It's goodbye from Financial Adviser

Now, as this difficult year draws to an end, another curtain falls – this time, on Financial Adviser.

Barely 18 months ago I became editor of this august publication, a title that has withstood barrage after barrage of market movements and economic slumps. 

We have big plans for FTAdviser next year and beyond

But it could not withstand the march of technology, which unlike Tennyson’s science that moved ‘slowly, slowly’, has instead accelerated at breakneck speed, not least given the shifts to working practices we have seen in 2020.

As a result of the inexorable move to a digital medium, FTAdviser.com is being expanded with even more ways of delivering in-depth news, analysis, features and comment in a way that reflects our community – and makes sure their voices are being heard.

To this end, I am taking on a new remit at FTAdviser as senior editor, to drill down into the biggest topics and issues affecting our readers. 

There are print aficionados, of course; people who for reasons of wellbeing or preference want to hold a physical edition in their hands. The argument that has often been made – that only older people like print – does not hold much water. But the way in which the world does its business is online, and we cannot be like “Winged History”, always looking behind her as the winds of change blow her ever-onwards.

We have big plans for FTAdviser next year and beyond. Equally, we recognise that saying farewell to another print title in the financial advisory space will not be easy for some readers.

As an editor, the end of FA has even more resonance. Former editor Hal Austin is among those to share their thoughts this week, on pages 20 and 21. I fully concur with his sentiments. 

Editors and their titles have a unique, symbiotic relationship that is difficult to explain. The paper becomes infused with their personality and their passions, shaping and driving everything.

That is why 2020 has been so full of campaigning; a strong sense of justice and standing up for the ‘little guy’ has been the hallmark of Financial Adviser this year. I hope you found the paper a strong voice for you throughout a tough 12 months.

For me personally, it marked the culmination of a very difficult climb up the ladder, with so many setbacks along the way during my 21 years as a financial journalist, to become the editor of a ‘proper’ publication.

But being told, while on maternity leave in 2019, that I was being promoted to editor, was an amazing thing. It signalled to me the final acknowledgement: “You’ve made it”.

And it was not just any old editorship – it was for the award-winning Financial Adviser – the title I first joined in 2002, under the tutelage of the aforementioned Mr Austin.

His commitment to editorial excellence and a strong sense of what makes a story – as well as the fact he absolutely knew his audience – have been characteristics I have attempted to emulate. 

Emma-Ann Hughes followed; her determination to promote Financial Adviser in print as well as online; her understanding of the community of readers and how to engage our readership were traits I sought to follow.

Having such a great cloud of witnesses that worked on this title before me makes me doubly sad that Financial Adviser closes on my watch.

Of course I know I am not responsible: the world changes, and we must change with it. Exciting times lie ahead in 2021 as we reach further and wider into the financial advisory community and seek to provide you with the content you want and need. 

This will prove ever-more important as we face the challenges and opportunities that 2021 will bring. We know there is a vaccine roll-out and the end of Covid-19 related lockdowns is in sight. As a result, it will be great to get back in the FT’s studio to record video interviews and podcasts, rather than you having to listen to children getting lairy in the background.

But in terms of editorial quality – we will always strive to deliver the very best, whether in the office or not; and regardless of the fact we are moving away from print to online-only.

Remember, the editorial drive, the commitment to the reader and the focus on quality, in-depth journalism will remain the same. It is only the medium that is changing. FTAdviser is still the ‘voice of financial advisers’.

So, like the royal heralds of old, proclaiming: “The King is dead; long live the King”, we will see you all again in 2021. It will just be different.

It has been a difficult year for everyone. But great things lie ahead. We will overcome everything that 2020 has thrown at us (and Brexit, too – this too shall pass).

For now, have a very merry Christmas and, with a nod to Streatham High’s old headteacher, Miss Ellis: 

“God be with you till we meet again,
When life’s perils thick confound you,
Put his arms unfailing round you.
God be with you till we meet again.”

Simoney Kyriakou is editor of Financial Adviser