ABOUT
I’ve been an investment and finance writer since 2004, spending nine years working in-house for two leading global asset managers and operating on a freelance basis since 2013.
Today, I specialise in helping asset and wealth management companies across the world to maximise the impact of their investment and corporate communications.
Whether you represent a major global asset manager or a boutique operating in niche markets, I can help you speak clearly to your clients by producing engaging, persuasive content about your products and services.
I also work regularly with firms operating in other areas of finance, including banking and payments.
Steve Henderson
Work history
- 2013 to date: SMH Investment Writing
- 2010–12: Investment writer at UBP
- 2005–10: Editor at Fortis Investments
- 2004–05: RFP writer at Fortis Investments
- 2001–03: Investment analyst at Mercer Investment Consulting
- First class honours degree in biological anthropology from the University of Cambridge
Steve has been incredibly helpful in crafting and optimising content on a variety of topics for Robeco since 2013. His commitment to producing top-quality texts and persistent focus on finding engaging angles and arguments consistently enhance the quality of the publications he touches.”Johan Hillebrand, Global Head of Content, Digital Solutions & RFPs at Robeco
INVESTMENT WRITING & EDITING
I have vast experience writing about investment products, services and solutions, always doing my utmost to make complex ideas seem interesting, relevant and easy to understand whatever the target audience may be.
I also have lots of experience editing text that other people have written. That's not just a case of checking that it's in perfect English, but also making sure that whatever I'm working on adopts the right tone and style and is structured so that it tells a convincing, logical story.
Whether I'm writing something from scratch or polishing something you've already started, I'll make sure everything in your document is clear, factually accurate and compelling to your clients.
And if you’re operating in the UK and need to comply with Consumer Duty, I can help you get your message across to retail investors in extremely simple terms that assume absolutely no knowledge of investments.
- Sustainable investments
- Equities
- Fixed income
- Hedge funds
- Factor investing / smart beta
- Private equity
- Private debt
- Real estate
- Funds of funds
- ETFs
- Fiduciary management / OCIO
- White papers
- Brochures
- Articles
- Fund manager interviews
- Product presentations
- Web copy
- Social media
- Blogs
- Consumer Duty
- Monthly, quarterly and annual reports
- Competitor analysis
- Podcast scripts
Steve's work for us has been exemplary. He is precise, thorough and timely. He was very quick to adapt to the tone and style of Pictet’s publications and always writes to the highest standard.”Kalina Moore, Head of Investment Communications at Pictet Wealth Management
SUSTAINABILITY
Asset managers have a big role to play in helping the world solve the environmental and social challenges it’s facing – but to do so they need to attract client assets. And it’s a crowded marketplace, with a remarkable number of sustainability pioneers and leaders for investors to choose from.
In a field that’s become bogged down by a swathe of unintelligible jargon, one way you can stand out from the crowd is by producing content that your clients and prospects will understand and want to engage with. I can help you do just that by spelling out complex concepts in simple terms and using language that real people will relate to.
And against a backdrop of increasing sustainability fatigue, I’ll also point out any potential risk of greenwashing that you might be exposed to.
I have lots of experience explaining how asset managers incorporate sustainability in their investment processes and make a positive impact, writing about ESG themes of interest and thoroughly editing entire annual sustainability (and integrated) reports.
- Sustainability reports
- Integrated reports
- Thematic investments
- Sustainability articles
- Impact investments
- Avoiding greenwashing
Steve's ability to distil complex macroeconomic and market trends into clear and concise copy under tight deadlines, not to mention his attention to detail and adaptability when writing for diverse audiences, makes him a huge asset to the NatWest content marketing and thought leadership team.”Jonathan Brandon, Thought Leadership Lead at NatWest Group
CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS
I don't just write about investment products – I can also help you communicate to your clients, prospects and staff about what your company believes in, your successes and future plans, and the approach you take to help them achieve their goals.
And having worked with many asset and wealth managers over the years, I'll use my experience to make your company stand out from the crowd by highlighting what really makes you unique – all the while avoiding the kind of clichés that could turn your clients off.
- Corporate brochures
- Corporate websites
- Company presentations
- Awards submissions
- Annual reports
- Press releases
- Internal and external newsletters
- Advertisements
Steve is one of the few people that is able to put on paper what is in people's minds. In particular, he helped me set out my thoughts on the complex topic of data analysis in real estate, writing a high-quality paper with considerable commercial value to my organisation.”Egbert Nijmeijer, Co-Head of Real Assets at Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management
RFPs
Having spent two years working in a full-time RFP role, I understand how important it is to make sure you get your messages across succinctly and convincingly in what can be very long, dry documents – and that you always provide relevant answers to the questions your prospects are asking.
