Edwin Smith

London

Editor of @SpearsMagazine, the media brand for UHNWs and the people who advise them. Before: contributor to @telegraph, @guardian, @esquireuk, @wireduk &c.

Articles

The Stoic Capitalist

1 week ago | spearswms.com | Edwin Smith

According to hedge fund manager turned bestselling author and political activist Bill Browder, Robert Rosenkranz is 'one of the most powerful titans on Wall Street that you probably haven't heard of'. That might soon change, however, as Browder's comment appears on the jacket of an advance copy of Rosenkranz's new book. And it's the promotion of said book that brings Spear's and its author together today.
Isabella Charlotta Poppius on green campaigning

3 weeks ago | spearswms.com | Edwin Smith

My great-great uncle Set was the founder of the Poppius Journalistskola in Stockholm, the first journalism school in the Nordics. Another great-great uncle, Jalmari Finne, was the author of the Kiljusen herrasväki children's books, which are part of Finnish culture in a similar way to the Moomins. So I come from what I guess you might call a 'legacy family'.
Introducing Spear's Magazine: Issue 95

1 month ago | spearswms.com | Edwin Smith

One of Ernest Hemingway's characters in The Sun Also Rises famously said that you go bankrupt two ways: 'gradually, then suddenly'. Becoming stinking rich, on the other hand, is quite the opposite. It's a case of either/or. In 2023 (the most recent year for which good data is available), 25,319 people joined the ranks of the world's ultra-high-net-worth individuals.
Family offices 'should invest' to power growth of UK life sciences sector

2 months ago | spearswms.com | Edwin Smith

Family offices are ideally placed to power the next generation of British biotech and life sciences companies, according to Sir Leonard Blavatnik. 'Family offices should invest,' said Sir Lennard, speaking exclusively to Spear's at Kensington Palace, the venue for a gala dinner where the winners of the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the United Kingdom were announced last week.
Why private capital can help solve 'world's most pressing problems'

2 months ago | spearswms.com | Edwin Smith

Private capital can help drive a recovery from the 'stagnation' of global social progress that has followed the pandemic, according to a new report from AlTi Tiedemann Global. The report, which was jointly produced by the international wealth management giant alongside the non-profit Social Progress Imperative, identified four key areas with scope for philanthropists and impact investors to make the biggest difference: health, rights, sustainability and gender equity.
Family office con man's rehabilitation faces setback

Feb 11, 2025 | spearswms.com | Edwin Smith

The rehabilitation of family office con man Anthony Ritossa suffered a major setback on Monday with the withdrawal of a key figure from Ritossa's upcoming conference at the Trump International Beach Resort in Miami. Cal Evans, a lawyer who had been scheduled to appear as master of ceremonies at the 24th edition of the Ritossa-backed Global Family Office Investment Summit, told Spear's that he had decided not to attend the event after being made aware of concerns about Ritossa's past behaviour.
The proptech platform that counters the 'Wild West' of super-prime property deals

Feb 10, 2025 | spearswms.com | Edwin Smith

When an ultra-high-net-worth individual with a multi-million-pound budget begins their search for a new home, it usually begins with a high-end buying agent or broker. The agent will seek to understand the client's needs and, hopefully, provide options to make their client's heart sing. For this service, they charge a monthly retainer, a percentage of the purchase price, or a share of the discount achieved on the asking price - or some combination of these.
'The world needs cycling more than ever': On the

Feb 4, 2025 | spearswms.com | Edwin Smith

'This is Raphaat its best,' says Simon Mottram, motioning towards the group of amateur cyclists gathered around him in the mountains of Provence. Some of them are quaffing rosé; the whole scene is bathed in the glow of early-evening sun. It's two decades now since Mottram founded the clothing company, which his 2003 business plan described as 'the first to bring brand, marketing and fashion sophistication to the sport of cycling'.
The Spear's Midas interview

Jan 31, 2025 | spearswms.com | Edwin Smith

How much is an ounce of gold? I know the price is skyrocketing because everybody wants to fight us and they're all building up their gold reserves in China and Russia, which is terrifying. But I literally haven't got a clue. Also, what's a bloody ounce?!How did you earn your first pay cheque? When I was 15 I worked as a waiter in a hotel in Tunbridge Wells. I can't remember what they paid me. Are you a saver or a spender? Well, definitely not a saver.
Hunters & Frankau and Ettinger's innovative cigar wrap is the solution to a timeless problem

Jan 30, 2025 | spearswms.com | Edwin Smith

How best to transport one's high-quality cigars? If you are the Houston oilman Enrico di Portanova, you are in Monte Carlo and the year is 1981, you may choose to slip them into custom pockets sewn into the breast of your mint-green linen field jacket (as immortalised by photographer Slim Aarons, below). If you are not, then a different - but equally elegant - solution may have just presented itself.