When I started my role as chief reporter at Money Marketing, I was a different person.
OK, perhaps that’s a bit dramatic, but my confidence in writing had been decimated by my experience at a former role and my self-assurance in socialising had been dented by things that happened in my personal life at the time and, of course, by lockdown.
In the same month that my former company fired me out of the blue, two weeks into the pandemic, I had gone through a long and drawn-out break-up that resulted in me moving back in with my parents.
As much as I love them and am hugely grateful to them for letting me stay, I felt as though I wasn’t in the place I should be in either my professional or my personal life.
It sounds over the top, and a little soppy, but I honestly believe that working with all the amazing people I have at Money Marketing is a large part of the reason I feel like myself again.
I joined on 1 June 2021, at a time when office working hadn’t yet started back up again. In fact, I didn’t meet any of my colleagues in person until the September of that year.
But we had daily catch-ups on video call and I was already friends with Katey Pigden – the editor at the time. And I would like to give special thanks to her for giving me the opportunity to work for the brand and being such an incredible boss while she was here.
I distinctly remember the first press release, on my first day, I turned into a news article. It was a story about senior hires at investment management firm Brown Advisory. I dissected it and studied it carefully. I’ve written thousands of news stories from press releases in my life, but I didn’t know the industry and I wanted to get it right.
I also remember the first industry event I ever attended – Square Mile’s belated summer drinks at Oyster Shed, where I met the lovely Hugo Mortimer-Harvey, Jake Moeller, Richard Romer-Lee and many others.
So much has happened in the four years I have worked here, and it’s difficult to know where to start. How do you summarise four years into 1,000 words?
But, as this is an article for Money Marketing, I guess I should put down a couple of things that have happened in the financial advice space, rather than just banging on about myself.
Probably the biggest was the introduction of the Consumer Duty in the July of 2023.
I was working remotely and staying at my cousins’ house in the depths of the countryside at the time, and my former colleague Jean-Baptiste Andrieux were both up until about 11pm the night before, scheduling articles and making sure we gave it the attention it deserved on our website. There’s a lot of content on our Consumer Duty landing page here.
Another big theme I’ve followed has been that of consolidation. It was the theme of one of my first cover stories, and one of my last.
Right up until last week, I’ve been hearing that the long-trailed ‘consolidation of consolidators’ is going to take off. And when it does, I really hope it doesn’t eclipse the great work done by so many smaller advice businesses.
Then there is, of course, everything that has gone on in the political world, both in the UK and abroad. When I gave the opening address at the Money Marketing Awards in 2022, I pointed out how much had happened since the previous awards.
In that time we’d come out of a global pandemic, witnessed the biggest war in Europe since the Second World War, and had our worlds turned upside down by the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
We’d gone through at least two prime ministers by that point and had arguably the biggest so-called ‘mini-Budget’ in history, introducing the biggest tax cut in decades, reversing the hike in National Insurance contributions and slashing corporation tax.
I remember thinking: ‘Surely things can’t get any crazier?’ But they did and “unprecedented times” have very much become “precedented times”. In my new role I will, no doubt, be keeping an eye on things as they develop.
But back to me. 22 cover stories, 14 MM Meets, 20 leaders, 55 Weekend Essays and countless news stories later, I think it’s fair to say I’ve regained my confidence in writing. And that is thanks to the four fantastic managers I’ve had here: Katey (obviously), Michael Klimes, Dan Cooper and Tom Browne.
They’ve supported me, let me write how I want and what I want (within reason, and that reason extends to zombies and aliens). Also, special mention to Amanda Newman Smith – probably the best feature writer I’ve ever worked with – whose writing I have learned so much from.
I’ve met more people in the past four years than I have the rest of my life, and I’ve loved it. Aside from a couple of lecherous old men, everyone I’ve met has been friendly and gone the extra mile to help me out, and some have even become lifelong friends. I’m sorry I can’t name everyone, but you know who you are.
I’ve been forced out of my comfort zone on countless occasions. Giving the opening address at the 2022 Awards, singing with the Consumer Duty band at the Personal Finance Society festival, being interviewed on stage at a couple of big industry events, as well as on podcasts, to name just a few. And I’ve learned a lot from it.
Working at Money Marketing has given me so much more than a lot of people’s jobs give them, including the love of my life.
This Weekend Essay feels a bit like a painting – it will never feel like it’s finished. But I do need to publish it so all that’s left to say is: Thank you for everything and I’ll miss you all.
Despite the demise of the print issue, I have no doubt that Money Marketing will continue to go from strength to strength. And so will I.
