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Asset Allocation: Index Investing vs Stock Picking

  1. Overview. Where should I put my money? For most people who are thinking of investing, risk is a key consideration. Beginners often put most of their money into ‘index-trackers’, vehicles that simply mimic the performance of one or more markets such as the UK or the US stock markets. This is known as passive investing. Over the long-term, investing in the stock market through funds or direct shares has been proven to beat the returns from cash savings, hands-down, because they allow ...

Don’t Panic: Why Staying the Course is Key Amidst Market Uncertainty

  Following the recent market turbulence surrounding President Trump’s 'Liberation Day' and the imposition of new Tariffs, I received a thought-provoking email from the investment firm Y-Tree. Their perspective was so useful that I wanted to share and expand on some of those ideas with fellow ShareSoc members. As background, you might also find my previous blog on asset allocation helpful. In our investing lifetimes we will inevitably experience cycles of rising and falling growth, interest rates, and taxation. These cycles lead to ...

Urgent appeal for sponsorship from the Flybe Shareholder Group

Flybe shareholders have waited long enough – please help us finally uncover the truth This solicitation is published by ShareSoc on behalf of the Flybe Shareholder Group and publication thereof does not represent an endorsement of the proposed action. For further information readers can contact the action group via their CrowdJustice page.  In early 2019, upbeat statements by Flybe’s leadership were followed by a dramatic collapse in the value of its shares, wiping out investors and prompting urgent questions which remain unanswered.   Hosking ...

VEIL or VNH?

  Vietnam Enterprise Investments opportunity On 13 March I listened to a very interesting webinar on Vietnam “Vietnam Enterprise Investments | Kepler Trust Intelligence Ideas for your ISA”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO694HbHyVI&t=42s . I visited Vietnam in 2019 on holiday and found it fascinating, so put a bit of money into Vietnam Holdings (VNH), which has given me a very good return of 103% so far. I bought some VEIL after the webinar. VEIL is on a discount of 20% which looks too high to me, given ...

Aviva’s Preference Share Offer: A Reasonable Offer, But Could It Be Better?

Introduction: A Second Bite at the Cherry On March 11, 2025, Aviva PLC announced a tender offer and a proposed cancellation of its 8.375% and 8.75% Cumulative Irredeemable Preference Shares. This follows a similar, and highly controversial, attempt in 2018, which was ultimately withdrawn after significant investor backlash. While this new offer is structured differently, and is undoubtedly an improvement on the 2018 proposal, it still raises important questions for individual investors, particularly those who rely on these shares for income. ShareSoc has ...