Accessibility helpSkip to navigationSkip to contentSkip to footer

Cookies on FT Sites

We use cookies and other data for a number of reasons, such as keeping FT Sites reliable and secure, personalising content and ads, providing social media features and to analyse how our Sites are used.

Accept cookies
Manage cookies
  • Sign In
  • Subscribe
Open side navigation menuOpen search bar
Financial Times
SubscribeSign InmyFT
  • Home
  • World
    Sections
    • World Home
    • Israel-Hamas war
    • Global Economy
    • UK
    • US
    • China
    • Africa
    • Asia Pacific
    • Emerging Markets
    • Europe
    • War in Ukraine
    • Americas
    • Middle East & North Africa
    Most Read
    • Argentina’s Javier Milei unveils sweeping decree to deregulate the economy
    • Uefa and Fifa lose Super League football case
    • Angola quits Opec after clashes with Saudi Arabia
    • Sliding Beijing home prices spur alarm in China’s property sector
    • Rudy Giuliani files for bankruptcy after $148mn defamation judgment
  • US
    Sections
    • US Home
    • US Economy
    • US Companies
    • US Politics & Policy
    Most Read
    • Companies
      Sections
      • Companies Home
      • Energy
      • Financials
      • Health
      • Industrials
      • Media
      • Professional Services
      • Retail & Consumer
      • Tech Sector
      • Telecoms
      • Transport
      Most Read
      • Failed Warburg Pincus talks reveal scale of BlackRock’s private equity ambitions
      • How will professional services handle the Great Stagnation?
      • Barclays agrees deal to stay at London’s Canary Wharf until 2039
      • Paris’s La Défense tries to reinvent office life as deals plummet
      • Warner Bros Discovery and Paramount CEOs hold exploratory merger talks
    • Tech
    • Markets
      Sections
      • Markets Home
      • Alphaville
      • Markets Data
      • Cryptofinance
      • Capital Markets
      • Commodities
      • Currencies
      • Equities
      • Fund Management
      • Wealth Management
      • Trading
      • Moral Money
      • ETF Hub
      Most Read
      • News updates from December 21: US GDP revised down in Q3, Angola to leave Opec
      • Bond market rally drives yields past Wall Street’s end-2024 targets
      • Angola quits Opec after clashes with Saudi Arabia
      • Transatlantic resilience brings peak oil within sight
      • Failed Warburg Pincus talks reveal scale of BlackRock’s private equity ambitions
    • Climate
    • Opinion
      Sections
      • Opinion Home
      • Columnists
      • The FT View
      • Lex
      • Obituaries
      • Letters
      Most Read
      • Transatlantic resilience brings peak oil within sight
      • The clearest sign of a party pressing self-destruct
      • Global trade shudders over blockages in the Suez and Panama canals
      • The US backlash against Nippon Steel is wholly misguided
      • Law must ignore the political hand-wringing around Trump
    • Work & Careers
      Sections
      • Work & Careers Home
      • Business School Rankings
      • Business Education
      • Entrepreneurship
      • Recruitment
      • Business Books
      • Business Travel
      • Working It
      Most Read
      • From cold water swimming to bison grilling: how CEOs spend Christmas
      • De Beers chief Al Cook seeks to restore allure of diamonds
      • The perils of mangling a name
      • UN aid chief Martin Griffiths: ‘The war in Gaza isn’t halfway through’
    • Life & Arts
      Sections
      • Life & Arts Home
      • Arts
      • Books
      • Food & Drink
      • FT Magazine
      • House & Home
      • Style
      • Travel
      • FT Globetrotter
      Most Read
      • What if Russia wins?
      • How to wear fishnets now
      • The taste of Christmas
      • Should you ever go back to a favourite restaurant?
      • A Ghost Story for Christmas: Lot No 249 review — Kit Harington and Freddie Fox furnish festive fear
    • HTSI
    MenuSearch
    • Home
    • World
    • US
    • Companies
    • Tech
    • Markets
    • Climate
    • Opinion
    • Work & Careers
    • Life & Arts
    • HTSI
    Financial Times
    SubscribeSign In

    James Max

    Property expert and radio presenter

    James Max, a former investment banker with Morgan Stanley, was a candidate on the first ever British TV series of the The Apprentice, making the semi-final before he heard the words “you’re fired”. He has presented current affairs radio shows for the BBC, LBC and TalkSPORT and TalkRADIO. A former board member of BNP Paribas’ UK real estate business, he currently acts as an adviser to Stanhope, and is a trustee of the Royal Albert Hall.

