Meetings for Investors

Mello Trust and Funds Event and ShareSoc AGM

I managed to attend part of the Mello Trust and Funds Event in West London yesterday and although I had other commitments today, I may manage to attend the second day of the main Mello 2019 event tomorrow. If you have not attended one of these events before, it is definitely worth doing so. The only slight criticism I would have is that getting to Chiswick from South East London where I live via the slow District Line is not great. ...

PwC Event: Environmental Reporting – 22 May 2019

Those members interested in the environment and its impact on your investing (and vice versa!) may wish to attend this seminar being run by PwC. Environmental Reporting - 22nd May at PwC, 7 More London starting at 3.30 p.m. Following the earlier circular advising you to 'Save the Date', further details are attached below about the PwC event on Environmental Reporting. No one can have failed to notice that in recent months environmental issues have been in the news. This promises to be ...

In Memory of John Lander

Today I learnt the sad news that John Lander has passed away. John Lander founded the SIGnet (Serious Investor Group Network) organisation over 20 years ago and ran it, more or less single handed for most of that period. You can see a video from John describing the origins and purpose of SIGnet on the organisation's home page: http://www.signet.org.uk/index.html I am writing this piece to express my admiration for what he achieved, though I never met him. The SIGnet group concept provides an ...

Save the Date – 22nd May at 3.30p.m: Environmental Reporting – what questions should I be asking?

Are your investments at risk from the “Blue Planet” effect or will it help them prosper? Will the companies you hold be winners or losers as politicians and the public respond to climate change? Most importantly, are the management on top of the material environmental issues for their industry, do they have strategies to respond and are they giving you the information you need? Often you will have to look into and beyond the narrative and risk reporting not just the financials ...

Learn from experts at the Mello Investment Trust and Funds Conference

Educating investors is one of ShareSoc’s primary objectives. If you have not recently visited the ShareSoc Investor Academy then I recommend you do so. We continue to add to and improve the site. https://www.sharesoc.org/investor-academy/ One of the best ways to learn about investing is to listen to experts and the Mello Investment Trust and Funds Conference on 15th May is an excellent opportunity to do so. Of particular interest may be the sector experts who can highlight the key performance indicators and the ...

The Master Investor Show announces an exciting Main Stage line-up

Advertising Feature The Master Investor Show – the annual conference for private investors, has announced a superb Main Stage line up for the 2019 show. This year’s event will provide the best insights into investing by reviewing current and future socio-economic trends, cutting edge technologies and how best to take advantage of them. Across the four stages, all things from trading, stocks, shares to funds and bonds will be explained by the leading experts within their fields. Now in its 17th year, Master Investor ...

Safestore and Fundsmith AGMs

Today I attended the Annual General Meeting of Safestore Holdings Plc (SAFE) in Borehamwood. Their head office is next to one of their self-storage units. They now have 146 stores with a concentration in London/South-East England, and in major UK cities, plus some in Paris. The Chairman, Alan Lewis, commenced the meeting with a very brief statement. He said 2018 was a good year with good strategic progress. He is confident value creation will continue. Note that Mr Lewis is stepping down ...

RBS General Meeting Report

98.7% of shareholders voted for the proposal, with 1.3% against. A very strong majority. UKGI did not vote their shares. I watched the General Meeting on the webcast. Attendance looked pretty thin. Three people asked questions. Neil Mitchell questioned the prudence of using company funds to buy back shares when there was £15bn of GR legacy issues claims outstanding. He also questioned why there had to be so much haste (why not wait until the AGM and after the annual results were ...

RBS General Meeting: You Decide!

I have today published two posts on ShareSoc's blog, expressing different opinions on RBS's proposed resolution to buy back shares from HM Treasury. One from our chairman and another from senior ShareSoc member Roger Lawson. Firstly, the facts. You can find full details of the General Meeting and proposal here: https://investors.rbs.com/shareholder-centre/shareholder-meetings.aspx. If you are a shareholder you should study the circular available from that webpage before deciding how to vote. ShareSoc encourages its members to make their own minds up on matters such as ...

RBS Share Buy-Back

The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is proposing to buy-back up to 4.99% of its shares from the stake held by the Government (by UKGI on its behalf). At present the Government holds 62% of the company stemming from the bailout in the banking crisis ten years ago. They have been trying to get shot of it ever since as no Tory government thinks it should be investing in banks. This latest proposal makes it clear that UKGI cannot easily sell ...