Our in-house wordsmith, Nick is far more comfortable reading Shakespeare than attempting to decipher an Excel spreadsheet.
1. What do you do for FinDotNews?
I’m responsible for making the top-notch financial content produced by our authors as relatable as possible. Human beings are moved by stories – and I’ve worked out how to turn dry financial concepts into exciting narratives.
2. What are you reading at the moment?
I’m a bit of a history nut, so I’ve always got a few books on the go. The one I’m enjoying most is a biography of Basil D’Oliveira, the “Cape Coloured” cricketer who overcame his apartheid upbringing to have a glittering test career for England. I already knew the broad strokes of his life, but it’s fascinating to read about the enormity of the challenges he faced – and the sheer scale of his talent.
3. Tell us something not many people know about you?
I’ve published three books about South African history, but I’ve also got two unpublished novels gathering dust in a drawer somewhere. Every New Year I make a resolution to revisit them – maybe this year will be the year it actually happens?

Nick (left) with Thuli Madonsela and Matthew Blackman at the launch of his most recent history book.
4. What’s the best piece of financial advice you’ve ever received?
“Set it and forget it.” Debit orders get a bad rap – but when it comes to investing, they’re the best thing that ever happened to me.
5. Do you have a favourite travel memory?
After I graduated, I spent several years teaching English in Argentina, Bolivia and Vietnam. One December holiday I spent a month exploring the Jesuit missions of Bolivia and Paraguay, a truly incredible trip that made me feel like an extra on the Jeremy Irons film The Mission. Some of the towns I visited still had thriving churches (with macaws roosting in the belltowers) while others had been reduced to ruins.
6. If you’re not behind your desk, where are you?
I like to unwind in nature. Fishing, surfing or even just walking my three rescue dogs.