As we approach our next Masterclass, speaker Matt Bartle, Director of Mortgages and Savings at Leeds Building Society, highlights the importance of saving during the cost of living crisis and advises journalists on the range of factors to be considered when ranking different savings options.

Can you give a quick overview of what your Masterclass session will cover?

Our session overall will cover mortgages and savings and I’ll focus on the latter.

What are the challenges surrounding your topic you would like journalists to help their readers understand? How will you be discussing this at the Masterclass?

Clearly the cost of living is rising which for many people makes putting money away harder, but the importance of saving remains perhaps even higher. It’s also become a lot more attractive over the past 18 months in terms of what return savers can receive.

Any general tips for money writers covering your sector?

The interest rate people can receive on their savings is important and an easy way to rank different options but it isn’t always the top factor for consumers. Things like the service people can expect, the features of an account (such as how much you can save or how it is managed) or the ethics of a brand play a big part.

What would you like to change about how journalists cover your area of expertise?

I think there is a disproportionate amount of coverage devoted to investments and wealth management compared to cash savings. The former is important for some people and probably provides more ‘exciting’ headlines, but the risk versus reward is often underplayed and cash savings are relevant to a much bigger proportion of the UK. The value in having a good, accessible savings pot shouldn’t be overlooked.

Tell us about the big stories in your sector in the past few months. Could these be rolling stories? 

Having said earlier that interest rates can dominate too much, the big story in savings recently has been how much more appealing it has become given the rises we’ve seen across the board. There has been a real shift given the wider economic factors at play and for a lot of people the money saving habits they got into during the pandemic have either been built into life today or they’ve got a decent savings pot to use.

Finally, why is it important for journalists to have access to initiatives such as Headlinemoney Masterclasses?

You don’t get many opportunities to hear from such a wide selection of financial services experts – if I’m allowed to call myself that! – in one day. As well as being a chance to immerse yourself in a variety of relevant topics and build a stronger network of contacts, I would imagine it leads to countless story or feature ideas as well.

Matt Bartle, Director of Mortgages and Savings at Leeds Building Society, will be speaking at the upcoming Headlinemoney Masterclass on 19 October 2022, along with three other industry experts giving succinct overviews of their sectors for financial journalists. Find out more and book a place.

5 October 2022