The Asset Most Financial Planners Still Ignore: Human Capital

For decades, financial planning has been dominated by a simple idea: Build financial capital so you can eventually stop working. Portfolios.Pensions.Assets under management. But something profound is changing. In the age of artificial intelligence, automation, and longer working lives, the real driver of prosperity is no longer financial capital alone. It is human capital. And … Continue reading The Asset Most Financial Planners Still Ignore: Human Capital →

When Clients Become Capable: What the Latest SJP Results Reveal About the Future of Advice

For years, the advice industry believed its greatest risk was regulation. Then came fee transparency. Now a deeper shift is underway. Clients are becoming capable. Artificial intelligence is quietly redistributing power in financial decision-making. Clients can now analyse portfolios, run retirement scenarios, compare products, and test planning assumptions in minutes. This does not eliminate advisers. … Continue reading When Clients Become Capable: What the Latest SJP Results Reveal About the Future of Advice →

Is Money a Proxy for Human Agency?

The short answer is: yes — but only partially.Money is often used as a proxy for agency, but it is a very imperfect one. Understanding that distinction is actually central to what we've been building with the GAME Plan. Let’s unpack it. 1. Why Money Looks Like Agency Money expands the range of choices a … Continue reading Is Money a Proxy for Human Agency? →

Five Sentences Advisers Say Before Leaving the Traditional Advice Model

Every profession evolves. Financial advice is no exception. For decades, the industry has been structured around a simple model: gather assets, construct portfolios, and charge a percentage of assets under management. But something is changing. Artificial intelligence is automating technical tasks. Clients are arriving more informed. And advisers themselves are beginning to question whether the … Continue reading Five Sentences Advisers Say Before Leaving the Traditional Advice Model →

AI Won’t Replace Financial Advisers

But It Will Change What Advisers Actually Do A financial adviser told me something interesting this week. He said AI won’t replace advisers. An executive from the company behind Claude had said the same thing. He looked relieved. But the conversation that followed made me realise something much more important. AI may not replace advisers. … Continue reading AI Won’t Replace Financial Advisers →

The Asset Most People Forget: Why Human Capital Matters More Than Your Pension

When most people think about financial planning, they think about money. Savings.Investments.Pensions. But there is a far more powerful asset sitting quietly in the background of every financial life. You. Your skills, your health, your experience, your relationships, your creativity, and your ability to adapt. Economists call this human capital — and decades of research … Continue reading The Asset Most People Forget: Why Human Capital Matters More Than Your Pension →

Why Human Capital Must Become a Core Part of Financial Planning

The Missing Asset in Traditional Advice For decades, financial planning has been dominated by one assumption: that wealth primarily comes from financial capital—investments, pensions, property, and portfolios. But economists have long known that the largest asset most people possess is not financial capital at all. It is human capital. Human capital refers to the knowledge, … Continue reading Why Human Capital Must Become a Core Part of Financial Planning →

1,000 female advisers at St. James’s Place.

1,000 female advisers at St. James’s Place. That’s a milestone worth acknowledging. The financial advice profession has long struggled with gender imbalance, and bringing more diverse voices into the industry is unquestionably a positive step. But the announcement also arrives at a fascinating moment for wealth management. Across the sector, another conversation is unfolding. AI. … Continue reading 1,000 female advisers at St. James’s Place. →

If I Were a St. James’s Place Adviser, What Would I Be Thinking Right Now?

There has been a noticeable shift in the conversation around wealth management recently. We’ve seen a sell-off in wealth management stocks. Commentators are debating whether artificial intelligence will transform the industry. Veteran investors argue that AI will simply make advisers more efficient rather than replacing them. Maybe they are right. But if I were an … Continue reading If I Were a St. James’s Place Adviser, What Would I Be Thinking Right Now? →

Applied Institutional Economics for Personal Wealth

Conley, S. (2026).Applied Institutional Economics for Personal Wealth: The Case for Personal Wealth Governance.Academy of Life Planning. The Total Wealth Planning framework synthesises insights from institutional economics, behavioural economics, human capital theory, and decision science to develop a practical governance model for personal wealth. Why Wealth Governance Is the Missing Discipline in Financial Planning For … Continue reading Applied Institutional Economics for Personal Wealth →