Why the principle of supported decision-making should not stop at disability — or at AI We already accept a remarkable principle in law. When somebody may struggle to make an important decision, the first response should not necessarily be: “Someone else should decide for you.” It should be: “What support would help you decide for … Continue reading The Right to Cognitive Assistance
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Do Not Protect Us From the Power to Protect Ourselves
The EU AI Act, the Right to Cognitive Assistance and why restoring human agency must not become “high-risk” Something potentially very important is happening in European AI regulation. And almost nobody outside the AI policy world appears to be talking about it. The EU AI Act is no longer a proposal. It is law. What … Continue reading Do Not Protect Us From the Power to Protect Ourselves
Know What You’re Receiving Before You Act on It
We regulate the difference between information, education, guidance, promotion and financial advice. Perhaps it is time we taught the public the difference too. BIG Checker doesn’t just ask “Is this true?”It asks “What is this, who benefits, and why should you believe it?” More than half of people who acted on financial advice they encountered … Continue reading Know What You’re Receiving Before You Act on It
The Financial Planning Business Model Parliament Could Imagine — But Not Believe Would Work
Non-intermediating financial planning is older than my career. AI may finally make it economically obvious. I joined Refuge Assurance as an actuarial student in 1982. At the time, Professor Laurence Gower was already conducting the Review of Investor Protection that would help reshape British financial regulation. So there is an irony I had never appreciated … Continue reading The Financial Planning Business Model Parliament Could Imagine — But Not Believe Would Work
The Asset You Live Inside
From Earning Capacity to Human Possibility: Human Capital Lessons for the Total Wealth Planner The central argument is that conventional financial planning tends to treat human capital as an assumption behind the cashflow forecast—salary, retirement age and perhaps future earnings growth. The literature we have reviewed suggests something much richer. Human capital is an asset … Continue reading The Asset You Live Inside
Who Said Financial Planning Needed a Product Licence?
Why the trailblazers of financial planning are moving from the regulated 1% to the human 100% Most financial planners did not enter the profession because they wanted a licence to sell products. They entered because they wanted to help people. They wanted to help people make better decisions, avoid costly mistakes, prepare for uncertainty and … Continue reading Who Said Financial Planning Needed a Product Licence?
Finance Is Growing. But Are People?
A Campaign for Citizen Outcomes, Saver Sovereignty and Human Agency Britain is repeatedly told that what is good for the financial sector is good for the country. More capital must be “unlocked.” More pension money must be directed towards productive investment. Regulation must become less burdensome. Consumers must become more comfortable with risk. The financial … Continue reading Finance Is Growing. But Are People?
The Salary Trap: What Is a Graduate Really Signing Up For in an AUM Advice Firm?
The Graduate Advice Trap: Your Salary, Their Assets, Someone Else’s Business A graduate enters financial services wanting to become a financial planner. They want to help people understand money, make better decisions and build a life around what matters. The industry offers them something apparently reassuring: A salary. Training. Professional qualifications. A career path. Perhaps, … Continue reading The Salary Trap: What Is a Graduate Really Signing Up For in an AUM Advice Firm?
Longer Lives Need Better Navigation — Not Longer Dependency
Where do you think helpful financial support crosses the line into dependency? We extended life. But we did not redesign financial planning around it. That is the central argument in Simon Chan’s recent article on how longer lives are changing what people need from financial advisers. It is an important argument, and much of it … Continue reading Longer Lives Need Better Navigation — Not Longer Dependency
When the Trusted Adviser Is Not the Adviser
You Checked the FCA Register. You Were Still Scammed. From Advice to Agency A message arrives on WhatsApp. The sender appears to be a regulated financial adviser. They use the adviser’s real name, photograph, FCA registration number and company details. They recommend an investment. They create urgency. They tell you where to transfer the money. … Continue reading When the Trusted Adviser Is Not the Adviser
Academy of Life Planning 