Are you an SJP adviser feeling the pressure?Or do you know someone stuck in that system—frustrated, exhausted, conflicted? If so, you’re not alone.And there is another way. ✅ Let’s start with two simple questions: Do you want to run a planning business built around your values, not someone else’s targets? Do you believe clients deserve … Continue reading Is It Time to Leave St. James’s Place? Discover a New Path in Financial Planning
Tag: personal-finance
Who Guards the Guardians? The FCA, Money Box, and the Disappearing Line Between Advocacy and Sales
“Trust is built in drops and lost in buckets.”— Kevin Plank It began, as many things do, with a trusted voice on the radio. The BBC’s Money Box has long been a staple of consumer advocacy in Britain — a comforting soundscape of sensible financial advice, delivered with journalistic credibility. But something didn’t sit right … Continue reading Who Guards the Guardians? The FCA, Money Box, and the Disappearing Line Between Advocacy and Sales
From Smoke and Mirrors to Clear Water: Why the SJP Fee Revamp Is Too Little, Too Late
“We do not see the world as it is. We see the world as we are.”— Anaïs Nin Today, St. James’s Place (SJP) made front-page news in Telegraph Money, announcing the long-awaited revamp of its fee structure. The message? Transparency. Value. Reform. The truth? An illusion of change designed to protect a model under pressure—not … Continue reading From Smoke and Mirrors to Clear Water: Why the SJP Fee Revamp Is Too Little, Too Late
How to Manage Your Finances in the Age of Aquarius
“The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm.” We are standing at the threshold of a new financial era. The Age of Pisces—marked by hierarchy, dependence, and delegation—is giving way to the Age of Aquarius, a time of transparency, empowerment, and self-agency. Nowhere is this shift more … Continue reading How to Manage Your Finances in the Age of Aquarius
Keep It Simple — And Boring: Why Private Markets Don’t Belong in Your Pension
“Complexity is not a solution. It's a smokescreen.”— Steve Conley In July 2025, Donald Trump signed an executive order opening the door for U.S. 401(k) retirement plans to invest more heavily in private markets. On the surface, it’s sold as “democratisation”—letting everyday investors access the same high-return opportunities as institutions. But beneath the rhetoric, this … Continue reading Keep It Simple — And Boring: Why Private Markets Don’t Belong in Your Pension
“Nothing to See Here”: How Cognitive Bias and Conflicts of Interest Keep Wealthy Investors Asleep
By Steve Conley, Academy of Life Planning In the world of financial services, we like to think we’re rational. Professional. Unbiased. But dig a little deeper and you’ll find a system that may be blind—wilfully or otherwise—to its own conflicts of interest and the cognitive biases they produce. A Tale of Two Markets While trade … Continue reading “Nothing to See Here”: How Cognitive Bias and Conflicts of Interest Keep Wealthy Investors Asleep
💼 From Delegator’s Intermediary to Empowered: Reimagining a Financial Planner’s Career in 90 Days
How a seasoned adviser found purpose, profit, and personal fulfilment as a holistic wealth planner. “I didn’t know this was even possible.”That’s what Alex (name changed) told us when we first connected. After nearly three decades in financial services as a Chartered Financial Planner, Alex had spent a career focused on compliance, personal advice, and … Continue reading 💼 From Delegator’s Intermediary to Empowered: Reimagining a Financial Planner’s Career in 90 Days
🌍 Awakening the Aquarian Age: A Strategy to Transform the System from the Ground Up
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the old one obsolete.” — Buckminster Fuller We are entering a new era—one defined not by hierarchy and control, but by decentralisation, transparency, and collective empowerment. The Academy of Life Planning, alongside Get SAFE and the M-POWER … Continue reading 🌍 Awakening the Aquarian Age: A Strategy to Transform the System from the Ground Up
🌍 Why ISO 22222 Backs the Aquarian Shift in Financial Planning
Does Finance Fulfil Purpose? Part 2: How international standards support client-led, purpose-driven advice models In the Age of Aquarius, we are witnessing a profound shift in how financial planning is delivered—and more importantly, who holds the power. At the Academy of Life Planning, we champion a model where the client, not the planner, retains full … Continue reading 🌍 Why ISO 22222 Backs the Aquarian Shift in Financial Planning
💡 Does Finance Fulfil Purpose?
A Proposal for the New Age “The purpose of a ‘great company’ gives it a reason for being, defining its contribution to society.”— Pitt-Watson & Mann, Does Finance Fulfil Purpose? In their thoughtful report, David Pitt-Watson and Dr Hari Mann ask a foundational question that most in the industry still avoid:Does finance fulfil its purpose? … Continue reading 💡 Does Finance Fulfil Purpose?
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