Investing Basics – Sponsors

ShareSoc Investing Basics is sponsored by:

Partners

This is Money is partnering with ShareSoc to help the Investing Basics videos reach as wide an audience as possible.

The London Stock Exchange are supporting ShareSoc Investing Basics by hosting the launch. Helping investors in making more informed decisions when buying shares and funds.

Endorsements

Matt Macklin, Regional CEO: “IG Group has long prioritised education, taking steps to create relevant and accessible content and information to empower ambitious individuals, whether they are clients or not. We believe that providing technical and market information enables people to make the right choices for themselves to meet their wealth goals. We also provide financial support to a wide array of organisations to facilitate higher quality, more accessible educational resources – ranging from our work with Teach For All, to Learning with Parents, to ShareSoc. By partnering with ShareSoc, we hope to enable more people to become more informed and more confident about their financial decisions.”

Kevin Doran, Managing Director for AJ Bell’s D2C propositions: “Investing is as popular now as it’s ever been. Investment platforms have given everyone access to stock markets in a way they’ve never had before – literally at their fingertips via their mobile phone. It’s becoming a normal day to day activity for many, which is great but that means education and impartial information is also now more important than ever. The videos produced by ShareSoc are easy to understand, engaging and cut through the jargon that often frustrates retail investors. They are a handy resource for anyone that wants to improve their investing knowledge.”

Alasdair Haynes, CEO of Aquis Exchange PLC – the operator of UK growth stocks exchange Aquis Stock Exchange (AQSE) – and Chair of City UK’s Business Council: “I have always believed, passionately, that investing in UK public companies is something everybody should feel equipped to do, not just those working in the City or the very wealthy. The key to achieve this is education and Aquis is very excited to support ShareSoc with its YouTube series Investing Basics. This is an excellent initiative for retail investors – a very accessible, clear and impartial guide – a perfect way of improving people’s knowledge and giving them the confidence to invest appropriately for the own needs and goals. Well done ShareSoc.”

Lee Wild, Head of Equity Strategy, interactive investor: “Investing Basics is a welcome initiative from ShareSoc, and echoes a lot of the work we do at ii in terms of empowering investors, whatever stage they are at, and giving them all the tools to make informed decisions and help avoid unnecessary risk. Particularly since the pandemic, the increase in new investors has been substantial – and although this is encouraging to see, we are living in a complex financial environment, and navigating investment products and strategies can be overwhelming even for a seasoned investor – let alone a beginner! Consumers deserve high-quality and impartial content which can help make the investment journey easier, and hopefully – enjoyable, and one that helps them meet their long-term financial goals.”

Gavin Oldham OBE, Chair of The Share Foundation www.sharefound.org, Managing Director, Share Radio www.shareradio.co.uk and founder of The Share Centre (now part of ii/abrdn): “Understanding your appetite for risk and how to make your money work for you are fundamental to becoming a successful investor; and the power of compounding means that the earlier you can start on this journey, the better.
ShareSoc and Glen Goodman have worked together to prepare this excellent introduction to Investing Basics in order to help people to become more financially aware, and I warmly recommend it for everyone who doesn’t want to spend their whole life working for money.”

Marcus Stuttard, Head of AIM and UK Primary Markets, London Stock Exchange Group: “We are delighted to support the launch of the Investing Basics video series. At LSEG, we recognise the importance of supporting investors and we welcome this initiative by ShareSoc and their partners, which supports investor education in an accessible and engaging way. In turn, we hope individuals are empowered to make informed decisions regarding their finances and long-term security, broadening the public’s participation in capital markets.”

Simon Lambert, Editor, This is Money – “The Investing Basics videos are a highly engaging, informative and entertaining explanation of what people need to know about investing. In an age of quick social media videos that can offer dubious advice on getting rich quick from questionable sources, it is good to see high-quality videos from a trusted source seeking to engage young investors. But even older and more experienced investors should watch these, as there is plenty to learn from them. After all, even among those of us who have been investing in shares for years, who would be brave enough to put their hand up and say they’ve got it all nailed? The Investing Basics videos can help people get richer over the long term and profit from stock market investing. We are delighted to be publishing them on This is Money to help get them out to as wide an audience as possible.”

Glen Goodman, ShareSoc Investing Basics Presenter: “Investing is the second-most exciting thing you can do in your underwear. Millions of people got the investing bug during the meme-stock boom last year, but most could have done a lot better if they’d had proper unbiased guidance, and that’s where Sharesoc’s Investing Basics comes in. It’s fast-paced and fun, and gives you all the tools you need to succeed.”

Faith Glasgow, financial journalist and former editor of Money Observer: “It is so easy for explanations in the world of investment to make perfect sense to the person doing the explaining, while coming across as a turgid stream of verbiage to the recipient. Many, even those supposedly for beginning investors, are riddled with jargon – often making them virtually impenetrable to anyone without existing knowledge. Others may be commercially biased, subtly promoting particular products or services. What could be more off-putting to unconfident newcomers? ShareSoc’s choice of Glen Goodman to front the Investing Basics series is an inspired one, in part because he is actually a successful investor himself, but also because he’s a master of snappy delivery – and the great graphics inject extra life into the whole series. I’m planning to send a link to my 20-something daughter – I reckon it will do a far better job at demystifying investment than I ever could.”

