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
Tag: financial advice
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?
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.
The Transparency Illusion: Why Financial Advice Still Isn’t Structurally Trustworthy
“If clients don’t understand how they pay you, they cannot truly trust what they receive.” A new study from Unbiased has revealed something the financial advice industry can no longer ignore. 1 in 5 advised clients don’t understand how they pay for advice 70% of advisers do not publish their fees online 37% of advisers … Continue reading The Transparency Illusion: Why Financial Advice Still Isn’t Structurally Trustworthy
The Regulation Illusion: Why “Authorised” Doesn’t Always Mean Lower Risk
Many thoughtful professionals share a common concern when considering whether to refer clients to a non-regulated financial planning service: “If it isn’t regulated, it must be riskier.” It’s an understandable conclusion. Regulation feels like protection. It signals oversight, standards, and accountability. But when examined through a professional risk lens rather than a psychological comfort lens, … Continue reading The Regulation Illusion: Why “Authorised” Doesn’t Always Mean Lower Risk
The 95% Myth: How the Advice Industry Manufactures Trust While Silencing the Truth
Why a single headline tells you everything about the system we are fighting to change This week, a new claim appeared across the trade press: “95% say financial advice helps them hit financial goals.”(Opinium survey of 8,000 UK adults, commissioned by St. James’s Place.) To the casual observer, it reads like a national truth.To those … Continue reading The 95% Myth: How the Advice Industry Manufactures Trust While Silencing the Truth
💣 The Leverage Trap: Why Advice Consolidation Is the Next Financial Stability Risk
Replacing Extraction with Empowerment — Restoring Truth, Trust & Freedom in FinanceBy Steve Conley, Founder of the Academy of Life Planning (AoLP) & Get SAFE The Financial Conduct Authority has just sounded another quiet alarm. In a review published on 31 October 2025, the FCA warned that mounting debt, weak governance, and conflicted incentives within … Continue reading 💣 The Leverage Trap: Why Advice Consolidation Is the Next Financial Stability Risk
Standard Life launches affordable pension advice business: “Flat-Fee Advice or Flat-Out Missed the Point?”
Standard Life’s new flat-fee pension advice service is being framed as a breakthrough in accessibility — £1,000 for advice, £500 for an annual review, available to customers with £50,000+ DC pots. On the surface, this looks like progress. But beneath the headlines lies a deeper problem in how “advice” continues to be defined and delivered … Continue reading Standard Life launches affordable pension advice business: “Flat-Fee Advice or Flat-Out Missed the Point?”
Footballers Deserve Better: Why They Should Not Be Classified as High Net Worth or Sophisticated Clients
Professional footballers are too often treated by the financial system as “high net worth” or “sophisticated” investors. This classification strips them of the vital protections afforded to retail clients by the FCA and the Financial Ombudsman Service. In reality, they are among the most vulnerable groups in society when it comes to financial exploitation. Their … Continue reading Footballers Deserve Better: Why They Should Not Be Classified as High Net Worth or Sophisticated Clients
Evolving Financial Advisers: The AI Revolution at the 2024 Artificial Intelligence in Financial Advice Conference
LONDON, July 10, 2024 – Gather round, dear financial advisers, as we delve into the delightful dystopia unveiled at the 2024 Artificial Intelligence in Financial Advice conference today. Held at the charmingly impersonal Pullman Hotel in London, the event revealed a future where half of the advisers aged 58 and above are frantically plotting their … Continue reading Evolving Financial Advisers: The AI Revolution at the 2024 Artificial Intelligence in Financial Advice Conference
Academy of Life Planning 