Company status
Financial Education Planning & Guidance Ltd (FEP&G Ltd) is a Scottish-registered company providing financial education and guidance services to individuals, employers, professional connections, and online learners. The company does not hold FCA authorisation and does not provide regulated financial advice or personal recommendations.
The company's founding purpose is to close the financial confidence and comprehension gap that underlies the UK advice gap. FEP&G's position is that most consumers do not need to be told what to do — they need the knowledge, vocabulary, and tools to reach informed decisions themselves.
The advice / guidance boundary
The regulatory boundary between financial advice and financial guidance is defined principally by the concept of a personal recommendation under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA 2000) and the FCA's implementing rules in COBS 9A and PERG 8.
A recommendation made to an investor or potential investor in relation to a security, structured deposit, or relevant investment, that is presented as suitable for the person to whom it is made, or is based on a consideration of that person's circumstances.
The key distinction is not whether personal data is used — it is whether the output of an activity is presented as, or functions as, a recommendation that a specific course of action is suitable for that individual.
FEP&G Ltd operates entirely within the guidance and education space. Our activities do not constitute regulated financial advice for the following reasons:
| Principle | How it applies to FEP&G Ltd |
|---|---|
| No personal recommendation | The Money Lifemap tools produce scenario illustrations, not suitability assessments. No output is framed as suitable for the client. |
| Client-directed process | The client operates the tool jointly with the educator in guided sessions. Free self-help tools on this website are fully self-directed. In neither case does the educator operate the tool independently or direct inputs. |
| Educational framing | Sessions are structured as financial literacy coaching, not advisory consultations. The educator's role is to explain concepts, not direct decisions. |
| No conclusion drawn | The session framework explicitly prohibits the educator from drawing conclusions about which scenario is better for the client. |
| Signposting model | Where sessions reveal complexity or a clear decision point, clients are signposted to regulated advice rather than guided toward a conclusion. |
What FEP&G Ltd does not do
The following activities are expressly excluded from FEP&G Ltd's service model and do not occur in any client interaction.
Expressly excluded activities
- Telling a client which scenario is more suitable for them personally
- Operating any tool in isolation from the client without consent, or inputting personal data without the client being present and directing the process
- Interpreting the tool's output in terms of what the client should do
- Providing a view on the merits of any specific financial product
- Advising on tax planning in respect of a client's specific circumstances
- Recommending a specific provider, fund, or investment vehicle
- Using FAM™ scores to make or imply a financial recommendation, or to assess suitability for a financial product
FCA Advice Guidance Boundary Review
The FCA and HM Treasury's joint Advice Guidance Boundary Review (commenced 2022, ongoing) has confirmed the following, each of which is directly relevant to FEP&G Ltd's model:
| Finding | Relevance to FEP&G Ltd |
|---|---|
| Advice gap is driven by confidence and comprehension deficits | FEP&G's entire model is built on closing this gap — building the decision capital that makes confident financial engagement possible. |
| Generic educational tools remain outside the regulatory perimeter | The free self-help tools on this website, and the educational framing of guided sessions, are explicitly within this category. |
| Guidance-only models must signpost clearly to regulated advice | Useful resources and regulated services are shared where relevant to the person's situation — not as a prescribed outcome but as a positive option where appropriate. |
| FCA Consumer Duty applies to authorised firms only | FEP&G Ltd is not FCA authorised. Consumer Duty does not apply, though FEP&G's standards are consistent with its principles. |
Data handling & GDPR
FEP&G Ltd is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office. ICO registration number: ZC170705. We hold only the minimum personal data necessary to deliver the Money Lifemap process. The process can work with nil personal data — see below.
Free self-help tools
Fully browser-side. No personal data is processed, stored, or transmitted. No analytics, tracking, cookies, or telemetry of any kind. The tools run entirely within your browser and clear on close.
Email contact
Once you email us, we retain your email address for all correspondence relating to your engagement. You will be sent a welcome pack, an invitation to set up your secure support portal, and your unique client reference number. You will be addressed by first name and client reference number throughout.
