Tag: finance

Financial Planning or Financial Conditioning? Why Human Capital May Matter More Than Financial Products

The Octopus Money research is interesting — and in many ways encouraging. People who received guidance, structure, and support reported feeling more resilient, more hopeful, and more engaged with saving and investing. That matters. In summary, the survey suggests that people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds can experience significantly improved financial confidence and resilience when they … Continue reading Financial Planning or Financial Conditioning? Why Human Capital May Matter More Than Financial Products →

The Trust Dividend: Why Structurally Trustworthy Financial Systems Would Create More Wealth, Not Less

For years, public debate around financial services has been framed as a battle between markets and consumers. One side argues that finance drives prosperity.The other argues that finance extracts wealth from society. But both sides may be missing something important. The real issue is not whether financial services should exist.The real issue is whether the … Continue reading The Trust Dividend: Why Structurally Trustworthy Financial Systems Would Create More Wealth, Not Less →

The Missing Asset in Britain’s Retirement Debate

Why Financial Planners Must Start Planning Human Capital — Not Just Pension Pots The Pensions Commission has warned, in the Pensions 2050: evidence and future priorities – interim report, that 15 million people are on course for inadequate retirement incomes. The proposed solutions will sound familiar: higher pension contributions, wider automatic enrolment, stronger retirement safeguards, … Continue reading The Missing Asset in Britain’s Retirement Debate →

Restore Human Agency — and What That Means for the Future of Financial Planning

For years, the financial planning profession has largely been built around one central assumption: People need experts to take control. Control of investments.Control of products.Control of complexity.Control of decision-making. That model made sense in an era where financial information was scarce, expensive, fragmented, and difficult for ordinary people to access. But the world has changed. … Continue reading Restore Human Agency — and What That Means for the Future of Financial Planning →

The Hidden Money in the Small Print

Why The Leveller™ exists — and what investment platform cash interest tells us about modern finance There is a quiet shift happening inside modern financial services. Not a dramatic scandal.Not fraud.Not necessarily even misconduct. Something subtler. A growing gap between what institutions technically disclose… and what ordinary people genuinely understand. A recent Citywire report highlighted … Continue reading The Hidden Money in the Small Print →

12.2 Million People Are Being Told They Face Pension Poverty.

But What If the Missing Asset… Is You? A new retirement report from Scottish Widows says 12.2 million people across the UK are at risk of “pension poverty.” The proposed solutions are familiar: Save more into pensions Increase auto-enrolment contributions Invest more for longer Build larger retirement pots Those things matter. But there is another … Continue reading 12.2 Million People Are Being Told They Face Pension Poverty. →

Fiduciary or Free Thinker? Why the “Best Interests” Badge May Not Mean What You Think

For years, consumers have been told to look for one word when choosing a financial professional: “Fiduciary.” The term sounds reassuring. Protective. Dependable. It suggests the person sitting across the table is legally and ethically required to put your interests first. And in many ways, that is true. But there is a deeper question very … Continue reading Fiduciary or Free Thinker? Why the “Best Interests” Badge May Not Mean What You Think →

Op-ed: The Great Independent Advice Illusion

[A reflection on Citywire's article, How SJP advisers are using Policy Services to pitch independent advice 14 May 2026] By Steve Conley The financial advice profession has spent decades arguing over a question that, from a genuine life planning perspective, may matter far less than the industry would like to believe. Restricted or independent? Whole … Continue reading Op-ed: The Great Independent Advice Illusion →

Most of Society Operates Outside the FCA Perimeter

Why restoring human agency is not a crime For many people in Britain, the phrase “unregulated” has quietly become synonymous with “illegal.” That confusion is growing. Every time headlines appear about unauthorised investment schemes, finfluencer prosecutions, pension scams, or illegal financial promotions, the public absorbs a subtle psychological message: If you are not FCA authorised, … Continue reading Most of Society Operates Outside the FCA Perimeter →