is designed to protect you—not trap you
The Future of Regulated Advice: Adapt, Evolve, or Be Replaced
There is a quiet shift underway in financial services. Not a dramatic collapse. Not a sudden disruption.But something more consequential. A slow, structural unravelling of the traditional advice model. And most advisers haven’t fully clocked it yet. A Model Under Pressure Regulated advisers today are operating within a tightening vice. On one side, regulatory change.On … Continue reading The Future of Regulated Advice: Adapt, Evolve, or Be Replaced
The “Advice Gap” Isn’t What You Think It Is
There are 8.6 million UK adults who “need financial advice.”That’s the headline. But what if that diagnosis is wrong? What if we’re not looking at an advice gap…but a mislabelled system failure? The uncomfortable truth For decades, “financial advice” has often meant one thing in practice: The distribution of financial products through intermediaries That doesn’t … Continue reading The “Advice Gap” Isn’t What You Think It Is
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