The Academy was Established in 2012
Who We Help At the Academy of Life Planning, our mission is to empower everyday people, particularly those facing financial challenges. Whether you’re dealing with debt, struggling with low cash flow, or unable to build an emergency fund, we’re here to help you take control of your financial wellbeing. How We Support You Increasing Cash Flow: We focus on practical strategies that help you increase your cash flow, giving you more breathing room and reducing the stress of living from paycheque to paycheque. Debt Reduction: We provide the guidance and tools you need to pay off your debt faster and more efficiently, helping you break free from the cycle of high-interest loans and credit card debt. Building Emergency Funds: A key part of our approach is helping you build an emergency fund—your safety net for life’s unexpected events—so you can feel more secure and less vulnerable to financial shocks. Safeguarding Income Streams: We work with you to protect your income from life’s uncertainties, ensuring you maintain financial stability even during personal or economic crises. Long-term Financial Security: Once we’ve tackled the immediate challenges, we help you shift your focus to building long-term security. This includes retirement planning, investment strategies, and wealth management, all tailored to help you achieve financial freedom and peace of mind. Why Choose Us? Unlike traditional financial services that often focus on selling products, our approach centres around you and your financial wellbeing. We offer genuine financial coaching, helping you understand your financial situation, make informed decisions, and create a plan that works for you. How We Work We combine technology with personalised coaching to deliver our services. Our platform is easy to use, accessible, and designed to empower you to take control of your financial future. You’ll receive the guidance you need, when you need it, to make lasting improvements to your financial health. The Impact Our work goes beyond individual financial wellbeing—it contributes to a stronger, healthier economy. By helping people achieve financial stability, we reduce the strain on social services and boost economic productivity. When people are financially secure, everyone benefits. Our Vision for the Future We believe in transforming the financial services industry, shifting the focus from corporate profits to personal financial wellbeing. Our vision is a future where everyone has access to the tools and knowledge they need to achieve financial security, regardless of their starting point.
The G.A.M.E. Plan
Goals: Actions: Means: Execution
The G.A.M.E. Plan is a comprehensive approach to financial planning. It is designed to help clients create a clear vision of their ideal life and develop a financial plan to support it. The G.A.M.E. Plan consists of the following components: Goals: This step involves identifying clients’ values, aspirations, and objectives in various aspects of their lives. Clients can set meaningful and inspiring goals that align with their values and purpose by understanding what truly matters to them. Actions: In this phase, clients identify potential obstacles and challenges that may arise while pursuing their goals. By addressing these issues proactively, clients can develop realistic and achievable action plans to overcome them and stay on track towards their desired future. Means: This step focuses on creating a financial architecture that supports clients’ dreams and goals. By assessing their current financial situation and resources, clients can develop a financial plan that aligns with their objectives and ensures they have the means to achieve them. Execution: The final component of the G.A.M.E. Plan involves implementing the action plan and monitoring progress. Clients receive ongoing support and guidance to help them stay on track, make adjustments as needed, and ultimately achieve their goals. By following the G.A.M.E. Plan, clients can develop a holistic approach to financial planning that addresses both their financial needs and personal aspirations, leading to a more fulfilling and successful life.
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Financial Planning vs. Financial Advising: Why Choose Professional Financial Planners?
Financial planning is a profession built around you—your goals, values, and the strategies that support your major decisions and long-term financial health. It’s more than just numbers on a page. It’s about creating an accurate plan that includes forecasting, budgeting, scenario modelling, and ongoing tracking to give you clarity on your financial future. At the Academy of Life Planning, we believe that financial planning should be personal, professional, and free from the pressures of product sales. Our planners are experts—goal-oriented, values-based professionals who are paid for their time and expertise, not by selling you investments. This means no hidden agendas and no commissions, just independent, transparent advice to help you make the right decisions. While financial advising is often product-focused, with advisers acting as intermediaries or distributors for financial products, we take a different approach. Our focus is solely on your plan—your strategies to secure your future. We don’t sell investments or manage assets. Instead, we empower you with the tools and insights to be your own financial adviser. However, when you need help crafting a financial strategy or navigating complex decisions, we’re here to provide expert guidance without the worry of being sold a product. Our services are tailored to your needs—whether it’s hourly consultations or project-based fees. We are fully independent of your assets under management, meaning there’s no conflict of interest. You get professional, person-centered planning that helps you stay in control of your financial wellbeing. Looking for financial expertise without the pressure? You’ve come to the right place. Let’s work together to put your financial plan in place, one that aligns with your values and supports your future, free from bias and product sales. Here, we sell plans, not products. Transparent, professional, and focused on your financial success.
