In the Academy of Life Planning, we believe wealth is not what you have — it’s what you can do.This philosophy resonates powerfully with a landmark paper by Paula England and Nancy Folbre, Reconceptualizing Human Capital (2000) — a text that redefines what it means to be “wealthy” in human terms. Beyond the Balance Sheet … Continue reading Reconceptualising Wealth: From Human Capital to Human Capability
Tag: money
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
🧭 Structurally Trustworthy Education: Teaching Our Children Freedom, Not Dependency
By Steve Conley, Founder of the Academy of Life Planning Background: Financial Education Returns to the Curriculum After more than a decade without review, the UK Government has announced plans to include financial education within the national curriculum for both primary and secondary schools. The proposals, warmly welcomed by many financial planners, aim to make … Continue reading 🧭 Structurally Trustworthy Education: Teaching Our Children Freedom, Not Dependency
🌍 The Real Wealth of Nations: Lessons in Human Capital for Holistic Wealth Planners
“Wealth in the broadest sense includes people.” — Irving Fisher (1906) The world’s greatest untapped resource isn’t oil, gold, or digital currency — it’s human capital. A recent study from Riga Stradiņš University and al-Farabi Kazakh National University, “Problems of Development and Effective Use of Human Capital in Developing Countries” (Muravska et al., 2020), offers … Continue reading 🌍 The Real Wealth of Nations: Lessons in Human Capital for Holistic Wealth Planners
🌌 The Six Invisible Laws Every Holistic Wealth Planner Should Know
— How to work with energy, ethics, and timing in the Aquarian Age of Empowerment In the world of holistic wealth planning, numbers and strategies matter — but energy, intention, and alignment matter more. The best planners don’t just design financial blueprints; they harmonise with deeper laws that govern all creation. These laws are not … Continue reading 🌌 The Six Invisible Laws Every Holistic Wealth Planner Should Know
Reframing Wealth: What Human Capital Teaches Us About Growth and Equality
In the pursuit of prosperity, policymakers have long debated the balance between growth and fairness. Yet a seminal study by Jean-Marie Viaene and Itzhak Zilcha — “Human Capital Formation, Income Inequality and Growth” (CESifo, 2001) — offers a powerful reminder: the true engine of both progress and equality is education, not capital. Their model, built … Continue reading Reframing Wealth: What Human Capital Teaches Us About Growth and Equality
💡 Budget Watch: What Rachel Reeves’ 100-Measure Budget Could Mean for You
The Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, is reportedly weighing over a hundred separate tax and spending measures as she prepares the 2025 Budget— the next UK Budget is confirmed for Wednesday 26 November 2025. With the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) warning of slower growth and tighter fiscal space, the government faces difficult choices about who pays, … Continue reading 💡 Budget Watch: What Rachel Reeves’ 100-Measure Budget Could Mean for You
What Economists Teach Us About Human Capital — Lessons for Holistic Wealth Planners
“To reduce unduly expenditure on children may greatly lower their efficiency in after-life.” — Arthur Pigou, The Economics of Welfare (1928) Economists have long recognised that people—not money—are the true source of wealth. A recent academic study by Lucia Rizzica at University College London, Essays on the Economics of Human Capital, offers valuable lessons for … Continue reading What Economists Teach Us About Human Capital — Lessons for Holistic Wealth Planners
🌿 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
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