The Future of AI: Lessons for Financial Planners

Every few generations, technology rewrites the rules of society. The steam engine drove the Industrial Revolution. The internet transformed communication, commerce, and culture. Now, AI is reshaping entire industries, including financial services and insurance. For planners in the Academy, the message is clear: AI isn’t optional. It’s existential. The firms and advisers who embrace it … Continue reading The Future of AI: Lessons for Financial Planners →

From Policy to Practice: Lessons on Empowerment for Planners

When governments test education reforms, we often find lessons that resonate far beyond schools and universities. One such lesson comes from the economics of human capital research [Essays on the economics of human capital accumulation By Lucio Rizzica]: raising aspirations alone is not enough. The UK’s Widening Participation initiative in the 1990s, for example, encouraged teenagers … Continue reading From Policy to Practice: Lessons on Empowerment for Planners →

The Trusted Adviser Project – My 15-Year Mission

Trust: What Customers Want Most Fifteen years ago, when I was Head of Investments at HSBC, we set out to understand what mattered most to people when choosing a financial adviser. We expected answers like qualifications, products, or price competitiveness. The response was strikingly clear: the number one priority was Trust. Not performance charts. Not … Continue reading The Trusted Adviser Project – My 15-Year Mission →

Introducing the Holistic Wealth Planner: The Future of Financial Advice

Moving Beyond Products to Life Strategy The financial services profession is at a crossroads. For decades, Independent Financial Advisers (IFAs) have been seen as the pinnacle of advice, guiding clients through investments, pensions, insurance, and mortgages. Yet, growing consumer demand for impartiality, transparency, and holistic life guidance reveals a gap that the traditional advice model … Continue reading Introducing the Holistic Wealth Planner: The Future of Financial Advice →

When the Enablers Eat Their Own: True Potential vs St James’s Place

The latest story out of the advice industry tells us everything we need to know about how the system really works. It’s not about clients. It’s about the enablers cutting deals among themselves—each side trying to see who can extract the most from the people they claim to serve. Citywire reports that True Potential is … Continue reading When the Enablers Eat Their Own: True Potential vs St James’s Place →

A Different Path in Financial Planning: From Selling Products to Empowering People

Imagine you’re standing at a crossroads. One sign points toward the familiar road — a shiny brochure promising a profession, a pathway, a future in financial planning. It looks secure, respected, and even glamorous. But if you listen closely, you’ll hear echoes: stories of clients mis-sold products, of advisers trapped in sales targets, of trust … Continue reading A Different Path in Financial Planning: From Selling Products to Empowering People →

From Exploitation to Empowerment: Why Life Planning Needs a Revolution

Most people enter financial planning with the best intentions. They want to help clients live better lives, not just manage their money. But somewhere along the way, the system twists the purpose. You’re taught that the “business model” of planning depends on assets under management. You measure success by the size of your client’s pot … Continue reading From Exploitation to Empowerment: Why Life Planning Needs a Revolution →

So You’ve Found Something Rotten at Work: A Whistleblower’s First Steps

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.” Discovering malpractice inside your workplace is a jolt. One moment you’re doing your job; the next, you realise harm is being caused — to customers, to colleagues, or to the public. Your conscience won’t let you ignore it, but … Continue reading So You’ve Found Something Rotten at Work: A Whistleblower’s First Steps →

Building Futures in El Salvador: How Life Planning is Driving Social Transformation

In late 2023, the government of El Salvador created a new national institution — the Dirección de Integración — with a bold mission: to strengthen social inclusion, reduce poverty, and foster a culture of integration across the country. At the heart of this initiative is the ADN Program on Poverty and the Culture of Integration, … Continue reading Building Futures in El Salvador: How Life Planning is Driving Social Transformation →