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Jonathan Guthrie

Former Head of Lex

Jonathan Guthrie was for seven years an associate editor of the FT and the head of Lex, the agenda-setting premium commentary service on global capital.

For six years he was City editor and writer of Lombard, an irreverent column on the square mile and corporate Britain. He has also been enterprise editor, midlands correspondent and UK companies editor. He has led investigations into Eurasian Natural Resources Corp, British Biotech and the “Gem of Tanzania” accounting fraud.

He now contributes regular columns on behavioural finance and nature to Weekend FT on a freelance basis.

  • Wednesday, 6 May, 2026
    Pensions
    Don’t let the taxman grab your tax-free cash

    It’s tempting to blow the lump sum on a sports car — but the more sensible option may be to take it in small amounts like regular income

    Jonathan Guthrie
    3 hours ago
  • Wednesday, 22 April, 2026
    Waste management & recycling
    The pollution data they don’t print on your water bill

    English water companies don’t publish numbers on how much waste they spill every year on your behalf — so I’ve estimated it

    Jonathan Guthrie
  • Thursday, 16 April, 2026
    Personal Finance
    Pensions drawdown: can the 4 Per Cent Rule survive stagflation?

    Ensuring a fund lasts at least 30 years is trickier with asset values falling and prices soaring

    Jonathan Guthrie
  • Wednesday, 1 April, 2026
    Employment
    Does it really make sense to retrain as a plumber?

    It’s become the go-to advice for anyone whose white-collar job could be eliminated by AI — but it’s not very realistic

    Jonathan Guthrie
  • Thursday, 26 March, 2026
    Pensions
    Don’t let your employer pocket your pension fund surplus

    Some schemes are sitting on excess funds averaging £50,000 per member

    Jonathan Guthrie
  • Thursday, 19 March, 2026
    Insight & Comment
    When it comes to your pension, don’t believe the hype about private equity

    Individual investors should be wary of the claims made — especially when they come from politicians

    Jonathan Guthrie
  • Wednesday, 11 March, 2026
    Insight & Comment
    Is intergenerational inequality unfair?

    Sloppy assumptions do not help Millennials — or their Baby Boomer detractors 

    Jonathan Guthrie
  • Friday, 20 February, 2026
    Food & Beverage
    How BrewDog got punked

    Self-belief and ambition become flaws when amplified by managerial power and big money

    Jonathan Guthrie
    A bottle of Brewdog Punk IPA with the blue and black label visible against a dark background.
  • Monday, 16 February, 2026
    Gardens
    Are we killing birds with kindness?

    New evidence suggests that feeding our feathered friends is spreading disease and diminishing numbers. But stopping seems cruel

    Jonathan Guthrie
    Watercolour illustration of colourful garden birds feeding at a green bird table, wings outstretched mid-flight.
  • Wednesday, 11 February, 2026
    UK student loans discontent grows
    It’s time to phase out student loans

    The scheme is, as critics claim, a tax on the majority of British graduates — it’s time the state did the honest thing

    Jonathan Guthrie
    Illustration of a graduate in cap and gown tied up by a snakelike creature with a pound sign for a mouth
  • Wednesday, 28 January, 2026
    Insight & Comment
    Raising the state pension age: will more Britons work until they drop?

    Overall longevity continues to rise, compounding pressure on stretched government finances

    Jonathan Guthrie
  • Wednesday, 21 January, 2026
    Insight & Comment
    How the pensions triple lock will end

    State pension indexation is very important to retirees — but almost certainly too expensive to survive

    Jonathan Guthrie
    Illustration of man in a suit with three locks leading to chart lines
  • Wednesday, 14 January, 2026
    Insight & Comment
    Why life really is cheaper after you retire

    It can be scary without a salary, but savings made in retirement can mount up

    Jonathan Guthrie
  • Wednesday, 7 January, 2026
    Insight & Comment
    Who pays the most tax?

    The UK tax system is an irrational mess, but that suits the politicians

    Jonathan Guthrie
    A man in suit falls over a high bar as coins spill to the tax collector below
  • Friday, 2 January, 2026
    Jonathan Guthrie’s Nature Therapy columns
    Urban foxes — friend or foe? 

    Removing or deterring these garden trespassers is a lifetime vocation. But should they even be considered a problem in the first place?

    Jonathan Guthrie
    An illustrated street scene shows foxes roaming at night as a person walks a dog past terraced houses.
  • Wednesday, 17 December, 2025
    Insight & Comment
    When giving to charity engage your brain, as well as your heart

    How to ensure any gifting you do this Christmas does the most good

    Jonathan Guthrie
    Illustration of man wearing Father Christmas hat and a Christmas jumper looking at an empty collection box overturned under a microscope.
  • Wednesday, 10 December, 2025
    Insight & Comment
    Why we should give our heirs their inheritance sooner

    Think of it as an early Christmas present

    Jonathan Guthrie
  • Monday, 8 December, 2025
    Biography and memoir
    The Curious Case of Mike Lynch — the rise and fall of the cleverest man in the room

    Katie Prescott’s timely biography of the Autonomy entrepreneur offers lessons about today’s tech bubbles

  • Tuesday, 25 November, 2025
    Insight & Comment
    How not to retire

    You don’t have to become a lady or gentleman of leisure — here’s a guide for the unretired

    Jonathan Guthrie
  • Wednesday, 19 November, 2025
    Insight & Comment
    Will AI devour my pension?

    Disruption to business models could leave corporate sponsors too stretched to cover DB scheme liabilities

    Jonathan Guthrie
    Illustration of Ai sharks circling around the pension saver who is watching the water rise around them.
  • Wednesday, 12 November, 2025
    Insight & Comment
    The NHS is in crisis — should I pay for private medical insurance?

    This year, Bupa clobbered me with a 15 per cent price increase. I cancelled the policy

    Jonathan Guthrie
    Illustration of a teal first aid kit with medical supplies and a red cross featuring a white pound sign
  • Friday, 7 November, 2025
    Non-Fiction
    Tigers Between Empires — chasing tails in the battle to save big cats

    A compelling story of the conservationists fighting to save the Amur tiger in the Russian wilderness

  • Wednesday, 5 November, 2025
    Personal Finance
    Are you wealthy?

    The UK chancellor has her sights set on those ‘with the broadest shoulders’ — that may include you, even if you don’t feel particularly well off

    Jonathan Guthrie
    Illustration of a pound sign as a measuring stick, with a line of people of ascending height
  • Wednesday, 22 October, 2025
    Insight & Comment
    In the age of AI, what should your kids study at university?

    Artificial intelligence is changing the calculus when it comes to career paybacks

    Jonathan Guthrie
  • Thursday, 16 October, 2025
    Insight & Comment
    Don’t let cash crash your finances

    Rumoured changes to pension tax-free lump sums have sparked a wave of withdrawals — but few consider the opportunity cost

    Jonathan Guthrie
    An illustration of a man sitting with a pile of money under his legs and acting as a coffee table, while watching a woman ride past on a scooter with pound coins for wheels
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