For decades, we have been encouraged to place our trust in institutions. Banks hold our money. Platforms hold our conversations. Governments hold our records. Technology companies hold our digital lives. In return, we are promised convenience. Most of the time, the arrangement works. Until it doesn't. A company is acquired. A platform changes its terms. … Continue reading Agency Starts With Owning Your Own Data
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Is the Future of Wealth Management About Managing Portfolios — or Helping People Convert Their Whole Life into Agency, Ownership and Opportunity?
The recent launch of Factory Capital provides an interesting glimpse into the future of wealth management. On the surface, it is another wealth advisory firm entering the market. Dig a little deeper, however, and something more significant emerges. Factory Capital has not positioned itself primarily around investment selection, portfolio construction or retirement planning. Instead, it … Continue reading Is the Future of Wealth Management About Managing Portfolios — or Helping People Convert Their Whole Life into Agency, Ownership and Opportunity?
Is AI Making Investors More Reckless — or More Capable?
If AI is already influencing how affluent investors research, assess and feel about risk, is the real question whether advisers can control its use — or whether they can help clients use it wisely while keeping final agency with the individual? HSBC’s research suggests AI is no longer peripheral. Among nearly 10,000 affluent and high-net-worth … Continue reading Is AI Making Investors More Reckless — or More Capable?
How Many Ordinary People Could Realistically Navigate a System This Complex Without Assistance?
Imagine you discover something has gone badly wrong. Perhaps a financial institution has made a mistake. Perhaps an insurer has refused a claim. Perhaps you believe you have been misled, treated unfairly, or suffered a significant financial loss. You decide to do what responsible citizens are told to do. You gather evidence. You write letters. … Continue reading How Many Ordinary People Could Realistically Navigate a System This Complex Without Assistance?
A Trusted Adviser Stole £2 Million. What Should We Learn?
A financial adviser has just been jailed for 11 years after defrauding clients, friends, neighbours, and a charity out of almost £2 million. The details are shocking but, sadly, not unique. Timothy "Paul" Barnes was not an anonymous scammer operating from overseas. He was a regulated financial adviser with decades of experience. He held positions … Continue reading A Trusted Adviser Stole £2 Million. What Should We Learn?
The PFS Agenda Tells Us Where Financial Planning Is Heading — But Also What It Still Struggles to Name
Financial planning is moving beyond products. The next step is to move beyond dependency. Financial planning is moving beyond products. That is good. For too long, the public understanding of financial advice has been shaped by pensions, investments, tax wrappers, platforms, funds, protection products, and later-life lending. These things matter. They can be useful. They … Continue reading The PFS Agenda Tells Us Where Financial Planning Is Heading — But Also What It Still Struggles to Name
The Real Fourth Pillar Is Not Later-Life Lending. It Is Restored Human Agency.
The Financial Conduct Authority has put later-life lending firmly into the retirement planning debate. In a speech to the Later Life Lending Summit, Emad Aladhal, the FCA’s director of retail banking, suggested that later-life lending has the potential to become the “fourth pillar” of retirement provision. The familiar three pillars are the state pension, workplace … Continue reading The Real Fourth Pillar Is Not Later-Life Lending. It Is Restored Human Agency.
SJP’s £220bn Question: What Happens When Clients and Advisers Stop Deferring?
The old wealth model depended on two quiet forms of deference. Clients deferred to advisers. Advisers deferred to institutions. That was the bargain beneath much of modern wealth management. The client was asked to trust the adviser. The adviser was asked to trust the firm. The firm provided the brand, proposition, investment architecture, supervision, process, … Continue reading SJP’s £220bn Question: What Happens When Clients and Advisers Stop Deferring?
Financial Planning or Financial Conditioning? Why the Honours System Reveals What Financial Services Still Rewards
The King’s Birthday Honours List 2026 offered a small but revealing moment for anyone watching the future of financial planning. Chris Hulatt, co-founder of Octopus Group, was awarded a CBE for services to entrepreneurship. On one level, this is easy to understand. Octopus has become one of the most visible entrepreneurial success stories in UK … Continue reading Financial Planning or Financial Conditioning? Why the Honours System Reveals What Financial Services Still Rewards
Before You Join a Financial Adviser Academy, Read the Contract — Not Just the Brochure
A glossy career-change brochure can make a new life sound simple. A clear pathway. Professional qualifications. Mentoring. Support. A respected brand. The chance to build a business. A route out of a career that no longer fits. For someone feeling stuck, that can be powerful. Especially if the message arrives at the right moment. You … Continue reading Before You Join a Financial Adviser Academy, Read the Contract — Not Just the Brochure
