St. James’s Place has just declared itself “the clear home of trusted financial advice in the UK.”With record gross inflows of £5.7 billion and total funds under management surpassing £212 billion, few would dispute its financial strength. But we must ask a deeper question: does financial success equate to trust? At the Academy of Life … Continue reading The Battle for Trust: Why St. James’s Place Can’t Own What It Doesn’t Build
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The Enabling Environment: Why Structural Trust Is the True Engine of Wealth
“The key for the future of any country lies in the talent, skills, and capabilities of its people.”— Dr. Mahesh U. Daru, Human Capital: The Tool for Economic Growth and Development When we talk about wealth, our culture still reaches first for money. But as Dr. Mahesh Daru’s paper reminds us, it is people—not capital—that … Continue reading The Enabling Environment: Why Structural Trust Is the True Engine of Wealth
🕊 Purpose Is Not Something We Invent — It’s Something We Remember
By Steve Conley | Academy of Life Planning “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” — Jeremiah 1:5“He has created us for a life of good deeds, which He prepared in advance for us to do.” — Ephesians 2:10 (TEV) For centuries we’ve been taught to chase purpose as though it were … Continue reading 🕊 Purpose Is Not Something We Invent — It’s Something We Remember
The End of the Industrial Adviser Model: What the Vanguard Study Really Shows
A new study from Vanguard has revealed a quiet revolution underway in financial advice — and most advisers don’t even see it coming. Almost half of clients surveyed said they would like to meet their financial adviser more than once a year. On the surface, this might look like a call for better service. In … Continue reading The End of the Industrial Adviser Model: What the Vanguard Study Really Shows
🕊️ The Two Adversaries: Outer Corruption and Inner Fear
A Revelation for the Holistic Wealth Planner “Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Adversary prowls like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” — 1 Peter 5:8 (Aramaic paraphrase) In the Aramaic world from which this scripture emerged, satānā did not simply mean “devil.” It meant adversary — the one who resists, distorts, … Continue reading 🕊️ The Two Adversaries: Outer Corruption and Inner Fear
💔 When Debt Destroys Lives: Why We’re Building Get SAFE
Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy — and in the UK, more than 6,500 families faced that loss in 2022.According to new research from the Samaritans and the London School of Economics, each suicide costs society an estimated £1.46 million, with an overall annual cost of £9.58 billion. Behind these numbers lies a … Continue reading 💔 When Debt Destroys Lives: Why We’re Building Get SAFE
💎 The 0.001% Distraction: Why Society’s Wealth Conversation Is Upside Down
By Steve Conley | Academy of Life Planning | October 2025 A Sparkle in the Corner of the Room BlackRock’s new iShares Bitcoin ETP has the financial world buzzing.Commentators call it “historic” — a milestone for retail investors, an institutional validation of crypto, a bridge between DeFi and TradFi. But let’s pause. In reality, this … Continue reading 💎 The 0.001% Distraction: Why Society’s Wealth Conversation Is Upside Down
Holistic Wealth Planners in the Age of Agentic AI: How to Lead with Wisdom When Machines Can Think
As AI gains agency, the role of the planner shifts from expert to orchestrator — from authority to conscience. Introduction Artificial intelligence is evolving faster than any technology in living memory. The latest frontier—agentic AI—can not only generate ideas but act upon them, executing complex, multistep tasks once thought uniquely human. For CEOs, this shift … Continue reading Holistic Wealth Planners in the Age of Agentic AI: How to Lead with Wisdom When Machines Can Think
Lessons from Human Capital Research: Why the Future of Wealth Planning Is Human-Centred
“The growth of human capital and the growth of output are nearly synonymous.” — Robert Lucas, 1988 In a world obsessed with financial capital, one truth continues to resurface: it’s people, not money, who generate real wealth.A 2015 study by Dr. M. A. Lahori, “Human Capital – An Educational Institute Perspective,” revealed that institutions thrive … Continue reading Lessons from Human Capital Research: Why the Future of Wealth Planning Is Human-Centred
🌍 The Academy of Life Planning — A Brand Story for the Age of Empowerment
1. The Call to Adventure For generations, people have been taught to trust intermediaries —financial advisers to tell them what to do with their money,religious institutions to tell them what to believe,corporations and governments to tell them what to value. But something inside them whispers: There must be another way.A way to reclaim agency, rediscover … Continue reading 🌍 The Academy of Life Planning — A Brand Story for the Age of Empowerment
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