I Was Wrong About the Financial Concierge

The professional’s job is not to occupy the pathway between the client and their money, but to keep that pathway clear. Why a Total Wealth Planner should be at reception, not permanently in your room For several years, I have described the emerging role of the holistic financial planner as a financial concierge. I still … Continue reading I Was Wrong About the Financial Concierge

Kakeibo Ledger™: A Free Budgeting Tool Built for Human Agency

Kakeibo Ledger™: Sometimes the Best Technology Gets Out of Your Way I have been fascinated by Japanese approaches to money, life and human flourishing for a long time. I use Ikigai in life planning. I use Kokoro as a way of thinking about alignment between mind, body, heart and spirit. Even the Academy’s GAME Plan … Continue reading Kakeibo Ledger™: A Free Budgeting Tool Built for Human Agency

Are You Being Treated Like an Item of Inventory by Your Adviser?

How do you feel about your adviser relationship being sold to another firm? You probably thought you had a relationship with your financial adviser. Perhaps you thought it was a relationship of stewardship. You own your money. You own your life. You make the decisions. Your adviser brings expertise, experience and perspective to help you … Continue reading Are You Being Treated Like an Item of Inventory by Your Adviser?

The Recoverer™ Is Now Live on Academy OS – FREE

Do everything you can, yourself, before you hand this to anyone else. When someone loses money to investment fraud, the first instinct is often to find an expert. A solicitor. A recovery firm. A claims company. Someone who knows what to do. Sometimes that support is necessary. But there is an important question that should … Continue reading The Recoverer™ Is Now Live on Academy OS – FREE

Do You Need a Financial Adviser — Or Just Your Agency Back?

Why a temporary period of complexity should not automatically become a lifetime of advised dependency Most people do not wake up one morning and decide: “I would like to outsource my financial judgement for the rest of my life.” Something usually happens first. A bereavement. A divorce. Retirement. Redundancy. An inheritance. A pension decision. A … Continue reading Do You Need a Financial Adviser — Or Just Your Agency Back?

Why Build a Total Wealth Planning Practice Alone?

Most financial planning businesses begin with one person. One planner. One diary. One network. One set of skills. One person carrying the whole thing. That can work. But it also creates an obvious weakness. If everything depends on you, you may have created a practice — but you have not yet created much organisational resilience. … Continue reading Why Build a Total Wealth Planning Practice Alone?

Know What You’re Receiving Before You Act on It

We regulate the difference between information, education, guidance, promotion and financial advice. Perhaps it is time we taught the public the difference too. BIG Checker doesn’t just ask “Is this true?”It asks “What is this, who benefits, and why should you believe it?” More than half of people who acted on financial advice they encountered … Continue reading Know What You’re Receiving Before You Act on It

The Academy Community Is Now Live on WhatsApp

Most people do not need a financial adviser beside them all the time. They need the right tools, somewhere trustworthy to ask questions, and access to an independent second brain when life becomes complex, stressful or uncertain. That is the thinking behind the new Academy of Life Planning Community on WhatsApp, now open to all … Continue reading The Academy Community Is Now Live on WhatsApp

Agency Story No. 2: The Couple Who Came Back When the Decision Changed

Rachel and David did not need someone permanently managing their financial lives. They needed a way to explore retirement for themselves, followed by focused human support when the remaining decisions became more complex. Names and certain identifying details have been changed to protect client confidentiality. The underlying circumstances, planning process and client quotations remain faithful … Continue reading Agency Story No. 2: The Couple Who Came Back When the Decision Changed

The Hot Shower: Jimmy Carr’s Outlook on Gratitude, Perspective and Modern Luxury

The Hot Shower Thought Most of us step into a hot shower without giving it a second thought. Jimmy Carr suggests we should. He points out that no king, emperor or celebrated figure from a century ago could reliably enjoy what millions of ordinary people now experience every morning: clean, instantly available hot water, delivered … Continue reading The Hot Shower: Jimmy Carr’s Outlook on Gratitude, Perspective and Modern Luxury