(And why it’s not about religion) In the Academy of Life Planning, we talk openly about total wellbeing.Not just money.Not just mental health.But the whole human experience. That includes spiritual wellbeing — often misunderstood, sometimes avoided, and frequently confused with organised religion. This article is a bridge.It’s not asking you to believe anything.It’s inviting you … Continue reading Why Spiritual Wellbeing Matters
Tag: health
FOS Reforms: Why Citizen Investigators Must Step Forward Now
How the “Targeted Support” era reshapes justice for victims of financial harm 🧩 Introduction: When Protection Becomes Permission The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) — long seen as the last resort for ordinary consumers — is quietly transforming. Beneath the headlines of “operational efficiencies” and “targeted support,” we’re witnessing the reshaping of Britain’s financial justice landscape. … Continue reading FOS Reforms: Why Citizen Investigators Must Step Forward Now
🤖 When Algorithms Deny Humanity: The AI Arms Race in Health Insurance — and What It Teaches Us About Financial Justice
By Steve Conley, Founder, Academy of Life Planning In the United States this winter, a quiet war is unfolding in the world of health insurance.It’s not between doctors and patients, or even between insurers and regulators.It’s between two algorithms. One denies life-saving treatment.The other fights back. This “AI arms race” is reshaping the boundaries of … Continue reading 🤖 When Algorithms Deny Humanity: The AI Arms Race in Health Insurance — and What It Teaches Us About Financial Justice
Key lessons for a Holistic Wealth Planner
Here are the key lessons for a Holistic Wealth Planner from “Human Capital, Poverty, and Income Distribution in Developing Countries” by Minh Quang Dao (Journal of Economic Studies, 2008). 🌱 1. Human Capital is the True Engine of Wealth The study confirms that improvements in education, health, and nutrition directly reduce poverty and inequality. For … Continue reading Key lessons for a Holistic Wealth Planner
When Auditors Pass and Workers Pay: What the Wilko Collapse Tells Us About a Captured System
When Wilko collapsed in 2023, 12,000 people lost their jobs.The auditors didn’t. The advisers didn’t. The owners didn’t. In a single hearing of the UK Parliament’s Business and Trade Committee in November 2023, Professor Atul K. Shah quietly confirmed what many workers already felt in their bones: the system did not fail by accident. It … Continue reading When Auditors Pass and Workers Pay: What the Wilko Collapse Tells Us About a Captured System
AI, Evidence, and the Turning Tide: How Ordinary People Are Finally Winning Against Extraordinary Power
Some stories mark a shift in the landscape — and last night’s session delivered another one. John stood up and shared something remarkable. Just four weeks ago he was overwhelmed. Thirty-five years’ worth of paperwork, emails, and documents sat in boxes, impossible to decipher, impossible to articulate. He knew he was right, but like so … Continue reading AI, Evidence, and the Turning Tide: How Ordinary People Are Finally Winning Against Extraordinary Power
🧭 Affordability or Opportunity? Rethinking Why Older Workers Keep Working
By Steve Conley – Academy of Life Planning When new research tells us that “older Londoners can’t afford to retire,” it’s worth pausing to ask: is that really the full story? According to data analysed by Bower Home Finance, seven of the UK’s top ten areas where people over 65 remain in work are in … Continue reading 🧭 Affordability or Opportunity? Rethinking Why Older Workers Keep Working
🌱 Lessons for Holistic Wealth Planners from the Science of Spiritual Well-Being
By Steve Conley, Academy of Life Planning In the quest to understand what truly makes life fulfilling, psychology has long focused on the concept of subjective well-being — how people evaluate the quality of their own lives. For decades, this field has measured happiness through domains such as health, relationships, safety, and community connection. But … Continue reading 🌱 Lessons for Holistic Wealth Planners from the Science of Spiritual Well-Being
The Birth of the Holistic Wealth Planner
The Birth of the Holistic Wealth Planner How a conversation with Don MacIntyre helped name a movement. A Profession at a Crossroads In the autumn of 2024, I reconnected with Don MacIntyre, then Chief Executive of the Personal Finance Society (PFS). The profession was in flux. Questions were rising about integrity, independence, and identity. Was … Continue reading The Birth of the Holistic Wealth Planner
When Oversight Becomes Obstruction: What Evidence Suggests About the Financial Ombudsman Service
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) was created to be the independent referee — the place where consumers could seek justice when financial firms failed them. Its role is vital: to provide fairness, transparency, and accountability in a sector where trust is already fragile. Yet evidence suggests a troubling pattern of behaviour inside the organisation. Instead … Continue reading When Oversight Becomes Obstruction: What Evidence Suggests About the Financial Ombudsman Service
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