By Steve Conley | Academy of Life Planning | 21 October 2026 We tell people to speak up. Report wrongdoing. Challenge misconduct. Take responsibility. Do the right thing. But what happens after they do? Who carries the cost when their income disappears, their career stalls, their health deteriorates and their family begins to struggle? Who … Continue reading Speaking up is an act of agency. Whether someone can survive speaking up is a test of the system.
Tag: fca
Who Equips the Citizen?
Why the Mills Review mattered beyond financial intermediation By Steve Conley, Founder, Academy of Life Planning | 19 October 2026 A person opens a letter from their pension provider. They understand the words, but cannot see what the assumptions mean for them. Another receives an adviser’s proposal. They want to examine the charges, alternatives and … Continue reading Who Equips the Citizen?
Before asking whether AI gives the wrong financial advice, we should ask whether the industry has been measuring the right kind of wealth
A striking headline appeared in Financial Reporter: “AI models give wrong financial advice 57% of the time.” The claim came from research commissioned by financial technology company Saturn. It reportedly tested 18 AI models using 121 financial questions, repeated five times, producing more than 10,000 responses. Across those responses, 57% were classified as wrong. On … Continue reading Before asking whether AI gives the wrong financial advice, we should ask whether the industry has been measuring the right kind of wealth
Use AI at Your Own Risk? What About the Risk of Having No Help at All?
City AM reports that the FCA has warned consumers using AI for investment decisions that they may have little or no regulatory protection if things go wrong. That is an important point. But it also raises a bigger question that the warning itself does not really answer: what is the realistic alternative for people who … Continue reading Use AI at Your Own Risk? What About the Risk of Having No Help at All?
Who Said Financial Planning Needed a Product Licence?
Why the trailblazers of financial planning are moving from the regulated 1% to the human 100% Most financial planners did not enter the profession because they wanted a licence to sell products. They entered because they wanted to help people. They wanted to help people make better decisions, avoid costly mistakes, prepare for uncertainty and … Continue reading Who Said Financial Planning Needed a Product Licence?
From the Advice Gap to the Agency Gap
Why the FCA's AI Review could transform financial planning—if we put citizens first For more than two decades, policymakers have talked about the advice gap. Millions of people cannot afford regulated financial advice, do not qualify for it, or simply choose not to use it. The result has been a familiar debate. Should advice become … Continue reading From the Advice Gap to the Agency Gap
The Trusted Agency-Restoration Layer: Helping People Use AI Without Being Used by AI
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
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
