In recent weeks, Bank of England (BoE) and its regulatory arm Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) have signalled a push to relax capital requirements for UK banks. The official narrative promises “revived lending capacity” — more mortgages, more credit for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and renewed economic growth. On the surface, this may sound like … Continue reading Why Loosening Bank Capital Rules Is a Risk — Not a Solution (An AoLP / Get SAFE Perspective)
Tag: investing
White Paper | From Hidden Credit Lines to Hidden Owners
How UK Banks Manufactured Defaults and Profited Through Unregulated SPVs Executive Summary This white paper reveals a hidden architecture within British banking that converts human distress into financial yield. Beneath the surface of ordinary mortgages and small-business loans lies a complex network of concealed credit lines, manufactured defaults, and unregulated securitisation vehicles. Together, these mechanisms … Continue reading White Paper | From Hidden Credit Lines to Hidden Owners
From City Pro to Superhuman: The Rise of the Holistic Wealth Planner
💼 The City Has Grown, But Its Soul Has Shrunk What London’s job boom tells us about the future of financial planning “London financial services jobs have risen 30% since 2019.”At first glance, that sounds like a renaissance story — a post-Brexit, post-pandemic comeback for the Square Mile. But look closer, and a different picture … Continue reading From City Pro to Superhuman: The Rise of the Holistic Wealth Planner
Key lessons for Holistic Wealth Planners
Here are the key lessons for Holistic Wealth Planners drawn from Essays on the Economics of Human Capital (Lucia Rizzica, UCL 2013) — translated from academic economics into the context of AoLP’s human-centred planning philosophy: 1. Aspiration Is an Economic Asset The UK “Widening Participation” study showed that raising non-cognitive traits such as aspiration and … Continue reading Key lessons for Holistic Wealth Planners
The Real Value of Advice: Why We Don’t Charge by the Pound of Assets Under Management
“If your worth is measured by the market, you’ve already sold your soul to it.” Across the financial advice industry, one number continues to dominate — 1%.Whether your wealth grows or falls, the adviser’s fee remains tethered to it. The Citywire Top 100 Firms 2025 and FCA data show the same pattern: ongoing charges clustered … Continue reading The Real Value of Advice: Why We Don’t Charge by the Pound of Assets Under Management
AoLP Blog: “Let’s Get the Debate Over With”: You’re all doing financial planning wrong.
You’re all doing financial planning wrong.When one person stands against the crowd, it’s easy to dismiss them as difficult, disruptive, or wrong. But what if that one person simply sees the truth differently? For years, I’ve been that “annoying guy” in your feed saying the financial planning industry has lost its way. It’s not about … Continue reading AoLP Blog: “Let’s Get the Debate Over With”: You’re all doing financial planning wrong.
The Securitisation Trap: The Hidden System Behind UK Repossessions & Why Your Bank Won’t Let You Switch to Interest-Only
How Financial Engineering, Legal Ambiguity and Regulatory Silence Create Structural Risk for Homeowners A Quiet Crisis Behind the Possession Courts Most homeowners believe repossession happens for simple reasons: arrears, expired terms, or a broken agreement with their lender.But behind the scenes, a silent and vastly more complex machine is operating — one that even judges … Continue reading The Securitisation Trap: The Hidden System Behind UK Repossessions & Why Your Bank Won’t Let You Switch to Interest-Only
Fee-for-No-Service: The Hidden Consumer Duty Crisis — and the Rise of AI-Empowered Financial Planning
By Steve Conley, Academy of Life Planning For the first time since records began, the number of clients receiving ongoing financial advice in the UK has fallen.According to new FCA data, advisers switched off ongoing services for 335,286 clients in 2024, a dramatic spike from the previous year. Headlines attribute this to the Consumer Duty.But … Continue reading Fee-for-No-Service: The Hidden Consumer Duty Crisis — and the Rise of AI-Empowered Financial Planning
Why Britain Needs Total-Wealth Planners — Not 1% Advisers
For years we’ve told people that “financial advice” means picking funds, switching products, or optimising the investable sliver of their portfolio. But this narrow definition has hidden a deeper structural truth: regulated retail investments — the only area most advisers are authorised to touch — account for less than one percent of the total wealth … Continue reading Why Britain Needs Total-Wealth Planners — Not 1% Advisers
When “Alpha” Broke the Bank
In 2007, I was Head of Savings and Investments Strategy at RBS Group, based in the gleaming Gogarburn headquarters that symbolised the bank’s soaring ambition. I had just completed a five-year strategic plan designed to position RBS as a sustainable market leader — one that could combine profitability with prudence, and growth with genuine customer … Continue reading When “Alpha” Broke the Bank
Academy of Life Planning 