Happy Birthday Martin Lewis
Yes, that’s right, the UK’s personal finance guru’s birthday is coming up.
Martin Lewis, recently dubbed “the real shadow Chancellor” turns the venerable age of 50 this month, on 9 May to be precise. So, let’s start off by saying cheers to Martin on the solid half century innings so far.
Martin now has seven years to go before he can access his pension, 17 before he can get a State Pension and coincidentally, a bus pass (although I’d doubt he’d use it, being a famously persistent perambulator).
Mr Lewis has garnered something of a cult status in the past two years among the public. Before the pandemic he was extremely well known already, Mr Money Saving Expert etc, but now he really has taken on the role of ombudsman of personal finance for the nation.
Looking back at the year he was born, 1972, inflation was averaging around 7% (sound familiar?), unemployment was about 4% (again, sound familiar?) and Amazing Grace, as played by The Pipes and Drums and Military Band of The Royal Scots was number one in the charts (no, me neither, but if you really want to listen, here’s the YouTube link, its actually what I guess would be described as ‘hauntingly beautiful’).
Now I know what you’re thinking: make your point, Edmund, I have things to be getting on with. Here it is:
History doesn’t tend to repeat itself, but it often rhymes. It so happens that the anniversary of the birth of the country’s personal finance expert in chief gives us a chance to reflect on the fact that inflation, employment, and such were in a very similar place.
And funnily enough about 18 months after he was born, the world entered the 1970s Oil Crisis, setting off a torturous series of events that ultimately led to things like Thatcher, Black Wednesday, the Spice Girls and Brexit. History moves in quite an arc.
Learning from history is often quite a good way to frame what is coming in the future. As I say, it’s not going to repeat, but you might just spot some similarities. Sadly, back in 1972 (as far as I’m aware) we didn’t have a treasured personal finance guru to guide us through the tough times.
So, what else is on the agenda for May?
On 2 May enforcement action over cryptocurrency advertising begins from the FCA and ASA.
The US Federal Reserve gives its latest monetary policy decision on 4 May, followed by the Bank of England on 5 May. This in turn is followed by US employment figures on 6 May.
On 10 May is the Queen’s Speech, which marks the reopening of a Parliament, and is bound to be stuffed to the gills with important Government announcements.
US inflation figures come out the next day on 11 May, while UK monthly GDP estimates happen on 12 May, alongside the first quarterly estimate for 2022.
On 17 May we’ve got the latest UK unemployment numbers while inflation is the next day on 18 May.
Finally, the world’s oldest man, Venezuelan farmer Juan Vicente Perez Mora, celebrates his 113th birthday. To him and Martin we say, here’s to many more!
All the best from us here at MRM, Capital City Media and Mouthy Media.
Photo by Adi Goldstein on Unsplash