By Steve Conley In 2009, a quietly radical idea was proposed in the pages of a private investor magazine. It did not call for revolution.It did not reject the financial system.It simply asked a very reasonable question: What if fund managers were only paid when they genuinely outperformed? The proposal—known as the Active Management Partnership … Continue reading Active Management Partnership (AMP): The Idea That Almost Fixed the System—But Didn’t Go Far Enough
Tag: business
Regulation After the Fall: What the Hartley Case Reveals About a System That Reacts Too Late
By Steve Conley | Academy of Life Planning A familiar pattern—only now, it’s formal The Financial Conduct Authority has taken a step toward enforcement action against Hartley Pensions. The allegations are serious. Misleading the regulator Using client pension funds without consent Acting for personal benefit Attempting to conceal wrongdoing For thousands of clients affected, this … Continue reading Regulation After the Fall: What the Hartley Case Reveals About a System That Reacts Too Late
A 14-year silence… now under review
“£674m a year in hidden fees over 14 years. Now ask yourself: what did you receive — and are you due a refund?” The Financial Conduct Authority has reopened a question many assumed had already been settled: Should trail commission still exist? Not for new business—that was addressed in 2012 under the Retail Distribution Review … Continue reading A 14-year silence… now under review
From Aid to Agency
The Total Community Plan and the Future of Community Transformation By Steve Conley Founder, Academy of Life Planning For decades, efforts to address poverty, injustice, and environmental degradation have followed a familiar pattern. Resources flow in. Programmes are delivered. Outcomes are measured. And yet, in many communities, the underlying conditions remain unchanged. Not because people … Continue reading From Aid to Agency
2026: The Year Financial Planners Either Step Forward… or Step Aside
There are moments in an industry’s history where change is gradual.And then there are moments where it is sudden, structural, and irreversible. 2026 is the latter. If you are a financial planner who has not yet engaged with the Academy of Life Planning this year, this is not a criticism. It is a signal. Because … Continue reading 2026: The Year Financial Planners Either Step Forward… or Step Aside
Targeted Support and the Quiet Rewiring of Financial Advice
By Steve Conley | Academy of Life Planning There are moments in financial services where a regulatory shift appears incremental on the surface, yet signals something far more profound beneath. The FCA’s introduction of Targeted Support is one of those moments. With firms such as Quilter and Royal London already moving at pace, the industry … Continue reading Targeted Support and the Quiet Rewiring of Financial Advice
When Trust Becomes the Weakness: Why Financial Advice Must Return Agency to the Client
A former financial adviser is jailed. £45,000 is taken from a vulnerable client. The regulator bans him—years after the damage is done. And the industry response is predictable: “A bad actor. An isolated case. The system worked.” But it didn’t. Because the real question is not who committed the fraud. It is this: Why was … Continue reading When Trust Becomes the Weakness: Why Financial Advice Must Return Agency to the Client
Human–AI Agency: The Missing Discipline in Total Wealth Planning
Why the future of financial planning will be defined not by AI capability… but by who retains control of the thinking. We Are Solving the Wrong Problem Most conversations about AI in financial planning are focused on one question: How do we use AI to improve advice? It sounds sensible. But it’s the wrong question. … Continue reading Human–AI Agency: The Missing Discipline in Total Wealth Planning
The Return of Agency: How AI Changes the Balance of Power in Financial Services
Last summer, the UK Supreme Court confirmed something many in the industry had long argued for: Credit brokers do not owe a fiduciary duty to their customers. For some, that was a legal clarification.For others, it was a line in the sand. Because stripped back to its essence, the ruling reinforced a simple reality: The … Continue reading The Return of Agency: How AI Changes the Balance of Power in Financial Services
The Problem Isn’t the Words. It’s What Sits Behind Them.
By Steve Conley Recent research from Oxford Risk and NextWealth has drawn attention to a growing unease among retirement clients. The conclusion is clear enough: the language advisers use—phrases intended to reassure, guide, or inform—is too often doing the opposite. It is creating anxiety, eroding trust, and disengaging the very people it is meant to … Continue reading The Problem Isn’t the Words. It’s What Sits Behind Them.
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