Blog

ShareSoc Blog

This blog gives you the latest topical news plus some informal comments on them from ShareSoc’s directors and other contributors. These are the personal comments of the authors and not necessarily the considered views of ShareSoc. The writers may hold shares in the companies mentioned. You can add your own comments on the blog posts, but note that ShareSoc reserves the right to remove or edit comments where they are inappropriate or defamatory.

There is more news given in the News page of our web site and more analysis of news is provided in our monthly newsletter for members – see the Newsletters page.

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SIGnet Launches New Group in Harpenden

SIGnet, a national network of individual investor groups, is excited to announce the launch of a new in-person group based in Harpenden. Investors of all levels of experience are welcome to join.   SIGnet groups meet on a regular basis, typically monthly, to give individual investors the opportunity to socialise, discuss, and learn from each other. The main goal is to improve members' knowledge and investment decision-making processes through free discussion and mutual education.  You are invited: to an initial online launch meeting to ...

Class Action for Former Shareholders in STM

  A class action group is being formed to represent former STM shareholders. This development follows a letter from Edmund Truell and Jambo SRC Limited (“Jambo”) to certain former shareholders, which states that no deferred consideration is payable in respect of Jambo’s acquisition of STM. If you held shares in STM Group plc at the time of the takeover, you will have received a Deferred Consideration Unit (“DCU”), exchangeable into loan notes worth up to seven pence per DCU and redeemable in cash ...

Attending AGMs Using AJ Bell’s Voting Service

How their service works in practice Relatively recently, AJ Bell introduced an electronic voting service for clients, which can be accessed from the Account menu (Voting Instructions) when viewing your portfolio. The technology used for this (Broadridge) is the same as that which interactive investor (ii) use for their service. It also offers the option of requesting attendance at a general meeting, which can be found at the top of the form for completing voting instructions. When I use that option with ii, ...

Ashtead Group plc Company Information and EGM Vote Guidance 2025

Court Meeting: 10th June 2025, 10am EGM: 10th June 2025, 10:15am  Proxy deadline: 6th June 2025 ShareSoc provide this added value voting information service for Full Members only, providing vote guidance and background information on leading companies. Below are links to the: 1. Stockopedia summary report. 2. Minerva Vote recommendations for the 10am Court Meeting of 10th June 2025 based on their standard template. 3. Minerva Vote recommendations for the 10:15am EGM of 10th June 2025 based on their standard template. 4. Minerva detailed research report for the Court ...

International Consolidated Airlines Group SA Company Information and Vote Guidance 2025

AGM: 19th June 2025 Proxy deadline: 17th June 2025 ShareSoc provide this added value voting information service for Full Members only, providing background information on leading companies and AGM vote guidance. Below are links to the: 1. Stockopedia summary report. 2. Minerva Vote recommendations for the 19th June 2025 AGM based on their standard template. 3. Minerva detailed research report for the AGM. Summary of voting issues at this year’s AGM  The Minerva report highlights various issues and recommends voting against one of the resolutions and for two on ...

Tesco plc Company Information and Vote Guidance 2025

AGM: 12th June 2025 Proxy deadline: 10th June 2025 ShareSoc provide this added value voting information service for Full Members only, providing background information on leading companies and AGM vote guidance. Below are links to the: 1. Stockopedia summary report. 2. Minerva Vote recommendations for the 12th June 2025 AGM based on their standard template. 3. Minerva detailed research report for the AGM. Summary of voting issues at this year’s AGM  The Minerva report highlights various issues and recommends voting against two of the resolutions. Readers should make their own ...

FCA – meeting with Ashley Alder, FCA Chair

From the ShareSoc Policy Committee As part of our mission to educate, inform and represent individual investors, we regularly meet regulatory, government and other key bodies. We engage actively with the Financial Conduct Authority. We respond to FCA consultations which impact on individuals’ savings and investments. We also meet with FCA executives, some regularly and some on an ad hoc basis. ShareSoc chair Heather Benjamin, director Mark Northway and Policy Committee member Cliff Weight met Ashley Alder, the chair of the FCA, on 23 ...

Press Release: ShareSoc Helps Clients of Hartley Pensions Regain Control of their SIPPs

Hartley Pensions entered administration in July 2022. Since early 2023, ShareSoc has been providing support to Hartley Pensions Self Invested Pension Plan (SIPP) clients, helping them regain access to their pension assets. To date, only 2,000 SIPPs, out of a total of some 16,000, have been transferred to other providers. ShareSoc is in close communication with the FCA, who has now agreed to assist in cases where direct communication between affected clients and Hartley Pensions has not been satisfactory. We have already brought ...

Asset Allocation: Index Investing vs Stock Picking

  1. Overview. Where should I put my money? For most people who are thinking of investing, risk is a key consideration. Beginners often put most of their money into ‘index-trackers’, vehicles that simply mimic the performance of one or more markets such as the UK or the US stock markets. This is known as passive investing. Over the long-term, investing in the stock market through funds or direct shares has been proven to beat the returns from cash savings, hands-down, because they allow ...

Press Release – Baillie Gifford partners with ShareSoc to back individual investors

Baillie Gifford is joining ShareSoc’s Corporate Supporter Scheme, underlining the importance it places on individual investors. Baillie Gifford is an independent global asset manager, headquartered in Edinburgh. With £197bn of assets under management, of which £22bn sits within its popular range of 12 investment trusts. These trusts attract a large individual investor base. ShareSoc is the leading not-for-profit organisation dedicated to representing and supporting UK individual investors. It is a fervent campaigner for fair treatment of individual investors with a heavy focus on ...
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