Hello. What does it take to write well on anything? Short answer is “who knows”?
For a longer answer, some suggest looking at examples of writers who do an excellent job of communicating the complex simply.
This is not bad advice. I mean, it rules out most of the philosophy canon, but is certainly a valuable practice. But there is an underappreciated medium, and that is reading work by people who write in fields where there’s lots of saturation.
My favourite of these fields – just because I am me – is music and food. These are topics a lot of people like and think they know a lot about, which means there’s just a stream of content leading to some real dross.
I may have been disparaging in the past about ‘finfluencers’, but you might think I am quite keen on influencers if you hear me talking about food influencers. I’ll spare you, but my thoughts align with this fella’s about London’s food scene.
Even before we woke up and – to our collective horrors – found we inhabited a world in which food influencers were a thing, food and cooking was something of a saturated space. Music is much the same.
I am thinking of this because of the JP Morgan Summer Reading List that has been published.
There is not one novel, which is extraordinary in itself, but generally it just seems like a well curated list to arm the insufferable with garden party titbits. Admittedly, I am judging a lot of books without having read them, which is wrong, but it’s not so much the books themselves as the list is all pretty much the same thing.
This is something I’ve seen before. No names will be shamed here, but I remember a summer reading list from last year which was awful. It also did not include a single novel, and in one section didn’t recommend a book at all. Instead it said something along the lines of: “Oh, this is a big topic of the moment, why don’t you just read any book about this topic?” Thanks mate, very helpful.
Anyway, the list itself is fine. And beyond aiding better writing, reading is and of itself a tremendous act. However, for me it would be good if these kinds of list went beyond chic non-fiction.
A bit of variety, at least one novel, stuff people may have fun reading and others that may challenge them. Particularly at a time when AI is disrupting attitudes towards information consumption, it’d be good if we encouraged proper reading. Then everything might be okay again. Maybe.
The News:
LANG CAT & CLIENT MENTIONS
Women in Financial Advice Awards 2026: All the nominations!
Congrats to oor Abbey, Nat and Jenny.
Source: Professional Adviser
How to pick the perfect pension provider
*Paywall
Source: Investors’ Chronicle
Advisers warn against treating AI as a ‘magic solution’
SOTAN referenced.
Source: FT Adviser
The new Asian powerhouse investors can’t afford to ignore
7IM’s Ben Kumar talks about Vietnam.
Source: The Times
How SJP advisers are using Policy Services to pitch independent advice
Mike lends his thoughts.
Source: Citywire NMA
Origo launches LoA consortium with four major providers
Launched with Aviva, L&G, Royal London and Scottish Widows.
Source: Professional Adviser
‘Volatility laundering’: One wealth CEO’s problem with private assets
PortfolioMetrix CEO Alex Funk appears on the Heart of Wealth show.
Source: Citywire NMA
ADVISERS
Advisers voice concerns over private equity market consolidation
A report from Heligan Corporate Finance showed that the number of US private equity cookie monsters invested in UK adviser platforms rose from two in 2020 to 18 in 2025.
Source: FT Adviser
Dynamic Planner reports ‘positive sentiment’ across advice industry
Advisers generally chipper.
Source: Money Marketing
The future of paraplanning is a ‘mini universe of micro agents’
Huh?
Source: FT Adviser
Being able to make mistakes is ‘powerful signal of culture’
Agreed.
Source: FT Adviser
PLATFORMS
SS&C platform moves to monthly cash interest
Interesting.
Source: Citywire NMA
INVESTING & WEALTH MANAGERS
Wealth staff unhappy with pay – despite taking home £235k
Boo hoo.
Source: Citywire WM
FCA grills 40 MPS providers on co-manufacturing fees
Regulation and investing crossover episode.
Source: Citywire WM
REGULATION & POLICY
FCA and Bank of England set roadmap for tokenised markets
Will be interesting to see how this develops.
Source: Money Marketing
Zopa joins list of firms approved for targeted support
Another one joins the crew.
Source: FT Adviser
FCA targets scaling firms with new support unit
It is imaginatively called the “scale-up unit”.
Source: Money Marketing
FCA: Robo-regulation a ‘wonderful opportunity’
Alexa, play Kraftwerk.
Source: Money Marketing
AI
Prepare for an AI jobs apocalypse
An excellent article to come across at the start of the week.
Source: The Economist
ChatGPT launches financial planning tool in US
US users can link their bank accounts and ask planning and investment questions.
Source: Citywire NMA
Half of wealth managers fear AI replacement, but new roles are emerging
Can’t think why.
Source: Citywire WM
AI is ‘a tool, not a decision maker’, says Fos
Regulation and AI crossover episode.
Source: FT Adviser
PENSIONS & RETIREMENT
Concerns over pressure to invest in UK assets, Pensions UK report finds
Members continue not to like this.
Source: FT Adviser
Matthew Connell: Can simplified advice stop pension savings going backwards?
This one filed in evidence against Bettridge’s law of headlines.
Source: Money Marketing
‘We are already in a pensions crisis’, advisers warn after commission report
Oh, good.
Source: FT Adviser
Retirement incomes and gender pensions gap driven by job history, DWP finds
Pension outcomes are shaped by stability of savers’ working lives rather than their engagement with savings, according to the industry. Good thing there isn’t any potential disruptive technology on the horizon that might threaten job stability.
Source: FT Adviser
Landmark Commission calls for pension freedoms shake-up
Pensions and policy crossover episode.
Source: Citywire NMA
TRADE & ECONOMY
Workers face worst squeeze on real pay since 2022 as inflation rises
Excellent.
Source: The Times
UK service sector activity slumps in one of sharpest declines for a decade
Firms hit by “perfect storm”.
Source: The Guardian
CRAZY CAT STORIES
Lincoln the Hornsea Tesco Cat takes on the book charts
Morningside Maisie has a rival.
Source: BBC News
OUTSIDE THE TRADE
JPMorgan’s 2026 summer reading list
The list in question.
Source: CNBC
Sean McKinven is PR account executive at the lang cat
