Longer Lives Need Better Navigation — Not Longer Dependency

Where do you think helpful financial support crosses the line into dependency? We extended life. But we did not redesign financial planning around it. That is the central argument in Simon Chan’s recent article on how longer lives are changing what people need from financial advisers. It is an important argument, and much of it … Continue reading Longer Lives Need Better Navigation — Not Longer Dependency →

When the Trusted Adviser Is Not the Adviser

You Checked the FCA Register. You Were Still Scammed. From Advice to Agency A message arrives on WhatsApp. The sender appears to be a regulated financial adviser. They use the adviser’s real name, photograph, FCA registration number and company details. They recommend an investment. They create urgency. They tell you where to transfer the money. … Continue reading When the Trusted Adviser Is Not the Adviser →

When Clients Become Assets: What the £4m SJP Court Dispute Reveals

SJP partners in court over £4m client bank sale dispute A £4 million court dispute between St James’s Place partners has cast an uncomfortable light on the trade in so-called “client banks”. Helen Rogers alleges that the portfolio of around 800 clients she acquired from retiring partners contained serious problems, including clients who had not … Continue reading When Clients Become Assets: What the £4m SJP Court Dispute Reveals →

Financial Iceberg: ChatGPT Exposes Hidden Truths

Today I came across this post on LinkedIn: I ACCIDENTALLY UNLOCKED "GOD MODE" IN CHATGPT,AND IT STARTED TEACHING ME THINGS I DIDN'T KNEW EXISTED.HERE ARE THOSE 7 CHATGPT PROMPTS THAT WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING FOR YOU:Forbidden Wisdom DecoderPrompt:What are the lesser-known, under-the-surface truths about [insert topic/field] that are rarely shared publicly because they challenge mainstream thinking? … Continue reading Financial Iceberg: ChatGPT Exposes Hidden Truths →

Could You Make a Living Teaching Citizens to Use AI—Instead of Managing Their Money for Them?

From Assets Under Management to Agency Under Development. For decades, the financial-services business model has been built around a simple proposition: People do not understand money well enough to manage it themselves. So they should delegate. Delegate the analysis.Delegate the decisions.Delegate the implementation.Delegate the ongoing management. Then pay someone, often indefinitely, for the privilege. Artificial … Continue reading Could You Make a Living Teaching Citizens to Use AI—Instead of Managing Their Money for Them? →

You Don’t Have to Abandon Advice to Start Restoring Agency

Many regulated financial advisers can see that the relationship between clients, technology and professional expertise is changing. They understand the argument for greater client capability. They recognise that AI is reducing information asymmetry. They may even agree that financial planning should leave people more able to understand, choose and act for themselves. But agreement does … Continue reading You Don’t Have to Abandon Advice to Start Restoring Agency →

Professional Agency: From Selling Shovels to Giving People the Forge

Most professional academies make the same promise. They identify the professional’s dream of freedom, success and independence, then sell them the tools they supposedly need to reach it. A business model. A marketing system. A coaching framework. A qualification. A secret formula. The message is familiar: You can build the practice you want—but only if … Continue reading Professional Agency: From Selling Shovels to Giving People the Forge →

Industry Story No. 2: When Faster Complaint Resolution Becomes a Weaker Measure of Justice

When Faster Complaint Resolution Becomes a Weaker Measure of Justice The Financial Ombudsman Service has appointed Jenny Simmonds as permanent chief executive and James Dipple-Johnstone as permanent chief ombudsman, after both had occupied the positions on an interim basis since February 2025. The announcement praised improvements in operational performance. In particular, the Financial Ombudsman Service … Continue reading Industry Story No. 2: When Faster Complaint Resolution Becomes a Weaker Measure of Justice →

Is SJP Redesigning the Value of Advice—or the Economics of Intermediation?

St James’s Place is changing how it pays its advisers. From March 2027, ongoing advice remuneration that was previously paid annually will be distributed monthly. Partners will receive a transitional payment to bridge the change, while remuneration relating to mortgages and individual protection is also being revised. SJP says the changes will give partners smoother … Continue reading Is SJP Redesigning the Value of Advice—or the Economics of Intermediation? →

Planner Story No. 1: The Financial Adviser Who Discovered Clients Would Pay to Become More Capable

Planner Story No. 1 The Financial Adviser Who Discovered Clients Would Pay to Become More Capable After more than twenty years in financial advice, Mushtaq Jaigirdar faced a question many experienced advisers quietly carry: would people still value his expertise if it was no longer attached to products, portfolios or permanent dependency? The breakthrough did … Continue reading Planner Story No. 1: The Financial Adviser Who Discovered Clients Would Pay to Become More Capable →