ShareSoc in the News

This page lists references to ShareSoc in the press and broadcast media.

Financial Times, 11 January 2023, The CGT regime needs root and branch reform

ShareSoc director Cliff Weight wrote an opinion piece for the Financial Times making the point that the current CGT system penalises direct share investment. Click here to read the article.

Financial Times, 30 November 2022, UK watchdog sets out sweeping reform of investment advice

ShareSoc was quoted in an article in the Financial Times about the FCA's plan to boost returns by giving investors with ‘straightforward needs’ simpler guidance. Cliff Weight, director of ShareSoc, which represents retail investors, also welcomed the FCA’s announcement, saying “nanny-state regulation” had led to savers “miss[ing] out on the better long-term returns of equities over cash”. But he warned that the reforms would not “solve the problems of the low levels of financial education in the UK.  Click here to read the ...

Investment Week, 14 September 2022, Woodford redress: ‘What has the FCA been doing for three years?’

ShareSoc director Cliff Weight was quoted in Investment Week, commenting on the news that the Financial Conduct Authority is likely to impose a £306m redress claim on Link Fund Solutions, and the continued delays relating to the collapse of the former Woodford Equity Income fund. Click here to read the article.

The Times, 11 September 2022, Asos accused of steering ‘soft landing’ on City news

ShareSoc director Cliff Weight was quoted in The Times, commenting on an article about the accusations faced by Asos of attempting to manufacture a “soft landing” in the City ahead of weak results published recently. Click here to read the article.

Bloomberg, 23 August 2022, Water Companies Risk Bonus Backlash as Sewage Taints UK Beaches

ShareSoc director Cliff Weight was quoted on Bloomberg UK's website, commenting on how salaries and bonuses for water company executives rose by more than a fifth last year, despite the news of leaks and hosepipe bans. "Companies are wrong to ignore the PR implications of pay,” said Cliff Weight, director of ShareSoc, an organization that supports individual investors. “The outcome can only lead to tougher tax and regulatory regimes which will not be in the best interests of long-term shareholders." Click here to ...

Investor’s Chronicle, 28 Jul 2022, Is there hope in the investor engagement challenge?

Click here to read the article Investors Chronicle long piece on Shareholder Rights, a core campaign for ShareSoc, as it's fundamental to investors maximising their returns by holding company managements to account. The core problems include: shareholders are not the legal owners but only the beneficial owners as nominees; platforms/brokers aren't legally compelled to facilitate communication between companies and nominee shareholders, so many don't; companies don't actually know who their shareholders are; voting is often difficult if not impossible, never mind attending ...

Which?, 19 Jul 2022, Shareholders locked out of annual general meeting (AGM) season

Click here to read the article Which? wrote about Shareholder democracy and quoted ShareSoc data that only an estimated 1% of investors vote. Despite a flood of stock market newcomers during the pandemic (7.1m according to the FCA), shareholder advocacy group ShareSoc estimates just 1% of private shareholders exercise their right to vote. Investment platforms may be partially to blame, with our research finding that while some have a streamlined voting system, for others it’s complex and convoluted with investors given no automatic voting rights and ...

Investor’s Chronicle, 7 Jul 2022, The endurance of the investment club

Click here to read the article SIGnet's Ray Williams has been quoted in an article by Investor's Chronicle about investment clubs. SIGnet is a network of clubs where investors can discuss ideas, but without the shared accounts share clubs are known for. SIGnet's Ray Williams says it has 31 groups which vary in size between six and 20 members. The network has been growing in recent years, and Williams describes it as "a group who get together to talk in a civilised manner and ...

People Management, 30 Jun 2022, It’s time to put a stop to misogyny in business

People Management website mentioned ShareSoc's call for strict penalties to be enforced on individuals using sexist language and behaviour during AGMs. Click here to read the article

Investment Week, 15 June 2022, Leigh Day and Harcus Parker merge Woodford claims for ‘unified front’ against Link

A Group Litigation Order will detail the claimants' allegations against Link, primary of which is alleged mismanagement of the former Woodford Equity Income fund. According to ShareSoc, which endorsed Leigh Day's legal claim in November 2020, the joint claim will represent around 20,000 claimants currently registered with the two law firms. Click here to read the article.