    @thejamesmax  on Twitter (link opens in a new browser window)

    Add to myFT Digest

    Add this topic to your myFT Digest for news straight to your inbox

    • Wednesday, 22 November, 2023
      UK consumer credit
      Rich People’s Problems: The best things in life are anything but free

      So how can you continue to enjoy the luxuries life has to offer?

    • Friday, 27 October, 2023
      UK banks
      Rich People’s Problems: Should I trust online financial recommendations?

      Those reviews are not the same as feedback for restaurants and wine

    • Thursday, 28 September, 2023
      Advice & Comment
      Rich People’s Problems: Should I renovate my house?

      Like puppies, builders make a mess and seriously damage your wallet

      A builder has fallen through a ceiling. Only his legs are visible
    • Friday, 25 August, 2023
      Advice & Comment
      Life insurance? I’d rather save the cash

      Cover can make sense for those with little or no savings who are only just managing

    • Friday, 28 July, 2023
      Sport
      Rich People’s Problems: Is sports coaching worth the money?

      I’m never going to be Carlos Alcaraz, yet I spend £1,500 a year on tennis lessons

    • Thursday, 29 June, 2023
      Advice & Comment
      Rich People’s Problems: Can I cut costs in the garden?

      You can’t avoid the price of your bit of paradise

      A group of gardeners from the 1930s digging a large hole
    • Thursday, 25 May, 2023
      Advice & Comment
      Rich People’s Problems: Should I cut back on my holiday spending?

      Weigh up the rising cost of travel against priceless memories

      The view from a room at Hotel Cipriani, Venice
    • Friday, 28 April, 2023
      Advice & Comment
      Rich People’s Problems: Why has my car insurance gone up so much?

      It feels like some companies just don’t want my business

    • Thursday, 23 March, 2023
      Advice & Comment
      Rich People’s Problems: What I learnt from my brother’s death

      Ed showed me that time matters more than money

      A family celebrates together with firework sparklers
    • Thursday, 23 February, 2023
      Advice & Comment
      Rich People’s Problems: I just haven’t got enough money

      Where do I start if I want to take a hatchet to personal spending?

    • Wednesday, 25 January, 2023
      Advice & Comment
      Rich People’s Problems: Should I sell my alpine ski apartment?

      Costs are rising and climate change makes snowfalls less predictable

      Living room in an alpine chalet, with a view of snow-covered mountains
    • Thursday, 24 November, 2022
      Advice & Comment
      Rich People’s Problems: Have I got enough money to retire?

      You should save at least 12 per cent of your earnings every year — it’s too late for me

      A table with glasses and champagne on a tropical Caribbean beach
    • Friday, 28 October, 2022
      Advice & Comment
      Rich People’s Problems: Am I barking mad to pay for pet insurance?

      With a premium of about £4,000 a year, the money might do better in a rainy day savings account

      James Max’s dogs Barnaby and Stanley
    • Friday, 30 September, 2022
      Advice & Comment
      Rich People’s Problems: Should I keep my Aga cooker switched off?

      As energy bills soar even those of means are trying to find ways to save

    • Thursday, 25 August, 2022
      Advice & Comment
      Rich People’s Problems: Saving the dinner party with McDonald’s

      Economise by all means, but keep entertainment on the menu

      A McDonald’s meal
    • Friday, 29 July, 2022
      Advice & Comment
      Rich People’s Problems: Should I ditch my Amex Centurion card?

      The annual fee is rising by more than 50 per cent

    • Thursday, 23 June, 2022
      Advice & Comment
      Rich People’s Problems: Leave the airport hordes behind, take a road trip to the sun

      I’ve had enough of flyers with massive suitcases masquerading as hand baggage and flinch at those lacking spatial awareness

      The town of Fayence in Provence
    • Thursday, 26 May, 2022
      Advice & Comment
      Rich People’s Problems: Is the business lunch off the menu?

      If anyone takes me to a chain restaurant, you can’t trust their judgment on bigger issues

      A scene from the television series ‘Mad Men’, showing two ad executives dining in a restaurant
    • Thursday, 28 April, 2022
      Advice & Comment
      Rich People’s Problems: My debt is becoming an albatross

      ‘By the time I got to the checkout I was presented with a bill for £210. How on earth did that happen?’

