By Steve Conley, Academy of Life Planning A good friend once said, “We’re only warming up.” That feels true today — because this isn’t about attacking any bank. It’s about ensuring truth, fairness, and balance in how information is shared. Recently, we reviewed the Lloyds Banking Group Fixed Income Investor Presentation (20 February 2025). Page … Continue reading 🏛️ Shouldn’t the Same Facts Be Available to Customers as to Investors?
Tag: politics
💠 Should the Same Moral and Legal Standards Apply — Whether the Perpetrators Wear Post Office Badges or Bank Ties?
In December 2025, Parliament will once again host a vital conversation about justice — this time, concerning the Post Office Scandal.After years of heart-rending testimony, the police have confirmed that corporate manslaughter charges are now under consideration in relation to the Horizon IT failures that ruined hundreds of lives and, tragically, cost some their own. … Continue reading 💠 Should the Same Moral and Legal Standards Apply — Whether the Perpetrators Wear Post Office Badges or Bank Ties?
Lloyds Says Hoarding Capital Slows Growth — But Whose Growth Are We Talking About?
Charlie Nunn, chief executive of Lloyds Banking Group When the chief executive of Lloyds Banking Group — the UK’s largest retail bank and one of the biggest recipients of post-crisis bailouts — calls on government to “go further” in deregulation, it’s worth pausing to ask: for whom? Charlie Nunn’s latest comments frame prudence as a … Continue reading Lloyds Says Hoarding Capital Slows Growth — But Whose Growth Are We Talking About?
The Rules of the Game Are Being Rewritten — and the Referees Are Looking the Other Way
By the Academy of Life Planning As 2025 draws to a close, the Bank of England has sent a mixed message:⚠️ Financial stability risks are rising, yet 🪓 capital requirements for banks are being cut. It’s a move that captures the paradox of modern finance — one hand tightening supervision of shadow banks like Goldman … Continue reading The Rules of the Game Are Being Rewritten — and the Referees Are Looking the Other Way
💡 When the OECD Calls It a Constraint, We Call It a Recalibration
Why Britain’s New Tax Era Could Unlock Human Capital Growth “A nation can tax wealth and still grow — if it grows its people.”— Steve Conley, Academy of Life Planning ⚖️ The Headlines Mislead The OECD has warned that Rachel Reeves’s record tax rises will “constrain economic growth for years” and “deter saving.”Their logic is … Continue reading 💡 When the OECD Calls It a Constraint, We Call It a Recalibration
🏦 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
💣 When the Bank Runs Dry: What Lloyds’ 2011 Meltdown Reveals About the Hidden Mortgage Machine
In 2011, Lloyds Banking Group — the trusted black horse of the British high street — was secretly broke. Its CEO, António Horta-Osório, discovered too late that the bank had been surviving not on depositor cash, but on borrowed money — “hundreds of billions of pounds from other institutions,” as the Financial Times later reported. … Continue reading 💣 When the Bank Runs Dry: What Lloyds’ 2011 Meltdown Reveals About the Hidden Mortgage Machine
Ireland Exposes What the UK Must Confront: The Hidden Truth Behind Mortgage Ownership
By Steve Conley, Academy of Life Planning A landmark case in Dublin this week has pulled back the curtain on a truth that applies equally here in the UK — most homeowners no longer have a mortgage with a bank at all. In Ireland, Judge Geoffrey Shannon of the Circuit Civil Court refused to grant … Continue reading Ireland Exposes What the UK Must Confront: The Hidden Truth Behind Mortgage Ownership
FOS Reforms: Why Citizen Investigators Must Step Forward Now
How the “Targeted Support” era reshapes justice for victims of financial harm 🧩 Introduction: When Protection Becomes Permission The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) — long seen as the last resort for ordinary consumers — is quietly transforming. Beneath the headlines of “operational efficiencies” and “targeted support,” we’re witnessing the reshaping of Britain’s financial justice landscape. … Continue reading FOS Reforms: Why Citizen Investigators Must Step Forward Now
Rebuilding Structural Integrity in Finance: Why Britain Doesn’t Need Higher Taxes — It Needs Higher Trust
By Steve ConleyFounder, Academy of Life Planning & Get SAFE11 November 2025 Trust Precedes Trade Is consumer protection a priority?Is economic growth important? Here’s the thing — trust precedes trade.It’s a simple truth, but one we’ve forgotten. In August 2024, the UK Supreme Court’s Hopcroft ruling confirmed that credit brokers owe no fiduciary duty and … Continue reading Rebuilding Structural Integrity in Finance: Why Britain Doesn’t Need Higher Taxes — It Needs Higher Trust
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