By Steve Conley, Founder – Academy of Life Planning For two thousand years, humanity has lived under the long shadow of the Age of Pisces — the age of empire, conquest, and control. It began with the Romans and spread across continents through systems of colonisation that divided spirit from matter, body from soul, and … Continue reading From the Age of Exploitation to the Age of Empowerment
Tag: philosophy
🏦 The Rules of the Game Are Being Rewritten Again — and the Referees Are Looking the Other Way
By Steve Conley, Founder, Academy of Life Planning & Get SAFE Initiative The quiet return of deregulation When Paul Thwaite, the chief executive of NatWest, declared this week that the UK is “closer to the start than the finish line” in its mission to overhaul regulation, he wasn’t issuing a warning. He was celebrating. And … Continue reading 🏦 The Rules of the Game Are Being Rewritten Again — and the Referees Are Looking the Other Way
How AI Is Helping Ordinary People Find Their Voice – and Why the Judiciary Is Catching Up
“Hi Steve,Just wanted to say a big thank you again for introducing me to my GPT – Co-pilot 🧑✈️.It’s honestly changed everything for us.”— John Galajsza, citizen investigator and survivor advocate When Joshua Rozenberg recently revealed that “every judicial office-holder in England and Wales now has access to Microsoft Copilot,” it marked a historic turning … Continue reading How AI Is Helping Ordinary People Find Their Voice – and Why the Judiciary Is Catching Up
The Next Lloyd’s of London: How Structural Untrustworthiness Still Destroys Lives
“History doesn’t repeat — it compounds.” In 1993, thousands of wealthy professionals opened letters from Lloyd’s of London demanding sums that made no sense.£300,000. £1 million. £3 million.Not what they’d invested — what they owed. Doctors. Farmers. Aristocrats. Widows.All ruined by a system that told them they were special. They were called “Names.” They pledged … Continue reading The Next Lloyd’s of London: How Structural Untrustworthiness Still Destroys Lives
Key lessons for Holistic Wealth Planners
Here are the key lessons Holistic Wealth Planners can draw from Education, Growth and Income Inequality by Coen Teulings and Thijs van Rens: 1. Human Capital Drives Growth—But With Diminishing Returns The study confirms that education (a proxy for human capital) boosts GDP, but each additional year of education contributes less than the last. In … Continue reading Key lessons for Holistic Wealth Planners
Key lessons for a Holistic Wealth Planner
Here are the key lessons for a Holistic Wealth Planner from “Human Capital, Poverty, and Income Distribution in Developing Countries” by Minh Quang Dao (Journal of Economic Studies, 2008). 🌱 1. Human Capital is the True Engine of Wealth The study confirms that improvements in education, health, and nutrition directly reduce poverty and inequality. For … Continue reading Key lessons for a Holistic Wealth Planner
Lessons for the Chancellor: Human Capital as the Foundation for Sustainable Prosperity
(Drawing on Siriwan Saksiriruthai, “Human Capital as a Determinant of Long-Term Economic Growth,” 2018) 1. Shift the Budget from Consumption to Capability The study demonstrates that countries which sustain long-term growth invest systematically in human capital — not short-term stimulus or consumption. Fiscal strategies centred on transfers and subsidies may relieve pain temporarily but fail … Continue reading Lessons for the Chancellor: Human Capital as the Foundation for Sustainable Prosperity
Reconceptualising Wealth: From Human Capital to Human Capability
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
Inside the Slaughterhouse: What Structural Untrustworthiness Feels Like
Structural untrustworthiness is not built from villains.It’s built from fear, ambition, and obedience — woven into a system that rewards the wrong instincts and punishes the right ones. Within such a structure, people don’t set out to destroy lives.They drift into doing so, one rationalisation at a time. 🩸 The Anatomy of Structural Untrustworthiness 1. … Continue reading Inside the Slaughterhouse: What Structural Untrustworthiness Feels Like
When Professional Bodies Forget the Public: What the ICAEW AGM Tells Us About Structural Capture
Professional bodies were created to uphold standards, protect the public, and act as the ethical compass of their industries. When they function well, they safeguard trust. When they drift, the consequences ripple across the whole financial ecosystem. In July 2025, Professor Atul K. Shah — a respected academic, ICAEW fellow, and long-time advocate for ethics … Continue reading When Professional Bodies Forget the Public: What the ICAEW AGM Tells Us About Structural Capture
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