LEE BOYCE: We’ll always fight for you and your finances

What a tremendous privilege to take over as editor of Money Mail today with my first issue.

I’ve been writing about personal finance for many, many years on Money Mail’s sister website, This Is Money, where I recently served as the deputy editor.

To say that I am an avid reader of these pages in the Mail is quite an understatement.

But damn it, I’ve rarely known a time when it was more important to stay on top of your finances.

From the cost of living tightness and the hangover from the country’s Covid loans to the chaos in mortgage markets and the fallout from the war in Ukraine, it’s been a dizzying year for families and households trying to keep their bills up to date. to keep.

But fear not: Money Mail is here to take you through the storm – just as it has done over and over over the years.

I will build on a rich tradition of fighting your corner and helping you, our wonderfully loyal readers, make your money work as hard as possible.

From the smartest tips on how to earn more with your savings to exposing misconduct, scams and scams by companies you thought you could trust, I’m by your side every step of the way.

It’s saying a lot that I’m only the eighth Money Mail editor in a history that stretches back nearly 60 years. In that time we have had 19 chancellors – although five have come in the last three years!

So what do I get up for in the morning? And what will my goat get? One of my proudest moments as an editor was overseeing a major investigation into billions of pounds of underpaid state pensions, which led to thousands of people getting windfall benefits they should have received from the government.

And last year I published a book about how to make money in all kinds of unexpected ways – and how to keep growing that pot (it’s called Never Go Broke, available in all good bookstores, if you’re interested).

You will find that I have a passion for savings rates, raising pensions, investigating scandals, the power of compound interest to grow your savings and pensions, teaching young people about money and championing stories that make a real difference. make for your wallet, purse and piggy bank.

And what about those dislikes? What’s this list like for a starter for ten: the push to give up cash, the drive to use smart meters, private parking companies and annoying parking apps, companies that take loyalty for granted and especially large and small companies that don’t correct mistakes before Money Mail needs to get involved.

As my predecessor, Victoria Bischoff, wrote in her last Last Word column a few weeks ago, the letters and emails we receive from you are absolutely essential in helping us do that.

You are what has long made Money Mail the best personal newspaper finance department in the country. So please write to me with your financial problems and complaints. My contact details can be found at the end of this column.

It is a turbulent, hectic and worrying time for households. But remember that whatever comes your way, my amazing team of Money Mail reporters and I have you covered.

Credit card chaos

John Lewis is a brand that is so loved by some customers that they have a special credit card linked to the store to collect reward points.

But the company recently changed that card’s provider, alienating some of its most loyal customers, who are now blocked from taking a new card or getting a significantly reduced limit – despite fantastic credit histories.

Indeed, the first two letters I opened as a Money Mail editor dealt with this matter.

Last week, John Lewis boss Dame Sharon White said the cost of living crisis had a bigger impact on the company than the pandemic.

Then why is it treating some of its customers so badly by refusing this simple credit card transfer?

In my opinion it makes absolutely no business sense. Time to set things straight, Dame Sharon.

• Write me at Money Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT or email l.boyce@dailymail.co.uk.