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Ms Jonquil Lowe

Profile summary

Professional biography

I am an economist specialising in personal finance, previously working in stockbroking, then as head of money research at Which? before running my own contract research and journalism business for 25 years, writing some 30 books on personal finance along the way. I now combine working as an academic with freelance practitioner work.

Knowlege exchange work includes working as an independent consumer representative on the Finance and Leasing Association (FLA) Consumer Code Group, FLA Stakeholder Advisory Panel and the Open Banking Expert Consumer Group. I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and Associate Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investments..

ORCID iD iconorcid.org/0000-0001-5828-3195

Research interests

Systems of pension provision; theorising and evaluating financial capability; causes of, and remedies for, consumer detriment in retail financial markets; consumer interface with the tax system; and retail financial regulation in the UK. Member of the Centre for Public Understanding of Finance, Institutions and Networks (PUFin).

A repository of research publications and other research outputs can be viewed at The Open University's Open Research Online. .

Books (selected)

Ring, P., Lowe, J. and Liu, L. (in press) Global Pension Challenges. Pensions, saving and retirement in the twenty-first century, London, Routledge.

Lowe, J. (new edition in press; 2010) Be Your Own Financial Adviser, Harlow: Pearson Education. https://shepherd.com/best-books/insights-for-managing-your-money-wisely

Lowe, J. (ed) (2023) The Good Retirement Guide, London, Kogan Page (ranked best retirement planning book by Financial-Expert.co.uk).

Luu, L., Lowe, J., Ring, P. and Sahota, A. (eds) (2021) A Practical Guide to Financial Services: Knowledge, Opportunities and Inclusion, London, Routledge.

Lowe, J., Luu, L. and Butler, J. (2019) Essential Personal Finance. A Practical Guide for Employees, London, Routledge.
Luu, L., Lowe, J., Butler, J. and Byrne, A. (2017) Essential Personal Finance: A Practical Guide for Students, London, Routledge.

As a contributor (selected)

Lowe, J. (2022) 'Applying investment theory to practice' in Grable, J.E. and Chatterjee, S. (eds) De Gruyter Handbook of Personal Finance, De Gruyter.

Lowe, J., (2022) 'Where to go for advice' in Tolley's Finance and Law for the Elderly Client, LexisNexis Butterworth.
Lowe, J., (2022) 'Equity release' in Tolley's Finance and Law for the Elderly Client, LexisNexis Butterworth.
 

Teaching interests

Module Team Co-Chair of production, DD217 Running the Economy

Former external Examiner, Glasgow Caledonian University.

Former Module Team Chair of production and joint-Chair of presentation, DD226 Economics in Practice.
Former Module Team Co-chair of production, DB125 You and Your Money.
Fomer Qualification Lead of Foundation Degree/Dip HE in Financial Services (now taught out).
Former Faculty Employability Lead.
Former Module Team Chair of presentation, DB234 Personal Investment in an Uncertain World (taught out).
Former Module Team Chair of production, DD209 Running the Economy.
Former Module Team production member, DB234 Personal Investment in an Uncertain World (taught out).
Former Module Team production and presentation member, DB123 You and Your Money (taught out).

Co-author of Future Learn MOOC, Challenging Wealth and Income Inequality.

Tutor on DB125

Impact and engagement

Member of the Policy Advisory Group, Women's Budget Group.
Independent consumer member of Finance and Leasing Authority Consumer Code Group and Stakeholder Advisory Panel.
Independent consumer member of Open Banking Expert Consumer Group 
Oral and written evidence to Parliamentary Public Bill Committee here
Oral and written evidence to House of Lords Financial Exclusion Committee here

Research groups

NameTypeParent Unit
Financial History GroupGroupThe Faculty of Business and Law

Publications

Comparing pension systems in the circular flow of income (2011-11)
Trigg, Andrew B. and Lowe, Jonquil T.
American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 70(5) (pp. 1248-1281)


Global Pension Challenges: Pensions, Saving and Retirement in the Twenty-First Century (1st ed.) (2024)
Ring, Patrick; Lowe, Jonquil and Luu, Lien
Contemporary issues in finance
ISBN : 9781003307280 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : Oxon, UK and New York, USA


Personal Investment: Financial Planning in an Uncertain World (2010)
Mazzucato, Mariana; Lowe, Jonquil; Shipman, Alan and Trigg, Andrew
ISBN : 978-0-230-24660-7 | Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan | Published : Basingstoke, UK


