What are your main areas of expertise?

All things personal finance – savings, mortgages, spending, tax, marriage, divorce, children, you name it.

Congratulations on your success at the 2023 Headlinemoney Awards! How did you feel when you were announced as the winner?

It took a while to sink in. I’ve been going to these awards for long time, and the Expert of the Year is always a big deal, so it was a real surprise to win.

Tell us about your career experience:

I started out as a financial journalist about 20 years ago, and after freelancing for a decade, I went over to the dark-ish side at HL. Having a journalism background makes it easier to know what might be useful, and having plenty of freedom to be myself in my current role has made it feel like I’m stealing a living. Recently I have been talking more about financial abuse, as a former victim I can hopefully help people going through the same things as I have. I’m also involved with the HL Savings & Resilience Barometer, which is an incredibly in-depth piece of work we do each six months, and provides a wealth of insight into how we’re all doing financially.

Currently, what are the most newsworthy issues about your area of expertise and why are they important?

There was once a time when PF felt like the poor relation to the exciting world of investment writing, but right now it’s all anyone wants to talk about. Inflation, interest rates, financial resilience, the growing debt crisis – it’s all kicking off.

Tell us about one subject within your beat that is currently under-reported?

I think the press does a brilliant job of keeping across the patch. I used to say that there was too much maths and not enough psychology - to reflect how people actually behave, but that’s definitely not the case any more.

If you could correct one fact about your sector that the financial press gets wrong, what would it be?

I’m really lucky that the journalists I work with are brilliant. When they’re starting out, there are bound to be gaps in their knowledge, so they just ask. It’s far more sensible than everyone just pretending to know everything from the womb.

What are the big stories for your organisation this summer? Any upcoming surveys, etc?

At the start of September we have a special edition of the HL Savings & Resilience Barometer, looking at the financial position of self employed people, which is full of really interesting insights. September is still the summer, right? Plus, given the huge resilience gulf between those on higher incomes and those earning less, I’ll be spending a lot of my time looking at mutual support within families. 

Which topics do you think will dominate the headlines over the next few months?

Debt is a big one – particularly arrears on bills among those who are living on the tightest budgets. Higher interest rates aren’t going anywhere in a hurry either, which isn’t going to help those building debts on cards or overdrafts. Remortgaging is going to remain a hot topic, while rates are so much higher and there’s political interest in it. Longer fixed rates will be in focus.

The latest round of results showing banking profits and utility companies thriving could also spur more conversations about the support for their most vulnerable customers. Jeremy Hunt is making noises about this at the moment, and where there is government pressure there may well be headlines.

Plus, it’s the summer, so silly stories will be up there. I’ll have to polish up my ‘what your shoes/kitchen cabinets/favourite chocolates say about your attitude to money’ release.

Oh and Nigel Farage, because, well, he’s Nigel Farage.

What was the last article you read that really shocked you?

It tends to be the comments under the articles that shock me most.

How are you able to help with press comments and face-to-face interviews?

I can do both of those things, at any time, in any way that helps.

How can journalists contact you?

Emailing or phoning direct works. In emergencies and out of hours, texts are good. 

If you were up for an award for any hobbies/activities outside of work, what would you be likely to win, and why?

Least patient person listening to someone describe their dreams. Or longest distance driven for least grateful teenager.

If you weren’t in your current role, what you be?

I’ve just been to a crime writing festival, so I’d definitely write a crime novel based in the murky world of financial journalist.

Sum yourself up in three words:

Here to help.

Finally, if you had to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I’d say pizza, but when I lived alone with my dad for a bit, we had cottage cheese salad with baby potatoes for two weeks straight and it never got boring, so probably that.

Note: Picture from Thought Leadership of the Year trophy collection