ShareSoc Blog
The ShareSoc blog provides news and informal commentary from directors, members and other contributors. Entries reflect the personal views of the authors, which do not necessarily reflect ShareSoc’s formal position. Contributors may hold shares in the companies mentioned. Nothing in this blog should be viewed as financial advice. You may submit comments on blog posts, but ShareSoc reserves the right to remove or edit inappropriate or defamatory submissions.
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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Sadly, BrewDog is a cautionary tale. Early-stage investors take huge amounts of risk. If things go well, they often get diluted or subordinated by large funding rounds; if things go badly, they get wiped out.
In this case, it appears management was not sufficiently focused on the plight of the company’s early-stage investors and fell prey to the siren call of private equity.
In 2017 the company was expanding rapidly and needed significant new funding – far more than could be raised from existing individual shareholders or via the ...
Our Chair, Heather Benjamin, has had a busy start to 2026, continuing to raise ShareSoc’s profile.
The London Stock Exchange marked the introduction of the new Public Offers and Admissions to Trading Regulations (POATR) regime and the launch of Access Bonds. For the first time in a generation, retail investors can access UK corporate bonds on the same disclosure terms as institutions, and in denominations that make sense.
The Power of Retail event hosted by RetailBook and Peel Hunt brought together policymakers, regulators, market infrastructure and practitioners to talk candidly about how ...
The UK government is moving toward a digitised stock market. This means the old system of paper share certificates is finally being retired in favour of a modern, digital-only system. And it's about time!
What is Changing?
Currently, many investors hold shares through nominee companies associated with their platform or broker (e.g. Hargreaves Lansdown, interactive investor, AJ Bell). In the eyes of the law, the nominee is the legal owner, while the investor is the Underlying Beneficial Owner (UBO).
This indirect holding works well as a means of ...
ShareSoc and UKSA Combined Position Statement
A Step Forward for Modernisation and, if done properly, for Governance
ShareSoc and UKSA welcome the publication of the Digitisation Taskforce’s Final Report as an important milestone in modernising UK capital markets.
The recommended path to digitisation through implementation of a fully intermediated securities chain has the potential to enhance shareholder engagement and reduce administrative burden and cost. Subject to important caveats, it can strengthen the transparency and effectiveness of underlying beneficial owners’ (UBOs’) stewardship and, as a result, ...
Why Now, and What It Really Means Vanguard has announced a significant change to its flagship LifeStrategy range: a reduction in the long‑standing UK home bias. Equity exposure to the UK will fall from...
What inspired you to join ShareSoc’s board and what motivates you to represent retail investors?
I am delighted to share my perspective.
I joined the Board of ShareSoc after spending ten years as a professional investor, having sold my company in 2016. I was motivated by a genuine desire to share the knowledge and experience I have gained with those just starting their investment journeys. I believe that investing is a skill that empowers individuals to take control of their financial futures, and I have always admired ShareSoc’s commitment ...
We are pleased to announce that several SIGnet groups across the UK now have immediate openings for new members. If you’ve been considering joining a SIGnet group - or adding a second group to widen your investing discussions - this is an ideal moment to get involved.
What is SIGnet?
SIGnet is ShareSoc’s nationwide network of local and specialist investment discussion groups. Each SIGnet group is run by its members, for its members, offering a welcoming space for individual investors to:
Meet with fellow investors
Share and debate investing ideas
Hear new stock, fund and trust suggestions
Learn from each ...
SIGnet, a national network of individual investor groups, is excited to announce the launch of a new online group for those interested in value investing. The group will meet monthly on the second Tuesday of the month at 7pm and 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 ...
Up 15.7%. 😊. I am happy with this.
Key points
Portfolio up 15.7%.
Benchmark performance: 13%, representing a 90% equities/10% bonds/cash allocation.
The global equities benchmark rose 13.9% in sterling terms
MSCI USA rose 9.2% in sterling terms (17.9% in dollars, but I was unhedged)
UK FTSE 100 rose +25.8%.
My outperformance of +2.7% reflects:
my FTSE 100 shares (impact on returns = +0.5%),
stock selection +6%,
my small AIM company bias (-1.5%)
and US underperformance in sterling terms ...
SIGnet, a national network of individual investor groups, is excited to announce the launch of a new in-person group based in London. The group will meet on Tuesday evenings and will focus on identifying and discussing shares in potential Compounding High Performers across the UK, the rest of Europe, and the US — companies suited for long-term investment, with the aim of holding them for many years to achieve strong returns. Participants are likely to be experienced investors who have chosen ...