In the past I've worked with Robeco's RFP team on a freelance basis, helping it fill out RFPs and DDQs at busy times. I also worked with the company's investment teams to develop standard RFPs for some of its new strategies, including quantitative multi-asset solutions and multi-factor credit and equities.
More recently I worked with one of the world's biggest asset managers to completely overhaul the answers in its RFP database for several of its strategies to ensure it's conveying information to its prospects in the most effective way possible.
I also have experience working on private placement memoranda for private equity launches.
- Filling out client RFPs and DDQs
- Developing standard RFPs
- Drafting answers to difficult questions for your database
- Private placement memoranda
Steve was an invaluable member of the Marketing teams at Fortis Investments and UBP Asset Management, able to produce high-quality, accurate and engaging content to tight deadlines. He is equally at home with retail documentation, thought leadership pieces and B2B materials, while his scientific background means he never lets an inaccurate number slip through into client-facing material. Steve worked with several different teams across Europe and Asia and they all appreciated his practical advice and skilful editing of a wide variety of publications and formats.”Emmy Labovitch, former Head of Marketing at Fortis Investments and UBP Asset Management
CLIENTS
I work with the following companies.
CONTACT
Please get in touch if you'd like to find out more about how I could help you.
steve@smhinvestmentwriting.com
tel: +44 7411 479 531
Steve has been incredibly helpful in crafting and optimising content on a variety of topics for Robeco since 2013. His commitment to producing top-quality texts and persistent focus on finding engaging angles and arguments consistently enhance the quality of the publications he touches.”
Johan Hillebrand, Global Head of Content, Digital Solutions & RFPs at Robeco
Steve's work for us has been exemplary. He is precise, thorough and timely. He was very quick to adapt to the tone and style of Pictet’s publications and always writes to the highest standard.”
Kalina Moore, Head of Investment Communications at Pictet Wealth Management
Steve's ability to distil complex macroeconomic and market trends into clear and concise copy under tight deadlines, not to mention his attention to detail and adaptability when writing for diverse audiences, makes him a huge asset to the NatWest content marketing and thought leadership team.”
Jonathan Brandon, Thought Leadership Lead at NatWest Group
We benefit greatly from our collaboration with Steve in refining our articles and studies. In my experience his expertise in scrutinising style, English and grammar is unparalleled. His insightful input not only enhances the quality of our content but also challenges authors to strive for greater clarity and accessibility to every reader. Steve's meticulous reviews and constructive feedback consistently elevate our work, making our publications more impactful and engaging.”
Emmanuel Léchère, Head of Market Intelligence, Redbridge
Steve is one of the few people that is able to put on paper what is in people's minds. In particular, he helped me set out my thoughts on the complex topic of data analysis in real estate, writing a high-quality paper with considerable commercial value to my organisation.”
Egbert Nijmeijer, Co-Head of Real Assets at Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management
Steve has provided exceptional value in crafting diverse content pieces that present a compelling investment case – aligning with our goal to foster engaging conversations rather than solely exchanging information. His profound understanding of the asset management industry and investment products enables him to seamlessly tailor the tone of his content, consistently delivering high-quality and captivating material even to demanding deadlines.”
Wieteke F’touh-Appels, Senior Business Development Manager, Phenix Capital Group
Steve made a huge contribution to a number of our guides on investment-related topics. He adopted our brand guidelines and made full use of his broad financial services expertise. We were always very pleased with the great quality of his work.”
Fabio Peyer, Senior Marketing Manager at Morningstar
Steve has proven indispensable to us over a number of years now as an outstanding freelance investment writer. He has an impressive, in-depth knowledge of the asset management industry and an extraordinary ability to apply this across a broad range of written genre – from editing complex white papers, to developing investment copy from interviews, to crafting winning awards submissions. Steve works quickly and professionally – and is our leading "go-to" person for any and every question about the English language!”
Lynn Pattinson, Head of Corporate Communication, Media & Branding at Unigestion
Steve was an invaluable member of the Marketing teams at Fortis Investments and UBP Asset Management, able to produce high-quality, accurate and engaging content to tight deadlines. He is equally at home with retail documentation, thought leadership pieces and B2B materials, while his scientific background means he never lets an inaccurate number slip through into client-facing material. Steve worked with several different teams across Europe and Asia and they all appreciated his practical advice and skilful editing of a wide variety of publications and formats.”
Emmy Labovitch, former Head of Marketing at Fortis Investments and UBP Asset Management
Steve has played an important role in helping us develop our content library, writing and editing several documents designed to educate our UK and continental European clients about Quoniam's factor-based approach to investing. He's also helped us enhance the way we describe and explain our products in our RFPs.”
Noreen Dillon, International Sales and Client Service at Quoniam Asset Management