FINANCIAL PLANNING WHEN YOU NEED IT
You asked for financial advice. Did you get the planning help you needed?
Perhaps you're facing a pension decision, questioning an adviser's recommendation, or trying to understand whether your financial plans will work.
You need financial planning that helps you make an informed decision—not necessarily another ongoing advice relationship.
Bring me the problem, not the portfolio.
We'll work through your situation, explore the options and identify practical next steps together.
No investment transfers. No product sales. No obligation to commit to ongoing support.
Steve Conley BSc FCII APFS
Chartered Financial Planner
Former Head of Investments at HSBC
Over 40 years in financial services
Founder, Academy of Life Planning
Planning online throughout the UK, with in-person appointments in Lincolnshire.
Does this sound familiar?
You went looking for financial advice because you needed help with an important decision. But did you get the financial planning you actually needed?
“Can I afford to retire?”
You wanted to understand your future income and choices, but the conversation focused on your pension investments.
“Is this recommendation right for me?”
You've received an adviser's report but still don't understand the reasoning, costs, risks or alternatives.
“What are my real options?”
You're facing a change in work, family circumstances or finances and want to explore the consequences before deciding.
“Do I really need an ongoing adviser?”
You have a specific financial planning problem and want focused professional help without committing to continuous asset management.
You don't need another investment proposition to explore these questions. You need financial planning that starts with your life and the decision in front of you.
Financial planning when you need it. Independence when you don't.
You don't need to commit to an ongoing financial advice relationship to get professional help with an important decision.
Total Wealth Planning provides focused support when circumstances call for it. You remain responsible for your choices, with the information and understanding to make them confidently.
1
Bring me the problem
Tell me what you're trying to decide, what you've already been told and what remains unclear. Bring your documents, research or existing financial plan if they're relevant.
2
Explore the possibilities
We'll examine your circumstances, challenge assumptions, compare planning scenarios and identify what you need to know before acting.
3
Take the next step
Leave with greater clarity about your options and practical next steps. Use Academy OS to keep your plan alive and return for professional support whenever you need it.
Your plan is continuous. Your need for a planner isn't.
Choose the help you need
You don't have to commit to an ongoing financial advice relationship. Start with the problem in front of you and choose the support that suits your circumstances.
CLIENT EXPERIENCE
Financial planning that helps you move forward
“Our regular meetings helped me take action and empowered me to make decisions about my financial planning.”
Lisa Jackson
Lancing, England · March 2025
Financial uncertainty can be especially difficult during major life changes.
Lisa came to Steve following bereavement, needing help to organise her finances, understand her choices and move forward at her own pace.
The value was not a new financial product. It was patient explanation, practical planning and growing confidence in her own decisions.
Based on Lisa's existing published testimonial. Individual experiences and outcomes vary.
TOTAL WEALTH PLANNING IN PRACTICE
Can I afford to enjoy my money and still help my family?
THE PROBLEM
An older client wanted to enjoy the wealth she had accumulated, support her family and give generously—without putting her own future financial security at risk.
She didn't need someone to take control of her investments. She needed to understand what she could afford to do.
THE PLANNING
We explored her future income, expenditure and financial commitments using lifetime cashflow modelling.
By examining different scenarios and setting clearer boundaries around gifting, she could see the trade-offs between enjoying her wealth today, helping others and maintaining her long-term security.
THE OUTCOME
She had a clearer basis for deciding how much was enough for herself and what she could share with others.
The value wasn't a financial product. It was the ability to make an informed decision.
Adapted from an existing anonymised client case study. Details have been changed to protect confidentiality. Outcomes depend on individual circumstances.
POWERED BY ACADEMY OS
Your financial planning doesn't stop when our meeting ends.
A financial planning meeting can help you make an important decision. But life continues to change between conversations.
Academy OS gives you the tools to keep planning for yourself.
Explore your options, update your circumstances, test different scenarios and maintain a living Total Wealth Plan that stays under your control.
Keep your own records
My Life Record helps you organise your information and retain control over what you share.
Explore changing circumstances
Use Academy OS applications to investigate financial questions and compare possible futures.
Keep your plan alive
Revisit your assumptions, decisions and priorities as your life changes.
Bring in human expertise when needed
Ask a Total Wealth Planner to help when a decision becomes complex, uncertain or consequential.
Continuous capability. Episodic expertise.
Your My Life Record is free. Academy OS applications are available through a separate £4.99 monthly subscription or included within your Total Wealth Planner support package.
Keep your OS. Adjust your support.
Most of the time, you can do the ongoing work of planning for yourself with the right tools and support. When life becomes more complicated, the dial lets you bring in more human expertise. When clarity returns, you can turn it back down.
90% of people, 90% of the time, can manage their own finances with the right support.
These are settings, not stages you must climb. You can move in either direction, or use focused help for one question. Academy OS remains yours at every setting.
Where a planner adds value
Bring me the problem, not the portfolio.
You might already have a plan, research or an AI-generated answer. A Total Wealth Planner™ helps you examine what it assumes, what it leaves out and how the pieces of your life affect one another.
Together, we can organise a complicated situation, test the options, spot avoidable mistakes and identify where regulated advice or another specialist is needed. You leave with a clearer decision and a plan you can continue using yourself.
The value of the planner is in the capability you gain, not in keeping your information or decisions out of reach.
Choose what you need now
Start anywhere. Change your support when life changes.
A decision in practice
“Can I afford to work less?”
The answer involves more than a pension balance. Your income, outgoings, health, energy, caring responsibilities and the work you want to do next all matter.
You begin in Academy OS by setting out the question and exploring possible futures. A planner helps you test assumptions, examine the trade-offs and recognise any tax, pension or other specialist question requiring expert input. You decide what to do, record why and revisit the plan as life changes.
This is planning you can carry forward, not a decision made for you.
About Steve
Human judgement when it matters
I’m Steve Conley, a Chartered Financial Planner and founder of the Academy of Life Planning. After more than 40 years in financial services, I believe professional expertise creates the most value when it helps someone understand their situation and make their own decisions with confidence.
I use Academy OS with you to see the wider picture, test important assumptions and work through complexity. When a matter calls for regulated advice or another specialist, I help you recognise that boundary.
Contact
Address
Steve Conley
Total Wealth Planner™
9 Franklin Way
Spilsby
Lincolnshire
PE23 5GG
Phone No.
07850 102070