DIY Investors: Stop Listening to Moon Boys

All you DIY investors — it’s time to stop listening to the “moon boys” on TikTok and YouTube promising overnight riches. I might be a so-called TradFi Boomer, but I agree with the FCA on this one: keep it boring. Wealth is not created by gambling on the latest get-rich-quick scheme. Wealth is created, then … Continue reading DIY Investors: Stop Listening to Moon Boys →

The Growth Agenda: Asset Hoovering by Another Name

Why Deregulation Isn’t Growth—It’s Extraction, Repackaged “You can’t regulate for trust by dismantling the brakes.” In the wake of the Mansion House reforms, a familiar story is unfolding. The government’s so-called growth agenda is, in truth, a revival of the old Piscean order—an extractive financial system masquerading as economic progress. It’s not about real innovation … Continue reading The Growth Agenda: Asset Hoovering by Another Name →

Who Guards the Guardians? The FCA, Money Box, and the Disappearing Line Between Advocacy and Sales

“Trust is built in drops and lost in buckets.”— Kevin Plank It began, as many things do, with a trusted voice on the radio. The BBC’s Money Box has long been a staple of consumer advocacy in Britain — a comforting soundscape of sensible financial advice, delivered with journalistic credibility. But something didn’t sit right … Continue reading Who Guards the Guardians? The FCA, Money Box, and the Disappearing Line Between Advocacy and Sales →

The Perimeter Prefect: Reclaiming Financial Planning Beyond Regulation

What if the future of financial planning didn’t lie within the rules of a product-based system—but just beyond them? In our recent Masterclass, The Perimeter Prefect, we explored how planners, coaches, and changemakers are redefining financial support outside the regulatory perimeter—offering clarity, empowerment, and purpose without the burden of unnecessary red tape. This isn’t about … Continue reading The Perimeter Prefect: Reclaiming Financial Planning Beyond Regulation →

Dear Nikhil Rathi: A £1.5m Crypto Scam Got 12 Years — But What About £10bn QROPS Fraud?

By Steve ConleyFounder, Academy of Life Planning 👏 Well done, FCA. Two fraudsters who scammed 65 individuals out of £1.5 million through fake crypto investments have rightly been sentenced to a combined 12 years in prison. Justice was swift, public, and commendable. But what about the 40,000 British victims of the QROPS scandal — robbed … Continue reading Dear Nikhil Rathi: A £1.5m Crypto Scam Got 12 Years — But What About £10bn QROPS Fraud? →

Your Money or Your Life: The Regulator That Turned a Blind Eye

For Paul Birch. For every whistleblower they tried to silence. They say justice is blind. But in Paul’s case, the FCA didn’t just close its eyes—it looked the other way. Paul Birch is not a footnote. He’s not an isolated case. He’s a British citizen who played by the rules—who asked for protection and got … Continue reading Your Money or Your Life: The Regulator That Turned a Blind Eye →

Financial “Growth” Authority: Says “Risk Is Good”? The Language of a Captured Regulator

By Steve Conley, Founder, Academy of Life Planning "Risk is good," proclaims the watchdog. But when the guard dog starts wagging its tail at the City, who’s protecting the public? Last week, FT Adviser reports that at the Global Management Summit, Simon Walls—Executive Director of Markets at what is still officially called the Financial Conduct … Continue reading Financial “Growth” Authority: Says “Risk Is Good”? The Language of a Captured Regulator →

🧭 India Just Drew a Line — Should the UK Follow?

SEBI, India’s financial regulator, has made a bold and principled move: disentangling financial advice from product distribution. It ruled that Mutual Fund Distributors (MFDs) must not describe themselves as “financial advisers” or “planners” unless they’re formally registered as fee-only fiduciaries (RIAs). Why? Because doing so misleads the public, confuses roles, and masks conflicts of interest. … Continue reading 🧭 India Just Drew a Line — Should the UK Follow? →

When Silence is Complicity: The Institutional Refusal to Confront Financial Crime

By Steve Conley Founder, Academy of Life Planning | Advocate for Financial Justice Across the Isle of Man and Malta, a disturbing pattern has emerged—one that undermines public trust, discredits regulatory systems, and leaves thousands of victims in the wake of financial devastation. The pattern is this: credible, corroborated claims of financial crime are being … Continue reading When Silence is Complicity: The Institutional Refusal to Confront Financial Crime →