How to write about finance

When you write about finance you need to be in the top left quadrant of the above chart.

How do you do that? You put the bottom line up front. Tell the reader right at the beginning what your key message is.

You’re not writing a mystery story. if the document is about costs, tell them the total cost at the beginning. If your report requests a decision put it at the top.

If your opening doesn’t do that, rewrite it until it does. Sometimes you need several goes to get the beginning right.

Once you have your strong start, every sentence should pull the reader forward from the previous one.

And remember: too much content can be as damaging as too little. Keep it lean. The best writing is clear, direct, and free from anything that doesn’t serve the message.

Get the content right before you think about formatting the document.

One of the biggest problems with tools like Microsoft Word and Google Docs is that they show you what your document looks like while you’re still writing it.

That’s a distraction.

Fight the urge to tweak headings and fonts and the like unto you’ve got the words right.

If you want your financial writing to be clear, concise, and impactful, I can help. Send me a message if you’d like advice or support with your next report or presentation.