When central bankers intervene in government spending choices, we should ask whose definition of prosperity is setting the limits. By Steve Conley, Founder, Academy of Life Planning An elected government prepares its Budget. The Governor of the Bank of England warns about credibility, rising spending and the possibility of another crisis. A newspaper invokes the … Continue reading What is good for the City is not necessarily good for the country
Tag: economics
The wealth a balance sheet cannot show
Lessons on human capital for Total Wealth Planners By Steve Conley, Academy of Life Planning Two people can have the same savings and very different futures. One has skills people need, the health to use them and access to worthwhile opportunities. The other has equally valuable experience but is exhausted, caring for a relative or … Continue reading The wealth a balance sheet cannot show
What Is Freedom Worth If You Cannot Afford to Exercise It?
Why personal capability and a fairer economy belong in the same conversation. By Steve Conley, Founder, Academy of Life Planning We tell people to take responsibility for their lives. Save for the future. Develop their skills. Make better decisions. But what happens when someone makes careful decisions and still cannot afford a secure home? When … Continue reading What Is Freedom Worth If You Cannot Afford to Exercise It?
Labour Must Recognise the Old Market Mantra—Even When It Calls Itself “Holistic Planning”
Bringing back bancassurance will not, by itself, rebalance power towards ordinary people. Banks should be judged by the agency they build, not just the assets they gather. By Steve Conley, Founder, Academy of Life Planning30 September 2026 A bank announces that it wants to return to advice in a “massive way”. Its executive tells Labour … Continue reading Labour Must Recognise the Old Market Mantra—Even When It Calls Itself “Holistic Planning”
Human Capital Is Not a Salary: Lessons for Total Wealth Planners
Abstract Conventional financial planning commonly treats labour income as an input into a financial model while concentrating the substantive analysis on accumulated financial capital. Human capital theory suggests that this reverses the economic relationship for many households. Knowledge, skills, experience, health, adaptability and productive capacity constitute forms of capital that may generate income, enhance resilience … Continue reading Human Capital Is Not a Salary: Lessons for Total Wealth Planners
You Cannot Plan With a Portfolio Alone
A client says she wants to retrain. The conventional planning question is: Can she afford the course? That matters. But it is only one part of the decision. Can she afford the time away from paid work? Is her health holding up? Who depends on her income? Is the training accessible from where she lives? … Continue reading You Cannot Plan With a Portfolio Alone
A Faster Answer to the Wrong Question Is Still Wrong
PARLIAMENT • REDRESS • HUMAN AGENCY A Faster Answer to the Wrong Question Is Still Wrong Parliament is redesigning financial regulation in the name of growth. But efficiency without effective challenge may simply make consumer harm easier to finalise—and harder to correct. Academy of Life Planning 8 September 2026 There is a familiar promise at … Continue reading A Faster Answer to the Wrong Question Is Still Wrong
Britain Has Been Growing the Wrong Thing
For forty years, governments have treated financial-services growth as though it were national economic growth. Andy Burnham now has an opportunity to change that — by making human agency, capability and the wealth of ordinary people the real engine of prosperity. Will Andy Burnham Change Britain’s Growth Strategy, and grow the wealth of ordinary people … Continue reading Britain Has Been Growing the Wrong Thing
When the Establishment Gives the Prime Minister His Orders
Britain does need growth. But we may have spent too long asking the wrong people what growth means. Something revealing happened this week. Britain had a new Prime Minister. And almost immediately, the financial establishment began telling him what he was allowed to do. Andy Burnham was warned that unless he restrained public spending, Britain … Continue reading When the Establishment Gives the Prime Minister His Orders
Britain’s Biggest Untapped Asset Is Its People
How AI could convert dormant human capital into sustainable livelihoods, economic growth and higher tax revenues Abstract The United Kingdom faces an unusual labour-market problem at both ends of the working-age spectrum. In early 2026, approximately 1.012 million people aged 16–24 were not in education, employment or training (NEET), equivalent to 13.5% of the age … Continue reading Britain’s Biggest Untapped Asset Is Its People
