An Academy of Life Planning perspective on Britain’s overdue reckoning Last week, Michael Mainelli, Chairman of Z/Yen Group and former Lord Mayor of the City of London, published a sharp and timely intervention calling on the UK to stop avoiding international scrutiny and finally participate in the OECD PISA Financial Literacy Assessment. His argument is … Continue reading From Evidence to Empowerment: Why Financial Literacy Tests Are Necessary — and Why They Are Not Enough
Tag: education
What Total Wealth Planners Can Learn from the “Education Irony”
Most people arrive at financial planning believing education equals security.Degrees. Credentials. Certifications.Yet the evidence increasingly shows a deeper problem: education can fail to develop the very human capabilities people need to navigate work, money, and life well. A recent peer-reviewed study, The Education Irony: When College Degrees Lead to Unemployment, Mindless Thinking, Debt, and Despair, … Continue reading What Total Wealth Planners Can Learn from the “Education Irony”
🏛️ From Swindle to Structure: Decoding The Great British Mortgage Swindle
How Citizen Investigators Are Turning Outrage into Evidence-Based Reform By Steve Conley | Academy of Life Planning & Get SAFE Fellowship 1. A Folk Tale That Struck a Nerve A decade ago, a film and lecture series titled The Great British Mortgage Swindle swept through online communities of disillusioned homeowners. Its creator, Michael of Bernicia … Continue reading 🏛️ From Swindle to Structure: Decoding The Great British Mortgage Swindle
“Earn While You Learn” or “Sell While You Serve”? What the New LIBF Apprenticeship Pathway Really Means for Financial Planning
A new “degree apprenticeship” route into financial advice has just been launched by the London Institute of Banking & Finance (LIBF) and Future Financial Adviser (FFA). It promises an appealing blend of “earn while you learn” opportunities, government-funded qualifications, and a fast track to chartered status. At first glance, it seems like a welcome move … Continue reading “Earn While You Learn” or “Sell While You Serve”? What the New LIBF Apprenticeship Pathway Really Means for Financial Planning
Key lessons for a Holistic Wealth Planner
Here are the key lessons for a Holistic Wealth Planner from “Human Capital, Poverty, and Income Distribution in Developing Countries” by Minh Quang Dao (Journal of Economic Studies, 2008). 🌱 1. Human Capital is the True Engine of Wealth The study confirms that improvements in education, health, and nutrition directly reduce poverty and inequality. For … Continue reading Key lessons for a Holistic Wealth Planner
Lessons for the Chancellor #3: Why Equality in Education Is the Key to Growth
(Insights from Amparo Castelló & Rafael Doménech, “Human Capital Inequality and Economic Growth,” The Economic Journal, 2002) As Chancellor Rachel Reeves prepares to deliver her second Budget, she faces the most difficult balancing act of her career: restoring growth while managing an ageing population, a strained welfare system, and persistent inequality.But a landmark study by … Continue reading Lessons for the Chancellor #3: Why Equality in Education Is the Key to Growth
Lessons for the Chancellor #2: Building Britain’s Future on Human Capital, Not Fiscal Firefighting
(Insights from Latif Zeynalli, “The Impact of Stimulating the Development of Human Capital on Economic Development,” European Journal of Social Impact and Circular Economy, 2020) As Chancellor Rachel Reeves prepares to deliver her second Budget next week, she faces the same pressures gripping every advanced economy: slowing growth, ageing populations, ballooning welfare bills, and unsustainable … Continue reading Lessons for the Chancellor #2: Building Britain’s Future on Human Capital, Not Fiscal Firefighting
When Professional Bodies Forget the Public: What the ICAEW AGM Tells Us About Structural Capture
Professional bodies were created to uphold standards, protect the public, and act as the ethical compass of their industries. When they function well, they safeguard trust. When they drift, the consequences ripple across the whole financial ecosystem. In July 2025, Professor Atul K. Shah — a respected academic, ICAEW fellow, and long-time advocate for ethics … Continue reading When Professional Bodies Forget the Public: What the ICAEW AGM Tells Us About Structural Capture
🧭 10 Lessons for Holistic Wealth Planners from The Education Irony
“Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true education.”— Martin Luther King Jr. A new study, The Education Irony: When College Degrees Lead to Unemployment, Mindless Thinking, Debt, and Despair (Friedman, 2025), exposes a truth long felt across society — that conventional education is failing to prepare people for real life. Universities, once … Continue reading 🧭 10 Lessons for Holistic Wealth Planners from The Education Irony
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
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