We haven’t had a vote here for a while, so I thought as it was time to ask for your feedback on an issue.
I’d like to get your thoughts on who is the most powerful man in personal finance. Here are your options:
- Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis – Lewis has built himself a massive following. Online he can achieve as many as 1.1 million visits to his site in a single day and has millions of weekly email subscribers. Offline he makes regular appearances on television, including GMTV, and his articles appear in most of the daily papers. Some of his campaigns have reclaimed millions of pounds for consumers (although the latest campaign, backing the OFT in their fight against bank charges failed, the fight is likely to continue).
- Chancellor Alistair Darling – as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Darling is the man who effectively decides how much we get to take home in our pay packets each month. He’s the one who delivers each Budget, telling us our booze, fags and petrol will be going up in price (never seem to come down, do they?). He seems to have done a reasonable job of steering us through the recession, but is now fighting to get the banks in order to make sure that the same thing doesn’t happen again.
- BBC Business Editor Robert Peston – Peston became a household name when he broke the story about Northern Rock getting into serious trouble, and he was an ever present figure during the outbreak of recession in 2008. Some even blamed him for making things worse by reporting on issues that would have previously happened behind closed doors. With access to some of the top bankers and politicians, Peston is often the first to jump on and analyse a big money story, although he has been a little quiet in the last few months. He’s recently returned from “sorting family problems” to start reporting on stories again – had anyone else noticed that the economy seemed to start improving after he went quiet?
So who would be you most powerful man in personal finance? Vote below, or let us know your other nominations (men & women!) in the comments at the bottom of the page.
{democracy:8}
I voted for the Chancellor. Peston is a good journalist, but if he has any power it’s in the business space.
Martin Lewis is of course massive (in terms of his website, not saying he ate all the pies!) but whether he’s powerful…his community is ultimately user-driven these days, so he stands and falls by peer moderation. (Not a bad thing at all, but reduces his ‘power’ I feel).