A client says she wants to retrain. The conventional planning question is: Can she afford the course? That matters. But it is only one part of the decision. Can she afford the time away from paid work? Is her health holding up? Who depends on her income? Is the training accessible from where she lives? … Continue reading You Cannot Plan With a Portfolio Alone
Tag: total-wealth-planners
When a Professional Body No Longer Recognises the Profession
The Personal Finance Society is losing members. Is retirement really the whole explanation—or is it suffering from a growing relevance deficit? The Personal Finance Society has lost almost 2,000 members in a year. According to its 2025 Annual Report, membership fell from 38,703 to 36,807—a decline of 4.9%. Membership revenue fell from £7.66 million to … Continue reading When a Professional Body No Longer Recognises the Profession
The Most Important Outcome of Financial Planning Is Not the Money
It Is When the Light Comes Back On There is an idea that has run through the Academy of Life Planning for years. The purpose of life planning is to light the lamp within. That is why I call Total Wealth Planners Lamplighters. I have always understood the metaphor intellectually. This week, I think I … Continue reading The Most Important Outcome of Financial Planning Is Not the Money
Are Banks Promoting the Right People?
When I was made redundant from RBS Group, I was told I was "not alpha male enough." At the time, I dismissed it as just another piece of corporate jargon. Looking back, it raises a much deeper question. What exactly do organisations mean when they reward people for being more "alpha"? Are they selecting for … Continue reading Are Banks Promoting the Right People?
AoLP helps planners build better businesses, serve clients more effectively, and prepare for the future of planning in an age of AI and restored human agency.
The Academy of Life Planning helps planners become Total Wealth Planners by combining professional community, strategic support, AI-powered planning infrastructure, practical business development, and a philosophy centred on restoring human agency. Based on the mentorship sessions, Academy structure, Total Wealth OS roadmap, and the positioning we've been developing, I would describe the support provided to … Continue reading AoLP helps planners build better businesses, serve clients more effectively, and prepare for the future of planning in an age of AI and restored human agency.
The Financial Advice Market Is Still Selling Dependency. Consumers Are Moving Towards Agency.
How should we understand the emerging shift from dependency to agency in the financial advice market, particularly as AI reduces information asymmetry and increases consumers’ ability to understand, model and challenge financial decisions for themselves? My working hypothesis is that the supply side of the market remains relatively rigid and anchored in the traditional dependency … Continue reading The Financial Advice Market Is Still Selling Dependency. Consumers Are Moving Towards Agency.
By the Time the FCA Writes the Warning Letter, the Shirt Has Already Done the Selling
By the Time the FCA Writes the Warning Letter, the Shirt Has Already Done the Selling The Financial Conduct Authority’s warning to football clubs over sponsorship deals with unauthorised financial firms raises a much bigger question than football sponsorship. It asks us to look at how trust is created, transferred and monetised before most people … Continue reading By the Time the FCA Writes the Warning Letter, the Shirt Has Already Done the Selling
Former SJP partners hire lawyers to bring claim against advice giant
Group says advice company did not pay fair compensation for clients passed on to other appointed representatives, in case SJP describes as speculative. See Citywire article, 29 May 2026. The story centres on a growing dispute between former advisers of St. James's Place (SJP) and the firm's adviser network model. A group of former SJP … Continue reading Former SJP partners hire lawyers to bring claim against advice giant
The Friday Planner Forum Returns
A safe runway for advisers to land, think, and meet fellow practitioners Something interesting has been happening in conversations with financial planners over the past year. Not loudly.Not dramatically. But quietly, almost in the background. More advisers are beginning to ask the same question: Where is our profession heading next? For the last two decades, … Continue reading The Friday Planner Forum Returns
The Planner’s New Role in the Age of AI
Why Financial Advisers Must Become Guides, Interpreters, and Trusted Thinking Partners A simple poll can sometimes reveal more about the future of an industry than a thousand white papers. Earlier this week I asked a straightforward question to advisers on LinkedIn: “What percentage of clients already use AI tools for financial planning or financial questions?” … Continue reading The Planner’s New Role in the Age of AI