AI-assisted tools
Where AI tools are used within a session, all inputs are handled on an anonymised basis. No personal data is passed to AI services. Explicit consent is required before any AI-assisted feature is used.
Your support portal
Your main support detail is held in a secure, encrypted support system. This holds your session notes, tool outputs, and correspondence — accessible only to you and your educator, referenced by your unique client reference number.
What we actually need to work the Money Lifemap process in full
The process is designed to be as data-light as possible. The following is all we require — and in many cases, a session can proceed with significantly less than this:
Your full name & address
Used solely as an additional backup point for documentation delivery. Serves no other purpose — including no future marketing of any kind.
Your date of birth
Used to set the planning horizon and life-stage context for your cash flow model. No other use.
Support information — numbers and labels only
If you have pension or investment plans, we need values and types only — labelled Pension 1, Pension 2, etc. No policy numbers are required. No provider names are necessary. If you need to share a statement to help explain something, it will be redacted of personal details before use.
No formal ID verification required
We do not need to formally verify your identity. We do not need bank details, National Insurance number, or any sensitive financial identifiers. The process works with labelled numbers — not personally identifiable account information.
AI integration policy
The Money Lifemap platform integrates AI capabilities in a structured, tiered, and supervised way. The central design principle is this: AI must accelerate the client's own capability and confidence — not substitute for it. Every AI feature is evaluated against this principle before deployment.
All current AI use within the platform is conducted under active educator guidance. The educator is present to sense-check outputs, act as a second brain, and identify any misinterpretation before it reaches the client. AI tools do not constitute regulated financial advice under any circumstances.
AI operates on generic financial concepts only — answering terminology and concept questions within the Box Theory self-help tools. No client figures are involved at any point.
Data handling
No personal data processed. AI receives only the client's plain-text question.
FAM™ suitability
All activation levels. Especially useful for Level 1 and Level 2 clients.
Educator present?
Not required — available in self-directed self-help tools.
Consent required?
No — no personal data involved.
The client can ask AI to describe what their modelled output shows in plain language. The AI narrates numbers only — it does not interpret results or suggest which scenario is preferable.
Data handling
Scenario output data only. Must be anonymised before transmission. Explicit client consent required.
FAM™ suitability
Level 2 and above. Not appropriate for Level 1 clients.
Educator present?
Required — educator confirms anonymisation and consent before use.
Consent required?
Yes — explicit written consent required before deployment.
The client can prompt what-if questions and AI adjusts scenario narration accordingly. The most capable tier. AI must never suggest which outcome is better or make any recommendation.
Data handling
Highest sensitivity. Full written consent framework, DPA, and privacy impact assessment required before deployment.
FAM™ suitability
Level 3 and Level 4 only.
Educator present?
Required throughout.
Consent required?
Yes — full consent framework, DPA, and privacy impact assessment required.
Signposting & useful resources
Where it is useful, FEP&G Ltd will share details of resources and services that may help — including regulated financial advice, free guidance services, and consumer information. Signposting is offered positively and where appropriate, not as an automatic next step. Many people who engage with Money Lifemap will continue in self-directed education; others will find that a guided session clarifies what they need next, which may or may not involve regulated advice.
The following services may be shared where they are relevant to a person's situation. FEP&G Ltd has no commercial relationship with any of these services and receives no referral fee.
MoneyHelper
Free, impartial money guidance backed by the government. Covers all areas of personal finance including finding a financial adviser.
Unbiased
Directory of regulated financial advisers, mortgage brokers, and accountants. Search by location, specialism, and fee structure.
FCA Register
The official Financial Conduct Authority register. Verify that any firm or individual giving you regulated advice is properly authorised.
The Pensions Advisory Service (via MoneyHelper)
Free guidance on workplace, personal, and state pensions — particularly relevant where a defined benefit pension or NHS pension is in scope.
Which? Money
Independent consumer guidance and comparisons on financial products, services, and providers — useful for researching regulated products before or after taking advice.