Simoney Kyriakou

London

Senior Editor of FT trade title @FTAdviser. Also: author, public speaker, possibly funny. Leftist softy. God-botherer. Cat-stroker. All views my own. 🇨🇦 🇬🇧

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Articles

If you want to know how to fight a giant octopus, ask a financial adviser

1 month ago | ftadviser.com | Simoney Kyriakou

It is okay. I have not fallen off the top of the idiot tree and hit my head on every branch on the way down. I am just trying to wrap my head around what exactly is going on right now. Initially, I started to write a piece attempting to make sense of what the UK regulator was thinking when the chief executive suggested dipping into the pension pot to pay for a property - given all the regulator has said about how Britons are not saving enough.
Chancellor Reeves’ Isa reforms must be useful to real people not corporations

1 month ago | ftadviser.com | Simoney Kyriakou

UK chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Spring Statement yesterday (March 26) hinted at significant investment reforms to come, possibly by the Autumn Budget. As reported by FT Adviser, the government is looking at options for Isa reform to get more people investing into stocks and shares. On the face of it, this looks like good news, and the provider-side of the financial services profession has raced to fill my inbox with suggestions for reforms.
Please stop pink-washing women’s finance

2 months ago | ftadviser.com | Simoney Kyriakou

If I see one more International Women’s Day event branded pink or featuring cupcakes, I will scream (typical, just like a ‘hysterical woman’). Don’t get me wrong: I think the colour is great. I loved Legally Blonde. Barbie, as I have said in aeons past, is a great role model for women who want to be entrepreneurs and own big houses, fast cars and lots of horses.
Let’s fix the problem with letters of authority in 2025

Jan 17, 2025 | ftadviser.com | Simoney Kyriakou

FT Adviser is kicking off 2025 by throwing our collective weight behind a campaign to fix the letters of authority problem this year. For too long, advisers have been telling us (and the regulators) that issues around processing letters of authority have hurt consumers. LoAs are a legal document that permit third parties, such as financial advisers, to request information on client plans and policies.
Rise of tech giants skews active fund portfolios

Dec 8, 2024 | ft.com | Simoney Kyriakou

Shares in US technology giants have risen so rapidly this year, driven by an artificial intelligence frenzy, that their index weighting...
My dad made me legally responsible to help him die - it is a heavy burden

Dec 4, 2024 | ftadviser.com | Simoney Kyriakou

Two weeks ago, my father handed me a wallet of legal documents, making me an executor and showing me the forms where he has given me the power to pull the plug. This is not just a ‘do not resuscitate’ order, which is commonly in practice in UK hospitals, or an acknowledgement that, if the doctors suggest it is time to say goodbye, I agree to end-of-life, palliative care, such as agreeing to withdraw food, life support and/or medication.
Financial Adviser Service Awards 2024: celebrating the best and challenging the rest

Nov 21, 2024 | ftadviser.com | Simoney Kyriakou

Financial advisers, providers and journalists celebrated in great style at the 34th annual Financial Adviser Service Awards last night (November 21) at London’s Natural History Museum. Highlighting the best of the best in terms of provider service to advisers and their clients, the awards are one of the most prestigious events in the financial services calendar. Guests entered the ‘enchanted garden’, to be greeted by a harpist and ballet dancers at a champagne reception.
Letter to the editor: Memories of Colin Chapman, 1937-2024

Nov 10, 2024 | ftadviser.com | Simoney Kyriakou

In this letter to the editor, former advertising director Nigel Pullman shares his memories of the late Colin Chapman, the founder of Financial Adviser in 1987. Dear Editor,The news of Colin Chapman’s death last month has only just reached me, but I wanted to briefly add my Financial Adviser memories of him – albeit too late for the tribute page, which was also just drawn to my attention.
Johnston Carmichael named top IFA for third year in a row

Sep 25, 2024 | ft.com | Simoney Kyriakou

Aberdeen-based Johnston Carmichael has topped a ranking of the UK’s best-performing financial advice firms for the third year in a row,...
Plotting a path to pension parity

Sep 22, 2024 | ft.com | Simoney Kyriakou

In the growing debate over the gender pay gap, another contentious issue has emerged: the gender pension gap.