🌿 The Sacred Pursuit of Enough: Redefining Money Through Ministry

For centuries, spiritual seekers and professionals alike have wrestled with a painful paradox:Is the pursuit of money wrong? Luke 16:13 reminds us, “No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve both God and money.” Many interpret this as a rejection of wealth itself — a command to forsake material ambition in favour of spiritual … Continue reading 🌿 The Sacred Pursuit of Enough: Redefining Money Through Ministry

🌟 Why You Are Here: Turning Talents into Service through the GAME Plan

“God has given each of you some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others God’s many kinds of blessings.”— 1 Peter 4:10 (Living Bible) The Calling Within In the Academy of Life Planning, we begin with a simple but profound truth: you were designed on purpose, for … Continue reading 🌟 Why You Are Here: Turning Talents into Service through the GAME Plan

🌍 How England & Folbre’s Four Capabilities Underpin the GAME Plan’s Whole-Person Paradigm

“Wealth is not what we have, but what we can do — and become — together.” For over half a century, economists have treated human capital as an input to productivity — a resource to be measured, managed, and monetised. But a groundbreaking reappraisal by Paula England and Nancy Folbre invites us to see something … Continue reading 🌍 How England & Folbre’s Four Capabilities Underpin the GAME Plan’s Whole-Person Paradigm

The Enabling Environment: Why Structural Trust Is the True Engine of Wealth

“The key for the future of any country lies in the talent, skills, and capabilities of its people.”— Dr. Mahesh U. Daru, Human Capital: The Tool for Economic Growth and Development When we talk about wealth, our culture still reaches first for money. But as Dr. Mahesh Daru’s paper reminds us, it is people—not capital—that … Continue reading The Enabling Environment: Why Structural Trust Is the True Engine of Wealth

Detached, Ignorant, and Selfish? The Real Crisis Isn’t in the Treasury — It’s in Our Thinking

By Steve Conley | Academy of Life Planning A City broker’s outburst this week branded the UK Treasury “detached, ignorant, and selfish,” accusing policymakers of strangling enterprise and misunderstanding the very nature of economic growth. It’s a strong statement — but one that echoes a deeper truth we at the Academy of Life Planning (AoLP) … Continue reading Detached, Ignorant, and Selfish? The Real Crisis Isn’t in the Treasury — It’s in Our Thinking

The Paradox of Progress: What the Data on Human Capital Teaches Holistic Wealth Planners

“When education becomes privilege, progress turns to paradox.” For decades, we’ve been told that education and upskilling are the keys to prosperity. Economists, politicians, and business leaders have repeated the same story — invest in human capital, and inequality will fall. But a recent study by Onur Ozdemir (2020), “Distributional Effects of Human Capital in … Continue reading The Paradox of Progress: What the Data on Human Capital Teaches Holistic Wealth Planners

10 Lessons in Human Capital: Making Education, Mentorship, and Self-Development Part of the Family Balance Sheet

By Steve Conley, Founder of the Academy of Life Planning 💡 Introduction: The Wealth We Overlook When most people think of a balance sheet, they see assets and liabilities — property, pensions, savings, and debt. Yet, according to global studies, over 80% of a nation’s true wealth lies not in its financial capital, but in … Continue reading 10 Lessons in Human Capital: Making Education, Mentorship, and Self-Development Part of the Family Balance Sheet

10 Lessons in Human Capital: Turning Obsolescence Risk into Opportunity

“The greatest difference between developed and underdeveloped societies is not money—but mind.”— Adapted from Latif Zeynalli, European Journal of Social Impact and Circular Economy (2020) In a world where technology evolves faster than we can adapt, the greatest risk we face is not financial loss — it’s human obsolescence. The World Bank estimates that 64% … Continue reading 10 Lessons in Human Capital: Turning Obsolescence Risk into Opportunity

💡 Reclaiming the True Wealth of Nations: Lessons in Human Capital for Holistic Wealth Planners

“The wealth of a nation lies not in its gold, but in its people.” — Irving Fisher In 2020, a group of researchers from Riga Stradiņš University and al-Farabi Kazakh National University examined why developing countries struggle to turn human potential into human prosperity. Their findings read like a mirror to our work as Holistic … Continue reading 💡 Reclaiming the True Wealth of Nations: Lessons in Human Capital for Holistic Wealth Planners

🧭 10 Lessons for Holistic Wealth Planners from The Education Irony

“Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true education.”— Martin Luther King Jr. A new study, The Education Irony: When College Degrees Lead to Unemployment, Mindless Thinking, Debt, and Despair (Friedman, 2025), exposes a truth long felt across society — that conventional education is failing to prepare people for real life. Universities, once … Continue reading 🧭 10 Lessons for Holistic Wealth Planners from The Education Irony