If I’m ever asked to give a talk to financial journalists who are new to writing about investing, stock markets, et al, I usually refer to a couple of books which helped me get started back in the dim and distant past. The first one is Michael Brett’s ‘How to Read the Financial Pages’ and…
The Neil Woodford calamity gauge moved from ‘really bad’ to ‘catastrophic’ yesterday. This was a result of wealth manager St James’s Place’s decision to terminate its £3.5bn relationship with the fund manager. At a stroke this wiped out 40 per cent of the entire assets under Woodford’s management. Thanks to recent events, his reputation as…
The UK is rubbish nowadays at producing successful Eurovision Song Contest entries, but leaves the rest of the continent standing when it comes to churning out newspaper consumer champions. Seriously. Try finding a financial agony aunt or uncle in Le Figaro, or Il Sore 24 Ore, or Die Welt. Any luck? If yes, you’re a…
If you’re a gardener, five years isn’t much of a time-frame in the grand scheme of things. Barely long enough to cultivate a shrub, or establish an asparagus bed. In the world of commercial sponsorship, however, five years can whizz by in a flash. I was just thinking of this as I cast my eye…
When’s the last time you heard of a bank launching a charity single? I daresay one of the major high street providers has done so. But I’m jiggered if I can think of a name off-hand. Actually, I’m not sure any of them ever have. Feel free to get in touch if you know differently.…
Do you remember Eastenders’ Peter “Awight tweacle” Beale? Barrow boy Pete was such a regular down the Queen Vic that his very own beer mug used to hang from a peg in the infamous E20 boozer. I also own a beer mug like Pete’s. On it is the dull, if accurate, inscription: “York Races May…
I’ve just had a squint at Cision’s recent ‘Global State of the Media’ report for 2019. The research from the ‘global #EarnedMedia management software company’ included responses from 1,999 journalists in 10 countries. About 40 per cent of contributors work in print, a third in a combination of broadcast and online roles, with the balance…
Later tonight, all of the winners will be revealed as part of the 2019 Headlinemoney awards. The event’s often referred to as the ‘Oscars’ for the UK’s financial journalists, PRs, and communications experts. Broadcaster Danny Wallace will be hosting the biggest gathering of the year in the financial media calendar. Having been privileged enough to…
Unless you’ve been locked in a cupboard for the past few years, it’s been impossible to ignore the rise of robo-advice across the financial services market place. You know, those automated online apps from the likes of Nutmeg, Moneyfarm, et al, aimed at a younger investor profile compared with the sorts of customer who’d typically…
I rather like being part of Generation X. For a start, as age-related cohorts go, it’s the best name for a band by a country mile (here’s Billy Idol and co, bless them, proving the point). Who wants to be a ‘millennial’ (born between the 1980s and mid-90s) or a ‘baby-boomer’ (1940s to late 50s) when…
If I’m ever asked to give a talk to financial journalists who are new to writing about investing, stock markets, et al, I usually refer to a couple of books which helped me get started back in the dim and distant past. The first one is Michael Brett’s ‘How to Read the Financial Pages’ and…
I have attended Masterclasses and events organised by Andrew for the last five years. He is a past master at bringing together PRs and journalists in effective and enjoyable ways. He understands the needs of both sides and provides innovative – and mutually beneficial – ways of bringing them together.