Most of a Person’s Wealth Is Not on a Balance Sheet — It Walks Into Work Every Day

A practitioner insight for Total Wealth Planners Traditional financial planning has taught generations of advisers to look down—at balance sheets, portfolios, wrappers, and projections.Total Wealth Planning asks us to look up—at the living, breathing human being who generates, sustains, and renews all of that capital. A growing body of academic research confirms what many of … Continue reading Most of a Person’s Wealth Is Not on a Balance Sheet — It Walks Into Work Every Day →

Case Study: When “Building Your Own Book” Isn’t What It Seems

This case study is drawn from multiple adviser experiences. Details have been anonymised, but the structure and outcomes are real. The starting point: an attractive opportunity An adviser joins a well-known advice practice operating within a large network. They are offered a Business Support Package (BSP), described verbally as: help getting started, an investment in … Continue reading Case Study: When “Building Your Own Book” Isn’t What It Seems →

The BSP Trap: What SJP Advisers Are Rarely Told — and How to Get Free If You’re Already In

Business Support Packages (BSPs) are often presented as a helping hand. A bridge.A vote of confidence.A way to “get established quickly”. For many advisers entering or operating within large networks such as St James’s Place, BSPs can feel like the only viable route forward. But what looks like support on the way in can feel … Continue reading The BSP Trap: What SJP Advisers Are Rarely Told — and How to Get Free If You’re Already In →

The Planner’s Tension:

Why “Complexity” Doesn’t Increase With Age — It Shifts As more traditional planners explore Total Wealth Planning, a recurring tension often surfaces: “Planning becomes more complex as clients get older.” It’s a reasonable assumption.It’s also incomplete. What actually changes over a lifetime is not the level of complexity, but the composition of wealth — and … Continue reading The Planner’s Tension: →

When the Debt Letters Arrive: Why Advisers Need a Bridge Before Legal Action

Over the past year, a quiet but troubling pattern has been emerging inside adviser networks. First, firms are deauthorised.Then advisers are moved, paused, or left in limbo.And only later do the debt letters arrive. A recent Citywire investigation has brought this pattern into sharp focus. The Morrinson Wealth case One of St James’s Place Wealth … Continue reading When the Debt Letters Arrive: Why Advisers Need a Bridge Before Legal Action →

Beware the Open Gate: Why Stepping Outside the Regulatory Perimeter Puts You at Risk

A Get SAFE warning for citizens, savers, and investors There is a quiet but dangerous shift happening in UK financial regulation. The Financial Conduct Authority has proposed changes that would make it easier for individuals to be classified as “professional investors” — even without significant wealth — provided they pass a subjective assessment by a … Continue reading Beware the Open Gate: Why Stepping Outside the Regulatory Perimeter Puts You at Risk →

When Your Lender Isn’t Really Your Lender

What the UK’s Private Credit Boom Means for People Who Lose Forbearance Overnight If you’ve ever been told: “We can’t help you anymore — the account is in default,”despite years of good conduct, illness, or temporary hardship — this article is for you. Recent warnings from the House of Lords confirm something Get SAFE members … Continue reading When Your Lender Isn’t Really Your Lender →

From Evidence to Empowerment: Why Financial Literacy Tests Are Necessary — and Why They Are Not Enough

An Academy of Life Planning perspective on Britain’s overdue reckoning Last week, Michael Mainelli, Chairman of Z/Yen Group and former Lord Mayor of the City of London, published a sharp and timely intervention calling on the UK to stop avoiding international scrutiny and finally participate in the OECD PISA Financial Literacy Assessment. His argument is … Continue reading From Evidence to Empowerment: Why Financial Literacy Tests Are Necessary — and Why They Are Not Enough →

Human Capital Isn’t a “Soft” Concept — It’s the Hardest Driver of Fair Wealth Outcomes

Lessons for Total Wealth Planners from Global Evidence on Income Equality For decades, financial planning has been dominated by one narrow question:How do we grow financial capital? But global evidence increasingly points to a deeper, more foundational truth: Societies that invest in human capital don’t just grow wealth — they distribute it more fairly. A … Continue reading Human Capital Isn’t a “Soft” Concept — It’s the Hardest Driver of Fair Wealth Outcomes →

Human Capital Lessons Every Total Wealth Planner Should Understand

What a global development study reveals about planning, productivity, and prosperity For Total Wealth Planners, human capital is not a soft concept. It is the primary engine of long-term wealth, resilience, and freedom. A major academic study on the development and effective use of human capital in developing countries offers powerful lessons that are just … Continue reading Human Capital Lessons Every Total Wealth Planner Should Understand →