Financial services is entering a new phase. For decades, the industry has been organised around products, advice, distribution, regulation, platforms, documentation, and disclosure. The consumer has usually sat at the end of that chain: informed, nudged, sold to, advised, protected, categorised, risk-rated, and asked to consent. But something deeper is now changing. Artificial intelligence is … Continue reading The Trusted Agency-Restoration Layer: Helping People Use AI Without Being Used by AI
Tag: fca
The Pie Gets Bigger. The Pieces Don’t Redistribute on Their Own.
There are two easy stories about AI and jobs. The first says everything will be fine. Technology makes work cheaper, the economy grows, people move into better roles, and the disruption eventually settles into progress. The second says the opposite. AI will wipe out millions of jobs, hollow out professions, and leave people stranded before … Continue reading The Pie Gets Bigger. The Pieces Don’t Redistribute on Their Own.
How can an adviser provide ongoing advice to someone who has died?
Following reports that the FCA has asked advice firms whether they continue to charge ongoing fees after a client has died, the central question is simple: what service is actually being provided, and to whom? Ongoing advice fees are only defensible where there is an ongoing service, such as suitability reviews or active support, and … Continue reading How can an adviser provide ongoing advice to someone who has died?
The Faster the System Becomes, the More Capable People Must Become
The UK government has quietly signalled the direction of travel for the future of financial services. Faster approvals. Faster innovation. Faster regulation. More flexibility for firms. More strategic oversight. Less procedural friction. The recent HM Treasury consultation response on financial services regulatory reform makes the trajectory increasingly clear: the UK wants a more agile, competitive, … Continue reading The Faster the System Becomes, the More Capable People Must Become
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
Hidden Credit. Hidden Power. Hidden Harm.
Why Parliament’s Latest Debate Exposes a Deeper Structural Failure “Protection that comes a decade too late is not protection. It is a post-mortem.” That line, delivered in Westminster Hall this week, captures the essence of a scandal that refuses to die—and perhaps more importantly, refuses to be fully acknowledged. On 14 April 2026, MPs gathered … Continue reading Hidden Credit. Hidden Power. Hidden Harm.
Why Financial Harm Keeps Happening — and What People Can Do Before It Does
A new report published by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Investment Fraud and Fairer Financial Services has triggered an important national conversation. The report — “Why Our Financial Conduct Regulation Needs Reforming” — brings together years of evidence suggesting that the UK’s financial conduct regulation system may not be working as well as it … Continue reading Why Financial Harm Keeps Happening — and What People Can Do Before It Does
The Bridge Is Real: What the New AR Regime Signals for Financial Planners Considering Their Next Chapter
The regulatory landscape has shifted again — and this time, it’s structural. The recent announcement from HM Treasury confirming consultation on a tougher regime for 34,000 appointed representatives is not just another compliance update. It is a directional signal about where the profession is heading and what kind of planner will thrive in the next … Continue reading The Bridge Is Real: What the New AR Regime Signals for Financial Planners Considering Their Next Chapter
Beware the Open Gate: Why Stepping Outside the Regulatory Perimeter Puts You at Risk
A Get SAFE warning for citizens, savers, and investors There is a quiet but dangerous shift happening in UK financial regulation. The Financial Conduct Authority has proposed changes that would make it easier for individuals to be classified as “professional investors” — even without significant wealth — provided they pass a subjective assessment by a … Continue reading Beware the Open Gate: Why Stepping Outside the Regulatory Perimeter Puts You at Risk
🧭 Plain Words, Hidden Risks: The FCA’s New Push to “Eradicate Jargon”
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has announced plans to help firms “eradicate jargon” from investment disclosures — part of a wider package to make retail investing more “accessible and engaging” for ordinary Britons. On the surface, this looks like progress. After all, financial jargon has long been a tool of exclusion — designed to obscure, … Continue reading 🧭 Plain Words, Hidden Risks: The FCA’s New Push to “Eradicate Jargon”
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