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23rd March 2023 at 11:00 am in reply to: Hargreaves Lansdown #24554
Mike Newman
Participant
In reply to reply #24553

Hi Bob
Yes, I’ve also experienced appalling customer support people at HL recently. If it wasn’t so time consuming, stressful and expensive I would take my wife’s account out of HL. But because trading there is infrequent, I’ve left that headache for another day!
My wife’s account has been with HL for too many years to remember and when it was set up, I sent a letter, signed by my wife, to say that I would be managing and trading the account for her and for many years that has worked OK in that the occasional phone call has been handled correctly.
A couple of month’s ago, I phoned HL to check on a trade and was met with a demand to speak to my wife – no problem normally except she was out at the time – and although I explained that they had a letter from my wife the low intelligent person informed be that I had no right to trade her account and he switched off access to her account FOR BOTH ME AND MY WIFE!!! What’s more it took nearly 3 weeks of daily phone calls and messages before some sense of intelligence reversed the situation. That compounded with HL’s refusal to show all transactions in the transaction page of their web site and not to have an account balance against every input and output (Like most brokers and every personal bank account) will result in me moving her account to a better and cheaper one when I have a few weeks to spare -moving out of the Barclays chaos 3 or so years ago took 18 months!! So I’m not yet pumped up enough quite yet.
6th August 2021 at 12:22 pm in reply to: IG #19108
Mike Newman
Participant
I’ve had a spreadbetting account with IG for many years which I use to trade options as profits are tax free, unlike options trading profits with a ‘proper’ broker are taxable unless in a SIPP (options can’t be traded in an ISA). I’ve recently opened a shares and an ISA account with IG which so far seems to work well with a useful range of web site features. Their trading web site uses all the screen width, so more info can be displayed – unlike say HL with lots of unused space down each side of the screen. The IG accounts can’t trade ‘funds’ which I don’t use anyway. I do agree that their customer service has deteriorated since before Covid.
1st July 2021 at 11:49 am in reply to: Hargreaves Lansdown #18852
Mike Newman
Participant
While I still have this thread open, can somebody explain why they bother to ‘invest’ with funds and not Investment Trusts? The later consistently perform better, there’s is never going to be a Woodford effect with IT’s. Funds have traditionally hidden their costs which even now are hardly transparent. Many web sites and graphing packages show the performance of IT’s but not funds. Funds can’t be sold quickly so if a market/fund is falling rapidly it generally takes a minimum of a day to sell and another to get your money whereas IT’s trade instantly allowing the ability to use that cash for a different trade at the same time. Funds to me are for fund managers to profit from whereas IT’s allow the customer more trading freedom at a lower cost.
1st July 2021 at 11:42 am in reply to: Hargreaves Lansdown #18851
Mike Newman
Participant
I moaned about HL on this thread earlier this year and HL are just getting worse! I agree entirely with Peter Reiss above. My wife’s ISA and SIPP are with HL (I will be moving both out v soon). I manage her accounts and I and have been getting more frustrated with HL’s lack of customer information and failure to provide a daily running balance (like all my own brokers do) so with both separate income and cash tabs, obtaining a cash balance on any day, current or past is either difficult or impossible. All HL need to provide is another tab listing the opening balance, cash out, cash in and closing balance, like their competitors do! We have just moved the cash free 25% out of my wife’s SIPP and HL made a pigs ear out of the process! When I did the same for my own SIPP, the tax free cash moved to my bank account, the same day. With HL it has taken nearly two weeks and several ‘phone calls and I’m further frustrated by not being able to speak to anybody who knows what is going on with the ‘simple’ business of taking the tax free cash out of the SIPP. HL are now like Barclays who destroyed their stockbroking division and now only allow customers to speak to unknowledgeable telephone answering staff and not to the department that you need to speak to. I’m moving my wife’s ISA to IG’s share account service and I’ll move her SIPP soon as well. I’ve had an IG spread betting account for many years and I’ve heard good reports about their share account facilities and service, so fingers crossed!
28th January 2021 at 11:52 am in reply to: Hargreaves Lansdown #16519
Mike Newman
Participant
I agree a lot with RT. Can I ask how long did it take to move from HL to II? I ask because it took 18 months to move from the ‘new’ appalling Barclays excuse for a broker to both AJ Bell and II and both problems were due to Barclays incompetent administration. My beef with HL is that unlike all the other brokers that I use, HL does not provide a daily rolling closing balance, so I don’t know from one month to the next how HL’s stated cash availability is derived – they just assume you have to trust them. In the past they have made mistakes which has taken quite a while to sort out. When I complain, as I do often, they will eventually email me a list showing the daily balance and this list is available on their twice (I think) a year statements. They have the info but refuse to be competitive and put in on the visible web site!!!
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Group description:	All levels of experience welcome. A typical meeting agenda includes: – Macro Environment – Trades: Members review existing positions and identify securities with promising TA entry patterns or setups and with suitable risk/reward. Any security, long, short, futures, options may be considered. The convener takes actual positions in trades and maintains his own detailed ledger, accurately measuring performance of individual securities and cumulative activity. Members are notified by e-mail prior to the entries or exits that are decided upon. Following each meeting an updated copy of the ledger is circulated together with the next meeting agenda. Members may wish to maintain similar ledgers of their own but there is no obligation to do so. – Technical Analysis: Techniques and systems used in trades. Members can request discussion of particular aspects of TA.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Online via Zoom
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	The first Tuesday of every month from 7 to 9pm

