''Spear's'' (formerly known as ''Spear's WMS'' or ''Spear's Wealth Management Survey''), founded in 2006 by
William Cash
Sir William Nigel Paul Cash (born 10 May 1940) is a British politician who has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) since 1984. A member of the Conservative Party, he was first elected for Stafford and then for Stone in Staffordshire in 1997 ...
, is a bimonthly British magazine for
high-net-worth individuals and those in the financial
service industries
Service industries are those not directly concerned with the production of physical goods (such as agriculture and manufacturing).
Some service industries, including transportation, wholesale trade and retail trade are part of the supply chain de ...
. It has been called "the Bible of the banking fraternity"
by ''
GQ'' and "a European rival to ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
''"
by
''The Evening Standard''. Its subscribers include over 30,000 of Europe’s decision-makers and wealthy. William Cash,
Editor-at-large of ''Spear's'', has twice won Editor of the Year at the
PPA Awards
The Professional Publishers Association (PPA), formerly known as the Periodical Publishers Association until 2011, is the main publishing industry body which promotes companies involved in the production of media, supporting the creative economy at ...
(2007 and 2008). ''Spear's'' is now published by
Progressive Digital Media. The launch in 2006 included publicity from ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'',
''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'',
the ''Luxist''
and ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
''.
''Spear's'' Indices are surveys of key people in the high
net worth world.
''Spear's'' Salon is ''Spear's'' blogging forum which hosts a number of regular contributors.
''Spear's'' 500 are rankings of consultants and service providers in several wealth and luxury related industries.
They also publish the ''Spear's'' 500 Travel.
Under Alec Marsh's editorship the magazine has run a series of interviews with high profile figures including HSH Prince Albert of Monaco, the former Irish president Mary Robinson, the former Cabinet minister Rory Stewart and Nigel Farage in which he talked about being hated and his return to politics before the launch of the Brexit party in 2019. In 2017, David Miliband, president of the International Rescue Committee, told ''Spear's'' that the world's rich needed to give more money to charity and good causes in an exclusive interview widely followed elsewhere. In June 2020 Alec Marsh stepped down at editor, becoming editor-at-large, and was succeeded by his deputy editor Edwin Smith.
History
William Cash, a magazine writer who has also been a foreign correspondent for ''The Times'' and ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was f ...
'', was ''Annabel's Magazine's'' contract publisher in 2005, when they published the pilot edition of ''Spear's'' as a supplement. At that time there was competition for advertisements from "fashion houses and luxury brands" upon which the magazine depended. Cash launched ''Spear's Wealth Management Survey'' in April 2006 with a targeted audience of "the 30,000 wealthiest, most successful and influential people in the UK: from Rich Listers to royalty; hedge fund managers to serial entrepreneurs; oligarchs to internet moguls; cabinet ministers to Sir
Alex Ferguson."
In February 2003 Cash married Ilaria Bulgari, whose father was the vice-chairman of
Bulgari, the third largest jewellery company in the world.
They divorced in 2007 and Cash sold the magazine for about £1.2 million to Luxury Publishing.
Then in 2009 he bought a 67% holding back, with Nectar Capital holding the other shares.
Cash is the owner of Upton Cressett Hall
Upton Cressett Hall is an Elizabethan moated manor house in the village of Upton Cressett, Shropshire, England. It is a Grade I-listed building.
The hall was built of brick between c.1540 and c.1580 for the Cressett family to an irregular floo ...
, a 16th-century Tudor manor in Shropshire.
In 2015 ''Spear's'' became available at 250 outlets in London, as well as on subscription.
Freelance writer Alec Marsh, a former Daily Telegraph journalist and Daily Mail gossip columnist was appointed editor of ''Spear's'' in January 2017. Marsh, who is also the author of the Drabble and Harris adventure novels, took over from Christopher Silvester, who was editor in 2016. Silvester took over from longtime former ''Spear's'' editor, Josh Spero, who left to join the ''Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Ni ...
'' at the end of 2015.
''Spear's'' Salon
Topics covered in ''Spear's WMS'' include 'Asset Management' with articles on investments in bonds versus equities, quantitative easing, impact of Mark Carney's appointment on the HNW individuals, Risks and Rewards of Rare Earths
The rare-earth elements (REE), also called the rare-earth metals or (in context) rare-earth oxides or sometimes the lanthanides (yttrium and scandium are usually included as rare earths), are a set of 17 nearly-indistinguishable lustrous silve ...
Investments; 'Art & Collecting' with articles on the art market
The art market is the marketplace of buyers and sellers trading in commodities, services, and works of art.
The art market operates in an economic model that considers more than supply and demand: it is a hybrid type of prediction market where ...
boom, gallery etiquette and collectors who only want top names; 'The Good Life' with articles on owning your own island, airports becoming more luxurious, Aston Martin, Lamborghini and Porsche competitions; 'Property' with articles on the repossession of a £5.25 million property in One Hyde Park
One Hyde Park is a major residential and retail complex located in Knightsbridge, London. The development includes three retail units (Rolex, McLaren Automotive and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank) and 86 residential properties marketed with prices starti ...
, social investment and the housing crisis and leaseholds in London; 'Legal' and 'Taxation" with articles on challenging the notion that companies must minimise the tax they pay, that tax avoidance
Tax avoidance is the legal usage of the tax regime in a single territory to one's own advantage to reduce the amount of tax that is payable by means that are within the law. A tax shelter is one type of tax avoidance, and tax havens are jurisdi ...
is not a fiduciary duty, how US laws impact tax evasion by use of Swiss banks and G20
The G20 or Group of Twenty is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union (EU). It works to address major issues related to the global economy, such as international financial stability, climate change mitigatio ...
take action against tax-avoiding multinationals. They also deal with topics such as how to manage profits on the sale of hobby thoroughbreds
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are con ...
without incurring a tax liability, and bulletproof cars.
''Spear's'' Indices
''Spear's'' publishes their Indices in each issue in which they rank and rate the top individuals in each wealth management sector. Indexes include: London's top UHNW wealth managers, Spear's Family Lawyers, Spear's Hotel Index, Spear's Security Index, Education Index, UHNW Wealth Management and Family Office Index, Legal Index, Accountancy Index, Philanthropy Index, Reputation Management Index, Property Index, Artan Collecting Index, International Financial Centres Index (IFCs), Security Index, Private Equity Index, Business Angels Index and Hotels Index. In the November/December 2019 edition ''Spear's'' published its first Luxury Index featuring 100 of the leading individuals in luxury today, from hoteliers to horologists, to tailors, interior designers ad jewellers.
''Spear's'' 500
''Spear's'' publishes this annual rankings in two categories. "Band One" is the rankings of top private client professionals focused on wealth management, law and advisory services. "Band 2" is the rankings of private client services primarily focused around lifestyle, alternative investment and luxury.
''Spear's'' 500 Travel
''Spear's'' 500 Travel is a rankings of luxury hotels, resorts, holiday rentals and tour operators in the world, including private aviation and yachts.
References
External links
''Spear's''
official website.
{{Progressive Media Group
Business magazines published in the United Kingdom
Quarterly magazines published in the United Kingdom
Magazines established in 2006