ShareSoc

Interactive Investor Acquired

This article represents the views of its author and not necessarily those of ShareSoc. Interactive Investor have announced that they are being acquired by Abrdn (fka Aberdeen Standard Life), reportedly for £1.5 billion. Interactive Investor have been providing a popular and low-cost share dealing platform for private investors and have been owned by JC Flowers recently. Interactive acquired The Share Centre a few months back and now have about 400,000 clients. At least it looks like Interactive Investor clients won’t have to learn ...

Post Date: December 5, 2021 Read more

Platform Transfer Finally Completed and Pointless Trust Changes

Good News! A transfer of one of my SIPPs from one platform to another has finally been completed today (22nd June). I initiated the transfer on the 12th January this year so this has actually taken over 5 months. A totally unreasonable period of time for what should have been a simple transfer of cash and a few direct shareholdings of UK listed crest stocks. However their failure to collect the tax refunds on PID dividends on some of the holdings ...

Post Date: June 22, 2021 Read more

Buying, Selling and Voting US shares

by Cliff Weight, Director ShareSoc. The Gamestop upcoming AGM votes have highlighted the differences in the platforms. Some still do not allow you to buy US shares. Notably Interactive and eToro will allow voting of Gamestop shares. I was sent the information below by a journalist, which looks right, but I cannot guarantee it is so. These things often change. I understand that Hargreaves are looking at making voting easier and considering using Broadridge. That would definitely be a great step in the right direction. Platform Access to US ...

Post Date: June 2, 2021 Read more

Platform Transfers – It’s Even Worse Than Thought

I commented last month on an article in Investors Chronicle by Mary McDougall on the subject of platform transfers, and how they are inordinately slow. Despite past efforts by the FCA, the situation does not seem to be getting any better. My latest transfer, which was commenced on the 12th of January, is still not complete. The shareholdings have recently been transferred to the selected new platform but not the substantial cash holding in the portfolio. But according to the latest article ...

Post Date: April 16, 2021 Read more

Platform Transfers – “Progress has been pitiful”

There is a very good article in this week’s Investors Chronicle by Mary McDougall on the subject of platform transfers. I have sent her the following email: Mary, On the subject of platform transfers, you are quite right to say that “It appears progress has been pitiful”. I have done several such transfers in the past and none has been completed in under 3 months. The FCA initiatives to improve matters has had minimal impact. I am currently still trying to get one ...

Post Date: March 21, 2021 Read more

Telegraph, 23 Feb 2021, How to use your broker to hold your investments to account

The Telegraph wrote a useful article about AGMs and voting. see https://www.telegraph.co.uk/investing/shares/use-broker-hold-investments-account/ It was headed How to use your broker to hold your investments to account But the real story was in the byline - Stockbrokers require investors to jump through lots of hoops to register their vote. It also explained the problems and quoted ShareSoc: However, new investors might not know that owning company shares comes with part ownership of a company – and with it the right to vote on issues at their annual ...

Post Date: February 24, 2021 Read more

Information and Experience on Brokers and Platforms

One thing that all ShareSoc members depend upon is a good quality broker. With that in mind, we have started to create topics in our member forum. Our members can now use these to share any news or opinions and raise issues about individual brokerages. This will be helpful to other members. I have set up a separate “Topic” for each of the usual suspects in this area - https://www.sharesoc.org/forums/forum/choosing-a-stockbroker-or-platform/ Over time, I hope this will become a useful resource for members ...

Post Date: January 27, 2021 Read more

Invinity Open Offer, Ideagen, and AJ Bell Results

I have recently taken a strong interest in those shares that are involved in electrification of the world. It’s not just the UK Prime Minister who wants to save the world from global warming and air pollution with Joe Biden likely to be much more environmentally conscious than Donald Trump. Those companies or trusts that are involved in alternative energy sources such as wind and solar, and systems to manage the fluctuations they impose on the grid, are of particular interest. One ...

Post Date: December 3, 2020 Read more

Epidemic Over? Unable to Trade and Chrysalis VCT Wind-Up

Pandemic News The news that the Pfizer vaccine for Covid-19 appears to work (at least 90% of the time) and has no negative side effects gave stock markets a good dose of euphoria yesterday (9th November). It suggests that we might be able to return to a normal life in future, but exactly when is far from clear. Actually producing and distributing the vaccine is going to be a mammoth task and it is very clear that it will only be given ...

Post Date: November 11, 2020 Read more

Group description:	Group focused on active investing, primarily in small / medium cap UK equities.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Zoom.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Monthly on Saturdays at 10am.

Group description:	We hold monthly in-person meetings with possible exceptions in August and December. Discussions are generally on the topic of investment strategy and potential companies of interest. Each member is expected to make an investment-related presentation approximately once a year.
Meeting Type/Venue:	We meet in a private room at a pub around 7 miles SW of Oxford. We usually each order a dish from the pub menu that is served during the meeting.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are in-person, monthly on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 7pm. Typical meetings last 2 to 2.5 hours.

Group description:	Our group is a broad church that contains investors of varying age and experience. We discuss stocks and investment trusts that we have bought, sold or are interested in and the reasons behind our decisions, and try to make sense of the ever changing investment environment. Our members backgrounds are diverse and include corporate banking, engineering, teaching and the leisure industry. Discussions are robust and challenging but tend to be to be informal, and do not generally involve agendas, presentations or detailed preparation.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Our meetings are held on Zoom, although we are all based around London so try to meet centrally for lunch from time to time.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	We meet every 2 months, generally midweek at 10.30am.

Group description:	Meeting once a month, our group covers a variety of investment styles. We also have an active WhatsApp group and we welcome new members.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Physical meetings at a venue in Preston, Hitchin, SG4.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Monthly on a Saturday at 10am (usually the last Saturday of the month).

Group description:	Experienced investors who have been members many years and newer members wanting to learn about investing. Members discuss portfolio content and reasons why they have certain assets and investments. Buys and sells discussed along with interesting shares being considered along with current issues in the market of local or international influence.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Physical face to face meetings held in a central pub in Easton in Gordano.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Usually monthly to 6 weekly, mid week 12 noon to 2pm with lunch.

Group description:	Our group covers a wide spectrum of mainly stock market investing and trading from equities – which include shares, ETF’s Investment and Unit Trusts – mainly UK and USA, but also some spread betting and financial options. We normally rotate the meeting chairperson (responsible for creating, with member’s help, suitable agendas) and a meeting presenter (members take it in turns to provide a 15 to 45 minute presentation on a subject of their choice). Various investing topics of interest are regularly discussed such as software, brokers, investing categories and markets and any related topics of interest.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Following Covid, this group hasn’t yet reconvened at their previously regular meeting venue which is in a private room within a west London golf club. In the meantime, meetings are held via videoconferencing. Part of the reason is that some members have moved away and some prefer meeting in person. So our aim is to recruit new members to ensure a continued regular in person meeting.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month in the afternoons, following a golf club one course lunch for our in-person meetings.