On 25 August 2026, McKinsey published two complementary pieces on the next stage of artificial intelligence: its global survey, The State of AI in 2026: On the Road to ROI, and a shorter commentary, Four Perspectives on What Matters Now in AI. Together, they reveal an important tension. AI adoption is accelerating, individual productivity and … Continue reading The First Dividend From AI May Be an Agency Dividend Before It Becomes a Financial Dividend
Tag: artificial-intelligence
Use AI at Your Own Risk? What About the Risk of Having No Help at All?
City AM reports that the FCA has warned consumers using AI for investment decisions that they may have little or no regulatory protection if things go wrong. That is an important point. But it also raises a bigger question that the warning itself does not really answer: what is the realistic alternative for people who … Continue reading Use AI at Your Own Risk? What About the Risk of Having No Help at All?
Who Gets the Decision Dividend? AI Is Making Intelligence Cheap. Financial Services Has Not Yet Passed the Saving to the Customer.
McKinsey’s 26 August 2026 article, “The decision dividend: How AI creates economic value,” caught my attention because it describes, in corporate terms, something very close to the shift we have been exploring in financial planning. Its central argument is that AI’s biggest economic gains may not come from replacing labour, but from making better decisions … Continue reading Who Gets the Decision Dividend? AI Is Making Intelligence Cheap. Financial Services Has Not Yet Passed the Saving to the Customer.
The Next Financial Platform Won’t Own Your Money. It Will Help You Understand Your Life.
On 26 August 2026, two headlines appeared that seem to contradict each other. Citywire reported: “Platform acquisitions are dead, CEOs say.” On the same day, the Wall Street Journal reported: “Vanguard Buys Wealth Management Platform Altruist in $4 Billion Deal.” Platforms are dead. Vanguard has just spent roughly $4 billion buying one. Both things can … Continue reading The Next Financial Platform Won’t Own Your Money. It Will Help You Understand Your Life.
Raising the Standard for Non-Intermediating Financial Planning
If financial planning is to become independent of product intermediation, it must become more accountable — not less There is a saying often attributed to Gandhi: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” There is no reliable evidence that Gandhi actually said it. But the sentiment … Continue reading Raising the Standard for Non-Intermediating Financial Planning
Kakeibo Ledger™: A Free Budgeting Tool Built for Human Agency
Kakeibo Ledger™: Sometimes the Best Technology Gets Out of Your Way I have been fascinated by Japanese approaches to money, life and human flourishing for a long time. I use Ikigai in life planning. I use Kokoro as a way of thinking about alignment between mind, body, heart and spirit. Even the Academy’s GAME Plan … Continue reading Kakeibo Ledger™: A Free Budgeting Tool Built for Human Agency
Do You Need a Financial Adviser — Or Just Your Agency Back?
Why a temporary period of complexity should not automatically become a lifetime of advised dependency Most people do not wake up one morning and decide: “I would like to outsource my financial judgement for the rest of my life.” Something usually happens first. A bereavement. A divorce. Retirement. Redundancy. An inheritance. A pension decision. A … Continue reading Do You Need a Financial Adviser — Or Just Your Agency Back?
The Future of Legal AI Should Not Be Better Lawyers. It Should Be Stronger Citizens.
Explore Goliathon and start building the capability to understand your own case before deciding your next move. Johan Häger, CEO and Co-founder of Aloi AI, recently made an important observation about the future of legal services. His argument is that the law firm of the future should not simply produce more legal output. It should … Continue reading The Future of Legal AI Should Not Be Better Lawyers. It Should Be Stronger Citizens.
Vulnerability Should Trigger Support, Not Dependency
What disability rights, FCA regulation and financial planning can teach us about restoring human agency Most people, some of the time, will struggle to make an important decision. Not because they are incapable. Because life happens. Bereavement. Illness. Divorce. Redundancy. Scam victimisation. Retirement. Debt. Cognitive overload. A complex pension decision. A court dispute. A financial … Continue reading Vulnerability Should Trigger Support, Not Dependency
The Right to Cognitive Assistance
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
