About | Total Wealth Planner™

Who Stands Beside You When Life Changes

When life shifts, the real question isn’t “What should I do with my money?”
It’s “Who can I trust to think clearly with me now?”

I’m not here to sell financial products.
I’m not here to manage your money.

I sit on your side of the table — calm, conflict-free, and focused on helping you design decisions that hold up over time.

That’s what Total Wealth Planning is for.

Book a Free Clarity Call.

My Role

I work as a Total Wealth Planner — a life-first planning partner who helps people navigate complexity with clarity, structure, and independence.

That means:

No commissions
No product incentives
No asset-based fees
No dependency created

My work is grounded in one simple principle:

Plan your life first. Then plan your money.

Why I Chose This Path

I spent decades at the highest levels of UK financial services, leading strategy and innovation for organisations including HSBC, RBS Group, and Santander.

I saw how the system worked from the inside — and how often it failed the people it claimed to serve.

Clients were sold complexity.

Professionals were incentivised to sell.

Trust was quietly eroded.

I chose a different path.

In 2012, I founded the Academy of Life Planning to offer a values-led alternative: planning that puts people before products, clarity before complexity, and independence before dependency.

Total Wealth Planner™ is where that philosophy is applied person-to-person, when real life decisions are on the line.

What I Stand For

Product-free, conflict-free planning
Human-capital-first thinking
Clear structures people can understand and own
Professional judgement without pressure
Ethics without ideology

I don’t promise certainty.
I help people build resilience, capability, and direction.

Why Chartered Status Still Matters

I hold Chartered Financial Planner and Chartered Insurer status — the highest professional recognition in UK financial services.

Chartered status isn’t a marketing badge.
It reflects:

Advanced technical knowledge
Years of professional experience
A binding ethical code
Accountability to recognised professional standards

Only a small minority of UK practitioners hold Chartered status. It signals seriousness, not salesmanship.

While my work today is educational and product-free, that professional grounding matters — because complex decisions deserve disciplined thinking.

What Working With Me Is Like

I don’t tell you what to do.
I don’t take over decisions.
I don’t position myself as indispensable.
I work with you, not instead of you.
Together, we:
Clarify what’s changed
Identify what truly matters now
Design a life-first plan
Build financial architecture to support it
Equip you to act independently

Once clarity is restored, you’re free to go — and return only if and when life changes again.

Who I Typically Work With

I work with people who are capable, thoughtful, and facing transition — including those navigating:

Bereavement, separation, or inheritance
Burnout, redundancy, or career change
Retirement redesign
Business transition or succession
Family or intergenerational decisions
Recovery after financial harm

If that sounds like where you are, you’re not alone — and you don’t have to navigate it unsupported.

My Background (Briefly)

Chartered Financial Planner & Chartered Insurer
Fellow, Chartered Insurance Institute & Personal Finance Society
Registered Life Planner (Kinder Institute)
BSc Mathematics, University of Manchester
Founder, Academy of Life Planning
Transparency Trophy Winner
Global Ambassador, Transparency Task Force

I’ve spent my career bridging technical rigour with human reality.

What Clients Say

Very clearly explained advice when I most needed it

"I was recently widowed when I came to Steve to help me sort out my finances. A previous financial advisor had wanted to charge me eye-watering fees that would have meant, at the end of my term with him, I may as well as given him the keys to my flat! Steve charged a much more reasonable fee to help me get my finances in order and was incredibly good at patiently explaining things to me (my bereavements meant I suffered from brain fog, so found it hard to grasp things). I was given guidance on where to invest my money so that it was protected by the FSCS and also how to invest in LifeStrategy products on the Vanguard platform. Our regular meetings 'forced' me to take action and empowered me to make decisions about my financial planning. Steve is incredibly kind, supportive and knowledgeable and I really appreciated his help during one of the most stressful periods of my life. Highly recommended. Thank you Steve!"

Lisa Jackson, Lancing, England, March 2025.

An Invitation

If you’re looking for someone to:

sell you products — I’m not the right person
manage your money — I don’t do that

But if you want:

a clear, grounded conversation
professional structure without pressure
a planning partner who puts your life first

You’re welcome to book a short introductory call.

15 minutes. No pressure.

Book a Free Call

My Qualifications

1986-1989

FCII, DipPFS

Chartered Insurance Institute

Member of the Personal Finance Society and the Chartered Insurance Institute. Fellowship via Pensions Route.

Chartered Insurer. Twice winner (Associateship & Fellowship) of the British Insurance & Investment Brokers' Association prize and twice winner of the Jubilee Prize of the Insurance Institute of Manchester, for best performance in North West UK and Manchester respectively.

2008-2017

APFS, Advance Diploma
Personal Finance Society

Chartered Financial Planner:

J02 Trusts and Estate Planning
J04 Pension Funding Options
J05 Pension Income
AF3 Pension Planning
AF5 Financial Planning Process

1979-1983

BSc Mathematics

University of Manchester

Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from U.M.I.S.T.