The state and pensions (2024)
Lowe, Jonquil
In: Ring, Patrick J.; Lowe, Jonquil and Luu, Lien eds. Global Pension Challenges: Pensions, Saving and Retirement in the Twenty-First Century. Contemporary issues in finance (pp. 74-103)
ISBN : 9781003307280 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : Oxon, UK and New York, USA


Applying investing theory to practice (2022-03-21)
Lowe, Jonquil
In: Grable, John E. and Chatterjee, S. eds. De Gruyter Handbook of Personal Finance (pp. 287-303)
ISBN : 978-3-11-072749-4 | Publisher : Walter de Gruyter GmbH | Published : Berlin/Boston


Chapter 9 Financial services and the role of government (2022-01)
Lowe, Jonquil
In: Luu, Lien; Lowe, Jonquil; Ring, Patrick John and Sahota, Amandeep eds. A Practical Guide to Financial Services (pp. 193-212)
ISBN : 9781032130996 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : Abingdon, UK


Overview of Financial Services (2021-12-27)
Lowe, Jonquil
In: Luu, Lien; Lowe, Jonquil; Ring, Patrick and Sahota, Amandeep eds. A Practical Guide to Financial Services (pp. 1-16)
ISBN : 9781032130996 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : Abingdon


Chapter 10 Financial Crimes (2021-12-27)
Lowe, Jonquil
In: Luu, Lien; Lowe, Jonquil; Ring, Patrick John and Sahota, Amandeep eds. A Practical Guide to Financial Services (pp. 213-231)
ISBN : 9781032130996 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : Abingdon, UK


Policy Choices (2013)
Lowe, Jonquil
In: Santos, Cristina; Higginson, Martin; Himmelweit, Susan; Howells, Peter; Lowe, Jonquil; Mackintosh, Maureen; Morgan, Wyn; Parris, Stuart; Simonetti, Roberto; Stone, Hedley and Trigg, Andrew eds. Running the Economy (pp. 225-274)
ISBN : 978 1 7800 7329 3 | Publisher : The Open University | Published : Milton Keynes


Pensions (2011-11-04)
Lowe, J.
In: Callaghan, George; Fribbance, Ian and Higginson, Martin eds. Personal Finance (2nd edition) (pp. 273-324)
ISBN : 978-0-230-34811-0 | Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan/The Open University | Published : Basingstoke/Milton Keynes, UK


Savings and investments (2011-11-04)
Lowe, J. and Rutterford, J.
In: Callaghan, George; Fribbance, Ian and Higginson, Martin eds. Personal Finance (2nd edition) (pp. 174-228)
ISBN : 978-0-230-34811-0 | Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan/The Open University | Published : Basingstoke/Milton Keynes, UK


Investment choices (2010-03-30)
Lowe, Jonquil
In: Mazzucato, Mariana; Lowe, Jonquil; Shipman, Alan and Trigg, Andrew eds. Personal Investment: financial planning in an uncertain world (pp. 67-111)
ISBN : 978-0-230-24660-7 | Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan | Published : Basingstoke


A Practical Guide to Financial Services: Knowledge, Opportunities and Inclusion (2022-01)
Luu, Lien; Lowe, Jonquil; Ring, Patrick and Sahota, Amandeep
Luu, Lien; Lowe, Jonquil; Ring, Patrick John and Sahota, Amandeep eds.
ISBN : 9781032130996 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : Abingdon, UK


How Might We Create a Secondary Annuity Market that Works for Pensioners? (2016-05)
Brambley, Will and Lowe, Jonquil
In : ELSA’s 7th Anniversary Symposium (23 May 2016, London)


Pensions and Gender Equality: Policy paper for the Commission on a Gender-Equal Economy (2020-01)
Lowe, Jonquil
Women's Budget Group


Consumers and competition: delivering more effective consumer power in retail financial markets (2017-07-17)
Lowe, Jonquil
Financial Services Consumer Panel, London, UK.


Access to Financial Services in the UK (2016-05-24)
Lowe, Jonquil; Collard, Sharon; Martin, Coppack and Simon, Sarkar
Financial Conduct Authority, London, UK.


Beyond Risk Profiling: Achieving better investment outcomes for consumers and industry (2015-10)
Collard, Sharon; Brambley, Will and Lowe, Jonquil
True Potential Centre for the Public Understanding of Finance, Open University, Milton Keynes, UK.


Whither UK annuities? Why lifetime annuities should still be part of good financial advice in the post-pension-liberalisation world (2014-07-25)
Lowe, Jonquil
International Longevity Centre UK (ILC-UK), London.