A Customer Advocate’s Response to the FCA’s New Regulatory Direction "The biggest scandals are not the ones that break the rules, but the ones that rewrite them." Last week’s POLITICO Europe panel made one thing painfully clear: the UK’s financial regulators are walking a tightrope between protecting consumers and fuelling economic growth. The new strategy, … Continue reading 🔍 Growth at What Cost?
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🎯 Rebuilding Trust After Financial Exploitation – From the Inside Out
“The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm.” – Swedish Proverb For over a decade, I’ve stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Transparency Task Force in the fight for a financial system people can trust. Before that, I was deep inside the system itself—Head of Investments at HSBC and … Continue reading 🎯 Rebuilding Trust After Financial Exploitation – From the Inside Out
One Rule for SJP? Why We Must Question Who Teaches Our Children About Money
When your CEO sits on the CityUK Leadership Council and co-authors the Mansion House Accord, what can you get away with? Apparently, quite a lot. If your firm’s fee-for-no-service scandal gets waved away by regulators more interested in growth than justice…If your calls to deregulate are echoed by the Treasury while whistleblower complaints are ignored…If … Continue reading One Rule for SJP? Why We Must Question Who Teaches Our Children About Money
Your Money or Your Life: The Regulator That Turned a Blind Eye
For Paul Birch. For every whistleblower they tried to silence. They say justice is blind. But in Paul’s case, the FCA didn’t just close its eyes—it looked the other way. Paul Birch is not a footnote. He’s not an isolated case. He’s a British citizen who played by the rules—who asked for protection and got … Continue reading Your Money or Your Life: The Regulator That Turned a Blind Eye
🕵️♀️ The Citizen Investigator’s Playbook
A Free-to-Need Toolkit for Justice After Financial Exploitation When the system lets you down, the power to investigate, expose, and seek redress must come from you. That’s why we created the Citizen Investigator’s Playbook — a structured, AI-supported toolkit from Get SAFE (Support After Financial Exploitation). This Playbook is offered on a Free to Need … Continue reading 🕵️♀️ The Citizen Investigator’s Playbook
Financial “Growth” Authority: Says “Risk Is Good”? The Language of a Captured Regulator
By Steve Conley, Founder, Academy of Life Planning "Risk is good," proclaims the watchdog. But when the guard dog starts wagging its tail at the City, who’s protecting the public? Last week, FT Adviser reports that at the Global Management Summit, Simon Walls—Executive Director of Markets at what is still officially called the Financial Conduct … Continue reading Financial “Growth” Authority: Says “Risk Is Good”? The Language of a Captured Regulator
Behind the Curtain: How Anonymous Private Equity Voices Are Shaping the Advice Industry Narrative
“If you want to know who’s in control, ask who’s writing the story—and who’s paying to print it.” A curious phenomenon is emerging in the UK financial media. At the very moment private equity’s influence over financial advice is accelerating—drawing scrutiny from regulators, parliamentarians, and consumers—some PE firms are opting not for transparency, but anonymity. … Continue reading Behind the Curtain: How Anonymous Private Equity Voices Are Shaping the Advice Industry Narrative
💬 My Position on Bitcoin: A Mirage of Innovation?
While some investors promote Bitcoin as a revolutionary asset or hedge against systemic failure, I see something far more troubling — a slow-motion Ponzi scheme, enriching early adopters at the expense of future generations. While I respect the curiosity and critical thinking that Bitcoin inspires in many, I remain deeply sceptical. To me, Bitcoin is … Continue reading 💬 My Position on Bitcoin: A Mirage of Innovation?
🏝️ The Isle of Scam: A Systemic Governance Breakdown
“The real scandal isn’t just the fraud—it’s the silence of those paid to prevent it.” When news broke that Wilton Group (Isle of Man) was being investigated by police over money laundering allegations, it barely registered with the mainstream press. But for victims of cross-border pension fraud—especially those caught in the web of QROPS schemes—this … Continue reading 🏝️ The Isle of Scam: A Systemic Governance Breakdown
🔍 Another Regulator. Another Excuse. Another Victim Left Behind.
When the FCA refuses to act on clear evidence of fraud, it’s not just a bureaucratic failure—it’s a betrayal of public trust. Victims like Paul Birch warned the FCA as early as 2017 that a so-called adviser, John Maurice Pye, was fraudulently claiming FCA authorisation. Internal FCA emails acknowledged the evidence. So did the Chartered … Continue reading 🔍 Another Regulator. Another Excuse. Another Victim Left Behind.
Academy of Life Planning 