      A woman shops at a supermarket vegetable aisle
    • Friday, 1 April, 2022
      Advice & Comment
      Rich People’s Problems: Is my new electric Jaguar worth the wait?

      Only narcissists with more money than sense still go for supercars. Class buys future-proofed, understated battery performance

      A Jaguar I-Pace electric car on the road
    • Thursday, 24 February, 2022
      Advice & Comment
      Rich People’s Problems: I’ve got superyacht envy

      Bidding on a boat could sink your finances

    • Friday, 28 January, 2022
      Advice & Comment
      Rich People’s Problems: Big houses mean power struggles

      Energy crisis provides a lesson in ‘Aganomics’ for property owners

    • Thursday, 30 December, 2021
      Private wealth
      Rich People’s Problems: Living the high life on private jets

      Covid has magnified all the faff and time spent queueing for commercial flights

    • Friday, 26 November, 2021
      Advice & Comment
      Rich People’s Problems: How to get a bigger bonus

      Investment bankers are in line for a bumper bonus season — but you’ll need sharp elbows

    • Thursday, 28 October, 2021
      Menswear
      Rich People’s Problems: My wardrobe malfunction

      Having lost three stone, should I invest in some new suits?

    Previous page You are on page 1 Next page

    Useful links

    Support

    View Site TipsHelp CentreContact UsAbout UsAccessibilitymyFT TourCareers

    Legal & Privacy

    Terms & ConditionsPrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyManage CookiesCopyrightSlavery Statement & Policies

    Services

    Share News Tips SecurelyIndividual SubscriptionsProfessional SubscriptionsRepublishingExecutive Job SearchAdvertise with the FTFollow the FT on XFT ChannelsFT Schools

    Tools

    PortfolioToday’s Newspaper (FT Digital Edition)Alerts HubBusiness School RankingsEnterprise ToolsNews feedNewslettersCurrency Converter

    Community & Events

    FT CommunityFT Live EventsFT ForumsFT Board NetworkBoard Director Programme

    More from the FT Group

    Markets data delayed by at least 15 minutes. © THE FINANCIAL TIMES LTD 2023. FT and ‘Financial Times’ are trademarks of The Financial Times Ltd.
    The Financial Times and its journalism are subject to a self-regulation regime under the FT Editorial Code of Practice.
    Financial Times

    International Edition

    Subscribe for full access
    • Switch to UK Edition

    Top sections

    • Home
    • World
      • Israel-Hamas war
      • Global Economy
      • UK
      • US
      • China
      • Africa
      • Asia Pacific
      • Emerging Markets
      • Europe
      • War in Ukraine
      • Americas
      • Middle East & North Africa
    • US
      • US Economy
      • US Companies
      • US Politics & Policy
    • Companies
      • Energy
      • Financials
      • Health
      • Industrials
      • Media
      • Professional Services
      • Retail & Consumer
      • Tech Sector
      • Telecoms
      • Transport
    • Tech
      • Artificial intelligence
      • Semiconductors
      • Cyber Security
      • Social Media
    • Markets
      • Alphaville
      • Markets Data
      • Cryptofinance
      • Capital Markets
      • Commodities
      • Currencies
      • Equities
      • Fund Management
      • Wealth Management
      • Trading
      • Moral Money
      • ETF Hub
    • Climate
    • Opinion
      • Columnists
      • The FT View
      • Lex
      • Obituaries
      • Letters
    • Work & Careers
      • Business School Rankings
      • Business Education
      • Entrepreneurship
      • Recruitment
      • Business Books
      • Business Travel
      • Working It
    • Life & Arts
      • Arts
      • Books
      • Food & Drink
      • FT Magazine
      • House & Home
      • Style
      • Travel
      • FT Globetrotter
    • Personal Finance
      • Property & Mortgages
      • Investments
      • Pensions
      • Tax
      • Banking & Savings
      • Advice & Comment
      • Next Act
    • HTSI
    • Special Reports

    FT recommends

    • Lex
    • Alphaville
    • Lunch with the FT
    • FT Globetrotter
    • #techAsia
    • Moral Money
    • Visual and data journalism
    • Newsletters
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • News feed
    • FT Live Events
    • FT Forums
    • Board Director Programme
    • myFT
    • Portfolio
    • Today’s Newspaper (FT Digital Edition)
    • Crossword
    • Our Apps
    • Help Centre
    • Subscribe
    • Sign In