Who We Serve:
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Life Planners: We provide professional planners with cutting-edge tools, resources, and educational opportunities to enhance their practices. Our community of planners benefits from continuous professional development through workshops, seminars, and collaborative learning experiences, ensuring they remain at the forefront of the financial planning industry.
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Planning Personal Clients: We provide financial planning services that are free from conflicts of interest, professional, and expert, while empowering you to take control and ownership of your finances. We believe that 90% of people, 90% of the time, can manage their own finances with the right support. We offer that support through comprehensive information, tools, processes, and frameworks. We also recognise that in times of stress or change, you may need one-on-one expert advice, and we provide that too. Our fees are fixed and based on the hours we work, not a percentage of your life savings or commissions. With us, there is a strict separation between financial planning advice and product sales, ensuring a fiduciary relationship that always respects your best interests.
Empowering You with Transparent, Sustainable Financial Planning Solutions Online
Our Services:
The Financial Life Coach (FLC):
Experience personalised financial planning with our Financial Life Coaching (FLC) service, where Steve Conley offers one-on-one mentoring. As your ally, not an intermediary, Steve uses advanced cash flow planning tools to navigate complex financial scenarios, aligning your finances with your life's values and goals.
Planning My Life (PML):
For those seeking a comprehensive approach, Planning My Life (PML) offers an AI-driven life planner designed to empower you to take control of your life and finances. This service is ideal for individuals who are proactive about personal and financial growth and thrive on self-direction. With the right frameworks and tools, you can be your own financial planner, with access to expert guidance whenever needed.
The Academy for Life Planners:
At the core of our mission is a robust support system designed for financial professionals who aspire to become non-intermediating financial planners and run their own businesses. We offer membership, mentorship, training, accreditation, and a comprehensive suppliers directory. Our resources include business and marketing plans, frameworks, and tools to ensure you deliver the best possible service. Our unique value proposition is rooted in our unwavering commitment to a client-first approach, free from the conflicts of interest that are common in product-centric financial firms.
Our Unique Approach:
We provide transparent and ethical financial guidance, offering customised, sustainable financial plans. Our focus extends to social, environmental, and spiritual well-being, and we possess expertise in mitigating financial exploitation and poverty.
Our Awards:
Acclaimed Financial Adviser Support Network & Contributor to Finance
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UK Lawyer International's Legal 100 Awards 2022, 2023, & 2024
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UK Corporate America Today 2022, 2023, & 2024
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UK Global 100 (Top 100 World's Leading Firms & Individuals) 2022, 2023, & 2024, with votes from EMG Publishing's global readers in 163+ countries
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M&A Today Global Awards - 2024.
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SME News Finance Awards SME500 UK - 2024 Awards
Additional Honours
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Most Pioneering Financial Planner Network, Acquisition International Worldwide Finance Awards 2022, 2023, & 2024
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Financial Adviser Support Network of the Year, Corporate Live Wire Innovation & Excellence Awards 2022, 2023, & 2024
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Best Financial Adviser Support Network, SME News Finance Awards 2020, 2021, & 2022
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Award for Outstanding Contribution to Finance, SME News Finance Awards 2020, 2021, & 2022
Important Caveat: Regarding Academy Awards
At the Academy of Life Planning, we are honoured to be recognised for our efforts and achievements in the industry. However, it is crucial to acknowledge that some awards, particularly those from entities such as AI Global Media and EMG Publishing Group, may fall under the category of 'vanity awards'.
Vanity awards are typically characterised by:
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Arbitrary Selection Processes: The criteria for selection and the legitimacy of the judging process may not be transparent or rigorous.
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Marketing Focused: Often, these awards are more about marketing and promotion rather than genuine recognition of excellence.
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Financial Incentives: Recipients may be encouraged to purchase promotional packages or marketing materials related to the award.
We believe in maintaining transparency and integrity in all our endeavors. As such, we urge our clients and stakeholders to exercise discernment when considering the significance of these awards. Our commitment to providing exceptional services and creating a sustainable legacy remains steadfast, irrespective of external recognitions or awards.
