At Get SAFE, we see cases that expose cracks in the financial and legal system so deep they threaten the very foundations of trust.Here’s one such case — anonymised, but real — that shows how ordinary families can lose everything, even when the paperwork doesn’t add up. 🔎 The Story In the late 2000s, a … Continue reading 🏠 The Phantom Mortgage: A Case Study in Systemic Failure
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DeFi vs. TradFi: Hype, Reality, and the Ethical Frontier
“When everyone is rushing to the goldfields, beware those selling pickaxes and shovels.” The financial services world is buzzing with talk of DeFi (Decentralised Finance) overtaking TradFi (Traditional Finance). Commentators describe it as a revolution: decentralisation versus centralisation, innovation versus stagnation, freedom versus control. But as with all revolutions, the truth is more complicated. For … Continue reading DeFi vs. TradFi: Hype, Reality, and the Ethical Frontier
The Future of AI: Lessons for Financial Planners
Every few generations, technology rewrites the rules of society. The steam engine drove the Industrial Revolution. The internet transformed communication, commerce, and culture. Now, AI is reshaping entire industries, including financial services and insurance. For planners in the Academy, the message is clear: AI isn’t optional. It’s existential. The firms and advisers who embrace it … Continue reading The Future of AI: Lessons for Financial Planners
From Policy to Practice: Lessons on Empowerment for Planners
When governments test education reforms, we often find lessons that resonate far beyond schools and universities. One such lesson comes from the economics of human capital research [Essays on the economics of human capital accumulation By Lucio Rizzica]: raising aspirations alone is not enough. The UK’s Widening Participation initiative in the 1990s, for example, encouraged teenagers … Continue reading From Policy to Practice: Lessons on Empowerment for Planners
Get SAFE Community Briefing: Government Review of Opt-Out Collective Actions
Open call for evidence: Opt-out collective actions regime reviewFrom: Department for Business and TradePublished: 6 August 2025Deadline for responses: 11:59pm on 14 October 2025 Why This Matters for Get SAFE For too long, victims of financial exploitation have been forced to battle alone. Individual complaints to regulators, ombudsmen, or the courts can be exhausting, expensive, … Continue reading Get SAFE Community Briefing: Government Review of Opt-Out Collective Actions
Beyond Human Capital: Lessons for Holistic Wealth Planners
For decades, human capital theory has dominated the way economists explain income and productivity. It suggests that individuals who earn more do so because they are more productive — their skills, education, and abilities are framed as “capital” that generates higher returns. But a closer look reveals deep flaws in this way of thinking. In … Continue reading Beyond Human Capital: Lessons for Holistic Wealth Planners
Wealth Beyond Money: Lessons from Human Capital Research
“Wealth is not just what you own, it’s what you embody.” A fascinating study on Human Capital, Poverty, and Income Distribution in developing countries offers powerful lessons not only for governments but for us as planners. The findings show that investments in education, health, gender equity, and nutrition are as crucial to reducing poverty and … Continue reading Wealth Beyond Money: Lessons from Human Capital Research
Why the Robots Are Beating Advisers – And Why That’s Good News for You
Artificial intelligence has just cleared another milestone. An AI system called Aida sat the Chartered Insurance Institute’s Diploma in Financial Advice—and outperformed human advisers on average across all six exams. For the advice industry, this is a shockwave. For the public, it’s a wake-up call. The message is clear: machines are learning financial advice faster … Continue reading Why the Robots Are Beating Advisers – And Why That’s Good News for You
From the Top Down: How Jes Staley’s Barclays Culture Harmed Customers — And Why We Need Empowerment Models Now
When regulators finally banned Ex-Barclays CEO Jes Staley from senior management in June 2025, it was presented as proof that integrity matters at the top of financial services. The FCA found that Staley misled them over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, approving letters that downplayed their closeness and contact timeline. The Upper Tribunal agreed he … Continue reading From the Top Down: How Jes Staley’s Barclays Culture Harmed Customers — And Why We Need Empowerment Models Now
Wealth Beyond Money: Why Human Capabilities Matter More Than Capital
For too long, financial planning has been trapped in a narrow frame: wealth as numbers on a balance sheet, capital as assets to be managed, and success as market returns. But what if we’ve been missing the bigger picture all along? The truth is simple yet profound: wealth is not just financial capital – it’s … Continue reading Wealth Beyond Money: Why Human Capabilities Matter More Than Capital
Academy of Life Planning 