Case Study: When Compliance Goes Wrong — How the Academy of Life Planning Stepped In to Restore Fairness and Professional Standards

A true story (with identifiers removed) illustrating why conduct supervision and mentorship matter — both inside and outside the FCA perimeter. 1. The Background: From Adviser to Empowered Planner After years working in a traditional financial-advice firm, one planner decided to take a bold step: to leave the world of product intermediation and build a … Continue reading Case Study: When Compliance Goes Wrong — How the Academy of Life Planning Stepped In to Restore Fairness and Professional Standards

Finance Lobbying Is Out of Control – Here’s How We Take Back Balance

The financial lobby has more influence over UK policy today than at any time since the 2008 crash. Ministers and regulators are being nudged—some might say coerced—into promoting the growth of finance as if it were an unquestionable good. But history tells us otherwise. When finance grows unchecked, inequality widens, crises multiply, and society pays … Continue reading Finance Lobbying Is Out of Control – Here’s How We Take Back Balance

🧭 Reimagining Financial Empowerment in the Aquarian Age: A Response to FCA CP25/17

By Steve Conley, Founder, Academy of Life Planning The FCA's Consultation Paper CP25/17, “Supporting consumers' pensions and investment decisions: proposals for targeted support,” sets out to close the so-called “advice gap” through a new regime of cohort-based recommendations. But to those of us working to empower individuals, not intermediaries, this paper represents a step backwards—toward … Continue reading 🧭 Reimagining Financial Empowerment in the Aquarian Age: A Response to FCA CP25/17