Founder - Steve Conley
Steve Conley is the founder of the Academy of Life Planning, which he established in 2012. He has been assisting thousands of financial planners in various organisations since 1982. Steve has an extensive background in the financial industry, having held leading roles at banks such as HSBC, RBS Group, and Santander. Steve, a man of unyielding integrity and values, departed from his senior corporate career not for greater professional fulfilment alone, but to uphold his principles. Disillusioned by the financial industry's profit-over-people approach, Steve embarked on a journey to transform the sector. He is now the Founder of the Academy of Life Planning, a beacon for Financial Planners seeking not just success, but meaning and trust in their profession. His mission has been to restore confidence in financial services through a trusted adviser model that separates advice from product sales, ensuring fiduciary duty and avoiding conflicts of interest. He is a Registered Life Planner, Chartered Financial Planner, Chartered Insurer (Pensions Route), and holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. Steve has won numerous professional awards, including the British Insurance & Investment Brokers’ Association Prize and the Jubilee Prize of the Insurance Institute of Manchester. In September 2017, Steve received the Transparency Trophy for his contributions to a more transparent global financial services industry. He is also a global Ambassador of the Transparency Task Force and the founding lead of their Market Integrity Team. Steve Conley is recognised as an authority in investments and pensions and is known for his work on values and professionalism within the financial services industry. Through the Academy of Life Planning, he aims to empower individuals and financial planners to achieve financial security and personal growth.
Transparency Campaigner
As an Ambassador for the Transparency Taskforce, I am deeply committed to advancing the noble mission of ensuring that the financial services sector serves society more effectively. With the honour of being a Transparency Trophy winner and the founding lead of the TTF's Market Integrity Team, I have devoted my time and expertise as a volunteer since the organisation’s inception. This role aligns perfectly with my lifelong pursuit to enhance financial planning through transparency, integrity, and accessibility.
The Transparency Taskforce is cultivating an impressive international network of Ambassadors, envisioned to become a formidable force for positive change. As Ambassadors, we share a profound understanding that the ultimate purpose of finance is societal benefit. Our collective efforts are aimed at raising awareness and driving ongoing reform within the financial sector.
Each Ambassador brings their own unique insights and experiences, contributing to a "dream team" that is not only high in caliber but also in commitment. Together, we represent a dynamic collective force, individually remarkable and collectively unstoppable in our pursuit of a financial system that truly acts in the best interests of the community it serves.
Why We're Affiliated with the Consumer Duty Alliance
Our Commitment to Excellence At the Academy of Life Planning, our mission and vision resonate deeply with the core principles and aspirations of the Consumer Duty Alliance (CDA). Our dedication to upholding the highest standards of financial advice and planning has led us to become an Affiliate Member of the CDA, a partnership that underscores our commitment to the betterment of the personal finance sector. Aligning Missions for Greater Impact The CDA's mission to inspire public confidence and trust in financial advice mirrors our own efforts to ensure that our learners and the wider community receive education and support that lead to consistently good consumer outcomes. By aligning ourselves with the CDA, we are joining forces with an organisation that views the financial planning and advice sector as a 'safe pair of hands,' a perception we tirelessly work to uphold through our educational programmes and initiatives. Visionary Collaboration Our vision of leveraging regulatory focus to enhance public understanding and access to professional financial planning services is perfectly complemented by the CDA's vision. This collaboration allows us to extend our impact beyond the classroom, contributing to raising the bar for consumer understanding, trust, and access to financial advice. What to Expect from Our Affiliation with the Consumer Duty Alliance As part of our affiliation with the CDA, we look forward to offering our learners and the broader community: A Network for Best Practices: Access to a community dedicated to sharing good practices and supporting positive consumer outcomes in financial planning and advice. An Independent Voice: Through the CDA, we gain an independent voice in the personal finance sector, advocating for high standards and consumer protection. Professional Standards Recognition: Our learners and stakeholders can expect recognition of adherence to a Code of Professional Standards, elevating the trust in our educational offerings. Signposting and Support: Guidance towards appropriate organisations, support services, and qualification bodies, ensuring a comprehensive educational journey. Collaborative Opportunities: Engagement in focused events, forums, and panels with subject matter experts, enriching our curriculum and learning experiences with up-to-date insights and practices. By affiliating with the Consumer Duty Alliance, the Academy of Life Planning reinforces its commitment to providing education that not only meets regulatory requirements and professional standards but also genuinely enriches the lives and futures of those we serve. Together, we are setting new benchmarks for excellence and trust in the financial planning and advice sector.