As artificial intelligence becomes more capable, a new question is emerging: How do we ensure technology strengthens people rather than quietly taking their place? At the Academy of Life Planning, our answer has always begun with one idea: Restore human agency. Agency is a person's ability to think clearly, question confidently, make informed decisions and … Continue reading Human Agency, Personal Sovereignty, Governance and Stewardship: Four Ideas That Belong Together
Tag: ai
When Clients Arrive Having Already Asked ChatGPT, the Advice Model Has Already Changed
Advisers Are Talking About Cutting Fees. The Bigger Story Is Why. A recent Citywire interview with Ian Else carried a headline that should make every financial planner stop and think: "I'm looking at cutting my advice fees because of AI." It's a rational response. If AI reduces the time it takes to research, analyse, write … Continue reading When Clients Arrive Having Already Asked ChatGPT, the Advice Model Has Already Changed
The FCA Is Shutting Down Investment Scams. But What Happens Before You Invest?
2,329 FCA Scam Warnings... But Would You Spot the Next One? The Financial Conduct Authority has published its latest Annual Report, highlighting a significant crackdown on investment crime. During the past year alone, the regulator issued more than 2,300 warnings about unauthorised or potentially fraudulent firms, secured criminal convictions for insider dealing and money laundering, … Continue reading The FCA Is Shutting Down Investment Scams. But What Happens Before You Invest?
Another Adviser Firm Walks Away from SJP. Coincidence—or the Start of a Structural Shift?
Another advice firm has chosen to leave St. James's Place. SRB Financial Planning, a business responsible for approximately £250 million of client assets, has joined Quilter Financial Planning after reviewing its future strategic options. The firm said it selected Quilter for its greater investment flexibility, technology, operational support and broader platform. The move adds to … Continue reading Another Adviser Firm Walks Away from SJP. Coincidence—or the Start of a Structural Shift?
UBS Sees AI Disrupting Financial Advice. We See Something Even Bigger.
For years, discussions about artificial intelligence in financial planning have centred on one question: How will AI affect financial advisers? A new analyst note from UBS, reported by Citywire, suggests that question is no longer theoretical. UBS has accelerated its assumptions about AI disruption, bringing forward the point at which it expects AI to affect … Continue reading UBS Sees AI Disrupting Financial Advice. We See Something Even Bigger.
The Missing Piece in the Mills Review: What Does a Public-Interest AI Financial Capability Service Actually Look Like?
"The question is no longer whether to allow AI, it is who is AI going to serve?... the answer must be citizens."— Sheldon Mills, AI and the Future of Retail Financial Services (2026) The publication of the Mills Review marks an important moment in the evolution of financial services. For the first time, a major … Continue reading The Missing Piece in the Mills Review: What Does a Public-Interest AI Financial Capability Service Actually Look Like?
From the Advice Gap to the Agency Gap
Why the FCA's AI Review could transform financial planning—if we put citizens first For more than two decades, policymakers have talked about the advice gap. Millions of people cannot afford regulated financial advice, do not qualify for it, or simply choose not to use it. The result has been a familiar debate. Should advice become … Continue reading From the Advice Gap to the Agency Gap
Opinion: The AI Debate Is Missing the Most Important Participant
Why the future of financial planning won't be decided by firms adopting AI—but by citizens doing the same. Every week there seems to be another discussion about artificial intelligence in financial services. Should advisers build their own AI? Should firms rely on specialist providers? Will AI replace paraplanners? Are the productivity gains worth the investment? … Continue reading Opinion: The AI Debate Is Missing the Most Important Participant
If Even the FCA Says Investment Documents Are Too Hard to Understand… Perhaps It’s Time to Level the Playing Field
The Financial Conduct Authority has reached a striking conclusion. After reviewing 172 investment disclosure documents, it found that almost all were written at a level too difficult for the average consumer to understand. Only 6% were considered to be written in plain English, and every single document reviewed fell below the level expected for someone … Continue reading If Even the FCA Says Investment Documents Are Too Hard to Understand… Perhaps It’s Time to Level the Playing Field
Proportional Planning™: Support when it adds value. Agency remains yours.
The right support at the right time. For decades, we have framed financial planning as a choice between two extremes. Do it yourself. Or hand responsibility to an adviser. Neither reflects how most people actually make decisions. Most of us are capable of managing much of our own lives. We seek help when life becomes … Continue reading Proportional Planning™: Support when it adds value. Agency remains yours.
