Four pathways. One purpose: helping people take ownership of their lives and financial decisions. By Steve Conley | Academy of Life Planning People can access more financial information than ever. They can ask AI to explain a pension, organise their records or explore a planning question. What they still need is the capability to connect … Continue reading How to become an accredited Total Wealth Planner
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Top Ten AI Prompts to Use on Your Financial Adviser
Understand what you pay. Test what you receive. Decide what you need. By Steve Conley | Academy of Life PlanningUK consumer guide | 24 October 2026 You do not need to become a financial expert to ask better questions of one. Your adviser may provide valuable expertise, reassurance and practical support. You are entitled to … Continue reading Top Ten AI Prompts to Use on Your Financial Adviser
A Family Office Without Handing Over the Controls
Our second TFO Friday explored how more families could access joined-up professional support—and remain firmly in charge. By Steve Conley | Academy of Life Planning | 23 October 2026 A family can have a financial planner, an accountant and a solicitor—and still find that nobody is joining everything together. Each professional understands part of the … Continue reading A Family Office Without Handing Over the Controls
What is good for the City is not necessarily good for the country
When central bankers intervene in government spending choices, we should ask whose definition of prosperity is setting the limits. By Steve Conley, Founder, Academy of Life Planning An elected government prepares its Budget. The Governor of the Bank of England warns about credibility, rising spending and the possibility of another crisis. A newspaper invokes the … Continue reading What is good for the City is not necessarily good for the country
When the Rewards Flow Upwards, Why Does the Blame Flow Downwards?
Five overturned banking convictions raise a bigger question: who has the power to shape a system, and who carries the consequences when it fails? By Steve Conley, Founder, Academy of Life Planning8 October 2026 A prestigious employer. A respected job title. A career in the City. From the outside, these look like signs of security. … Continue reading When the Rewards Flow Upwards, Why Does the Blame Flow Downwards?
The wealth a balance sheet cannot show
Lessons on human capital for Total Wealth Planners By Steve Conley, Academy of Life Planning Two people can have the same savings and very different futures. One has skills people need, the health to use them and access to worthwhile opportunities. The other has equally valuable experience but is exhausted, caring for a relative or … Continue reading The wealth a balance sheet cannot show
What Is Freedom Worth If You Cannot Afford to Exercise It?
Why personal capability and a fairer economy belong in the same conversation. By Steve Conley, Founder, Academy of Life Planning We tell people to take responsibility for their lives. Save for the future. Develop their skills. Make better decisions. But what happens when someone makes careful decisions and still cannot afford a secure home? When … Continue reading What Is Freedom Worth If You Cannot Afford to Exercise It?
When Speaking Up Costs You Your Life Back: Lessons from Simon Andriesz’s Case
Acting on a whistleblower’s information and protecting the person who provides it are different outcomes. Someone facing retaliation needs a plan for both. By Steve Conley, Founder, Academy of Life Planning3 October 2026 At the end of a Transparency Task Force event in July, Simon Andriesz explained what he wanted. An independent investigation. Parliamentary scrutiny. … Continue reading When Speaking Up Costs You Your Life Back: Lessons from Simon Andriesz’s Case
An FCA Check Is Only the Start: Investigate Before You Invest
A firm appears on the FCA Firm Checker. You breathe a little easier. But what, exactly, have you checked? You have checked something important: whether the firm is authorised and has permission to provide the service you want. You have not established that the person contacting you works for that firm, that this particular investment … Continue reading An FCA Check Is Only the Start: Investigate Before You Invest
Human Capital Is Not a Salary: Lessons for Total Wealth Planners
Abstract Conventional financial planning commonly treats labour income as an input into a financial model while concentrating the substantive analysis on accumulated financial capital. Human capital theory suggests that this reverses the economic relationship for many households. Knowledge, skills, experience, health, adaptability and productive capacity constitute forms of capital that may generate income, enhance resilience … Continue reading Human Capital Is Not a Salary: Lessons for Total Wealth Planners
