Twitter handle

@matthewjenkin

The main beats that I cover are:

Tax and savings.

So don’t waste time telling me about:

Anything not related to personal finance. Unless we’re down the pub and off the record — then no subject is taboo.

The biggest influence on my journalism career to date is:

I’d say my career has been shaped by great editors who push you to be my creative and rigorous best and terrible ones whose greatest lesson was to grow a thicker skin. Ultimately, I’m grateful for both.

The proudest moment of my time working in financial journalism has been:

Working on a juicy and very worthy investigation into the mis-selling of lifetime trusts for Which? Money magazine. It was a very knotty topic but one that affected the lives of hundreds of elderly and vulnerable people. It was very satisfying when it all came together and my case studies were happy with the result. It felt like I had made a difference, even if it was a small one.

The piece of advice I'd give to someone starting out in financial journalism is:

Research, research, research. That means reading around the subject as much as possible, consuming as much news as possible and talking to experts to really get to grips with a topic. And don’t be afraid to ask "silly" questions if you don’t understand. Depending on who you are writing for, if you’re confused, it’s likely readers will be too.

My favourite media outlets for financial news are:

FT, Telegraph, The Times, and Moneyfacts for the latest data.

The worst times for PRs/press offices to contact me are:

Early morning before the coffee has kicked in and lunch when I’m hangry.

My relationship with PRs could be improved if:

At least know what I write about and find a current news hook. Also, don’t call me Mark, Michael or anything other than my actual name. I can’t count the times PRs get that basic detail wrong — it results in an instant delete.

My favourite financial expert is:

There are tons of incredibly knowledgeable and experienced financial journalists at Which? who know their patches inside out, so would have to stick in-house. Can’t think of just one though!

The financial interview I’d most like to arrange is:

Elon Musk — the billionaire of the moment. Not because I admire him, but because I’d like to know if there’s actually a genius entrepreneur behind all the arrogance and chest thumping.

The piece of financial services research I’d most like to read is:

The lifetime impact of having children - from lost earnings and lack of career progression to childcare costs. Plus with that knowledge, how can we ensure parents — especially women — remain economically active and financially stable.

My view on the humble press release and how it could be improved is that:

Give me a great headline that perfectly sums up the story and I love a bullet list with interesting and relevant stats.

My dream job in financial journalism would be:

Writing in-depth investigations into topics that make a real difference to people’s lives.

Are there any recent campaigns/features you and your team have worked on that you would like to highlight?

We recently did some great coverage of the Autumn Statement, working as a team to produce content at lightning speed that broke down all the relevant changes and provided clear, in-depth explanations of what it means for your finances. 

The one piece of kit I cannot do without as a financial journalist is:

An Excel spreadsheet.

Given £1,000, I would:

Put the money in a savings account and let it grow.

You won’t know this, but I’m really good at:

Running — I’m addicted to marathons.

You won’t know this, but I’m hopeless at:

Winning competitions. I have zero luck. Which also means I never enter — that probably explains a lot.

And finally… what’s your go-to karaoke song?

'Mamma Mia' by ABBA. I like to imagine I’m on a sun-soaked Greek island when I sing it too.