Group description:	Following the launch of the SIGnet Technical Traders groups, it was identified that there were a number of members who use fundamental and other information as their main source of choosing companies to invest in, who would find some understanding of technical analysis helpful to identify good entry and exit points for their investments. This new SIGnet Technical Analysis in Support of Investing group is therefore being launched and we welcome members of all levels of experience to join.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Online via Zoom
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	There will be an initial Zoom meeting on Monday 29th April at 7pm to launch this group, please email info@sharesoc.org if you are interested in joining.

Group description:	A new in person group coming soon! Keep and eye on our Events page to register for the launch meeting.
Meeting Type/Venue:	In person
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	TBC

Group description:	Open to all investors / people with an interest in investing. Typical meeting will involve members talking about recent purchases, successes, failures and possible future purchases. Also with occasional visiting speakers or members making presentations on a topic of interest.
Meeting Type/Venue:	We aim to meet on the last Tuesday of each month in a private room at a pub in Playhatch. Start time 7pm with members encouraged to meet up around 6pm for a bite to eat / drink before hand, if their diaries allow.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	7pm on the last Tuesday of the month. Meetings likely to last about two hours but with informal ‘overspill’ before / after.

Group description:	This group was set up as a forum to discuss companies in detail, each company is introduced by a member and discussion may last one or two hours. Membership is by invitation only and is for experienced investors.
Meeting Type/Venue:	The group meets at a venue in Waterloo, London.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are on Tuesday mornings at two month intervals.

Group description:	Group of investors that meets on a bi-monthly basis to discuss all things happening in the world of investing, share each other’s knowledge and give the benefit of each other’s experience. Group primarily focuses on unit trusts, open ended investment companies and investment trusts. However, all investments are up for discussion and new members are always welcome and encouraged.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Remotely via Zoom on Saturdays on a bi-monthly basis, on dates collectively agreed by all group members.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Bi-monthly.

Group description:	Our group members have wide ranging investment experience and work backgrounds. Discussion topics include reviewing our recent stock or collective investment buying and selling activity, plus what we are considering buying or selling and the reasons for our decisions. We also have a wider discussion on where we think opportunities might arise in the next few months and what we think needs to be avoided. Members occasionally lead discussions on specific topics such as recent events attended, articles or books of interest and sources of investment ideas and information.
Meeting Type/Venue:	During the pandemic our meetings were held on Zoom, but we have now resumed meeting in person at a location a few miles to the west of Colchester. Most meetings will now be in person, but it is possible that occasional meetings will be held on Zoom in special circumstances.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	We meet midweek every two months. Zoom meetings run for about two hours from 10.30am and in person meetings from 11am until about 3pm, including a break for lunch.

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. We are a friendly and approachable group who welcome investors of all levels – we just ask that you contribute, at whatever level you can.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Our meetings are held in a very nice pub near to South Ealing tube station (Piccadilly Line), not far from Ealing Broadway (District, Central and Elizabeth Line). Group numbers permitting (and assuming members are happy to purchase food and drink from the bar), we may also have access to a private room in the pub.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	We meet every 2 months, usually on a Wednesday morning at 11am.

Group description:	An online group for those who already have some experience in investing. Covering topics such as finding companies to invest in, financial statements and ratios, valuation / margin of safety, analysis of companies and investment trusts and exchange traded funds.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Online using Zoom.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are usually held on the 3rd Thursday of the month at 7:15pm.

Mike Newman

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