Often dubbed “the Bible of the banking fraternity”, Spear’s is the UK’s leading media title combining wealth management and luxury lifestyle.

Founded in 2006 by former journalist William Cash, the magazine launched in London at a time when the city was a magnet for global UHNWIs, earning it the nickname “Switzerland-on-Thames” in early Spear’s issues.

The first edition was a trial run, as a supplement in the members’ magazine of the exclusive club Annabel’s. From day one, Spear’s leaned into exclusivity, available only by invitation subscription, and distributed to a select UHNWI database, along with first-class lounges, private bank lobbies, and luxury hotel foyers around the world. (Cash’s marriage into the Bulgari family probably didn’t hurt either.)

Today they print over 20,000 copies each quarter but like any media entity their real reach lies in their digital presence with a widely read newsletter and engaging website. Spear’s also run several annual events.

With an average reader net worth of over $12 million, Spear’s covers wealth, business and culture for an audience that can access anything they desire.

Edwin Smith, Editor-in-Chief since 2020, has helped Spear’s double-down on their commitment to focus on the issues that shape the lives of the ultra-wealthy, while expanding their international footprint.

Billed as “a combination of Forbes and Vanity Fair” when launched, Spear’s has a lot to cover between finance, culture, philanthropy, and lifestyle. Smith mentions the key to balancing all this comes down to the old-fashioned combination of intuition and experience.

“It’s a somewhat paradoxical combination of focus and breadth: focus on the private wealth ecosystem, and breadth in the sense that we take a 360-degree view of our niche audience, covering investments, real estate, philanthropy, tax and broader themes that relate to their personal lives, such as family, legacy, mental health and lifestyle.”

Popular articles include profiles of historic families, interviews with business pioneers and notable personalities, as well as reporting on fraudsters like Anthony Ritossa. But the topic that consistently draws the biggest audience? Education.

“Each year we assemble an expert panel of educationalists to draw up the Spear’s Schools Index, a selection of the 100 leading private schools in the world. We already knew that schooling is often at the heart of wealthy families’ decisions to relocate or emigrate, but the level of interest in this index has been off the charts.”

The Spear’s Indices are a cornerstone of the brand, ranking top UHNW advisors and service providers across a range of sectors throughout the year.

Spear’s indices rank advisors for everything from wealth managers and philanthropy to citizenship, aviation, luxury travel, wine, art, litigation, divorce, and even cosmetic surgeons.

Striking the right balance between informative and entertaining is central to Spear’s appeal, but behind each index lies serious research. The culmination of this work is the Spear’s 500, a single print edition that brings all the rankings together.

“The indices, such as the Spear’s Wealth Management Index, are drawn up on the basis of hundreds of interviews, peer reviews and our proprietary methodology. The whole process also informs our journalism and our growing events portfolio.”

Having a finger on the pulse of the wealth management industry, it’s no surprise that Smith notes the rapid growth and influence of family offices.

“We’re moving into a world in which there are more very wealthy people who, proportionally, are much more likely to have a family office. This is like launching an armada of private investment companies around the globe – all in need of deal flow, collaboration, discretion, good governance, smooth succession and highly capable people they can trust.”

Being UK-based, Smith is closely tracking the ongoing wealth exodus that’s dominated headlines, but he brings a broader, global perspective to the story.

“London has been one of the world’s most important hubs for private wealth for a long time, but the global ecosystem’s centre of gravity is shifting eastward and participants in this market need to react accordingly.”

It’s a view very much aligned with how family offices increasingly consider additional offices in new regions like Singapore, Hong Kong and the Emirates.

“The best already think of themselves as a player in a game that’s inherently international. Being anchored to one jurisdiction, location or way of doing things just doesn’t cut it any more.

As for the future of the publication, Smith sees the potential of events and harnessing AI for their research requirements as two key areas to explore.

“The advent of generative AI is clearly a huge opportunity for our research and the data we hold – but only if it’s dealt with carefully. We’ve also only just begun to tap into the potential of our live events portfolio, which has grown significantly in the last few years.”

He also notes there will be much value to be realized from the regional shift in the global wealth ecosystem that he highlighted.

“The big-picture idea is to capitalise on that shift by becoming a truly international media brand, while retaining the reputation, trust and quality that has served us so well up to this point.”

The future may be increasingly international, but for now, Spear’s still sets the standard from its home in London.

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