When “Independent” Advice Firms Disappear — The Plot Twist No One Saw Coming

Why the decline in regulated advice firms is not a crisis, but a turning point for Holistic Wealth Planners The headlines are alarming:“Number of independent advice firms continues to fall.”Commentators talk of consolidation, capacity issues, and the supposed “advice gap.” But the industry’s story is only half the truth. What’s collapsing is the old model … Continue reading When “Independent” Advice Firms Disappear — The Plot Twist No One Saw Coming

The 95% Myth: How the Advice Industry Manufactures Trust While Silencing the Truth

Why a single headline tells you everything about the system we are fighting to change This week, a new claim appeared across the trade press: “95% say financial advice helps them hit financial goals.”(Opinium survey of 8,000 UK adults, commissioned by St. James’s Place.) To the casual observer, it reads like a national truth.To those … Continue reading The 95% Myth: How the Advice Industry Manufactures Trust While Silencing the Truth

When Bureaucracy Forgets Its Purpose: How AI Helps Citizens Stand Tall Again

Across the country, thousands of ordinary people are discovering the same uncomfortable truth: the systems designed to protect us are often the very systems that overwhelm us. Recent events shared by members of our community highlight the widening gap between process and people inside major public institutions. When a frail 94-year-old lifelong resident receives a … Continue reading When Bureaucracy Forgets Its Purpose: How AI Helps Citizens Stand Tall Again

AI, Evidence, and the Turning Tide: How Ordinary People Are Finally Winning Against Extraordinary Power

Some stories mark a shift in the landscape — and last night’s session delivered another one. John stood up and shared something remarkable. Just four weeks ago he was overwhelmed. Thirty-five years’ worth of paperwork, emails, and documents sat in boxes, impossible to decipher, impossible to articulate. He knew he was right, but like so … Continue reading AI, Evidence, and the Turning Tide: How Ordinary People Are Finally Winning Against Extraordinary Power

The Moore Doctrine: What HBOS Taught Us About Structural Untrustworthiness

By the Academy of Life Planning Paul Russell Moore (1958–2020) was the former Head of Group Regulatory Risk at HBOS and the whistleblower who warned, years before the 2008 crash, that the bank’s aggressive sales culture and weak controls posed a serious risk to customers and financial stability. For speaking up, he lost his job, … Continue reading The Moore Doctrine: What HBOS Taught Us About Structural Untrustworthiness

When the Public “Plays Lawyer”: What the Legal Sector Isn’t Seeing — and Why Independent AI Is Now Essential

By Steve ConleyFounder, Get SAFE – Support After Financial ExploitationAcademy of Life Planning Across the legal profession, there is growing frustration with clients who arrive to meetings armed with AI-generated analysis. Blog posts worry about “AI hallucinations,” “scope creep,” and clients who “second-guess” professional advice. See: When clients play lawyer: the hidden cost of AI-assisted … Continue reading When the Public “Plays Lawyer”: What the Legal Sector Isn’t Seeing — and Why Independent AI Is Now Essential

When AI Becomes a Weapon — and When It Becomes a Lifeline

A conversation with whistleblower Artur Nadolny One of the most revealing exchanges this week came from Artur Nadolny, whose long-running case exposes many of the quiet behaviours that lie beneath the surface of UK financial services. His observation cuts to the heart of the AI debate: “I already see signs in my own case of … Continue reading When AI Becomes a Weapon — and When It Becomes a Lifeline

Rebuilding Structural Integrity in Finance: Protecting Consumers Through Open AI, Independent Planning, and Systemic Reform

Written Testimony for the APPG on Investment Fraud & Fairer Financial ServicesSubmitted by: Steve Conley, Founder – Academy of Life Planning (AoLP) & Get SAFEDate: 13 November 2025 1. Background I am the Founder of the Academy of Life Planning (AoLP), an international network of non-intermediating Holistic Wealth Planners, and the Founder of Get SAFE … Continue reading Rebuilding Structural Integrity in Finance: Protecting Consumers Through Open AI, Independent Planning, and Systemic Reform

Why Independent AI Has Become the Most Important Tool in the Fight for Financial Justice

By John Galajsza — with contributions from APPG whistleblowers and campaigners Over the past year, we have seen something remarkable happening across the UK financial justice landscape. Victims, once isolated and overwhelmed by the complexity of their cases, are suddenly discovering the ability to analyse their own financial documents, reconstruct timelines, expose hidden liabilities, and … Continue reading Why Independent AI Has Become the Most Important Tool in the Fight for Financial Justice

Mind the Gap: A Day Inside Britain’s Financial Illusion — and the Quiet Resistance Rising Against It

Thursday 13 November 2025 will go down as one of the most revealing days of my career. It was a tale of two worlds. In the morning, I stood in the ExCeL Centre surrounded by more than 2,000 advisers at the PFS “Power” Conference — a rally called Mind the Gap. The message repeated all … Continue reading Mind the Gap: A Day Inside Britain’s Financial Illusion — and the Quiet Resistance Rising Against It