Jane Fuller, Fellow, CFA UK; Visiting Professor, City, University of London: “Individual investment is making a comeback and inflationary times increase the risk of sitting on cash or sticking with ‘safe’ government bonds. Investing Basics offers an engaging place to start for individuals making their own decisions about where to invest their money, particularly in equity markets.”

Richard Marett, CEO of Whizz Education, provider of the leading virtual tutor Maths-Whizz: “I went to the excellent launch event at the London Stock Exchange of #investingBasics, independently created and unbiased educational videos by ShareSoc (UK Individual Shareholders Society). Congrats to Cliff Weight and his team on this. Great for us adults, but also really accessible for teenagers and even younger children. Going to try and engage my 6 year old son with a “Junior ISA”. Highly recommended. Enjoy”.

Aleksandra Mączyńska, Executive Director for BETTER FINANCE: “I congratulate ShareSoc for this excellent initiative! Investing Basics and its investor education videos provide badly needed tools and information for all those people who are looking to invest but don’t know where to start. Individual investors need access to independent and clear information to empower them and help them make informed decisions, especially since conditions over the last two years have led to the emergence of a new generation of “retail” investors with a do-it-yourself approach. Investing Basics helps them navigate the increasingly complex myriad investment products out there. After all, investing is not a full-time job.”

Elizabeth Pearson, Financial Educator, Simple Successful Stocks: “Investing Basics provides simple, straight forward information in bite sized chunks on the what, why, when and how of investing in the stock market. It is presented clearly, with great graphics and a sense of humour. Women often struggle with the knowledge and confidence to start investing and this is an excellent resource to understand it and get going.”

Annabel Brodie-Smith, Communications Director of the Association of Investment Companies (AIC): “Thousands of UK savers could benefit from investing in the stock market but don’t think it’s for them. These engaging videos break down key investment concepts and jargon to make it accessible to anybody, and they’re refreshingly straightforward and honest about risk and return. They’re quite funny too. Anyone who is intimidated by investments but wants to know more should give Investing Basics a try.”

Charles Henderson, Chairman, United Kingdom Shareholders’ Association (UKSA): “We congratulate ShareSoc on this investor education initiative, accessible to all. The approach is a refreshing contrast to the conflicting educational efforts of various government agencies. These videos should be a basic starter for anyone thinking about long-term investing, especially those who do not really know anything about it or where to start. However, anyone using the videos should be cautious and recognise they are “Basics” “.

Karin Schulte, former ShareSoc Director and ShareSoc Investing Basics Project Lead: “The Investing Basics video series is the first of its kind in the UK, namely unbiased, not-for-profit, completely free and no-strings-attached education about investing. Empowering individuals on their financial futures is vital, particularly in these difficult times. There isn’t enough discussion about personal finances and the majority of individuals don’t know where their pension is invested or the annual fees they are charged. Discussing one’s finances and investments is often a taboo subject; ShareSoc Investing Basics intends to break down the barriers and start people thinking about, discussing and taking action to empower their financial futures.”

Cliff Weight, ShareSoc Director: “Too many people invest and do not get the returns they should. ShareSoc Investing Basics gives a firm foundation and confidence to new investors and is a useful recap for the more experienced investor. Kids should learn about investing from an early age, so that it becomes second nature when they get older and have to start to save – for retirement, for a mortgage deposit, for holidays and expensive treats.”

Amit Vedhara, ShareSoc Director: “Nearly every UK adult is an investor, even if it’s just via their pension. They need to know how their investments work and how to make their investments work for them. Partnering with ambitious sponsors, who shared our ambition for better financial literacy, meant ShareSoc could produce these incredibly helpful video guides and can afford to distribute them to all and sundry. He added “To help fix financial literacy, everyone needs to watch SHARESOC INVESTING BASICS!”

Group description:	Our group is interested in sustainable investing and our goal is to identify and evaluate businesses that will thrive through innovation and their transition to a ‘One Planet Economy’. By leveraging the skills of group members, we aim to deeply understand these businesses, particularly focusing on how they develop long-term valuable benefits for their customers. Each year, we plan to evaluate around seven businesses to identify opportunities where our valuation exceeds the market price. A successful outcome is defined as achieving a compound annual growth rate (CAGR), including dividends, of 10% over a decade.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Meetings are in-person in a pub near to Waterloo station in London.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are bi-monthly on a Monday from 10:45am to 4:30pm. Members are expected to also pay for their own lunch which secures the group free use of a private room in the pub. The cost is expected to be £35-40 per person, per meeting, in addition to your SIGnet membership fee.

Group description:	SIGnet Taunton is a new group with around 10 keen members at present, with a range of investment styles and experience. We welcome new members.
Meeting Type/Venue:	In person meetings at a golf club near to the centre of Taunton.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	We meet on the first Monday of every month at a golf club near to the centre of Taunton, 11am until 3pm with a lunch break.

Group description:	An online group for those who are new to investing, or have only been investing for a few years. Including topics such as: – What is a share or a bond, why and how to buy them. – Comparing funds, unit trusts, Investment trusts and exchange traded funds. – Portfolio management and diversification. – ISAs, pensions, SIPPS and how to save tax. – How terms such as PE ratio and dividend yield are used to value a share. – How to use technical analysis or charting.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Online using Zoom.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are usually held on the last Monday of the month at 7:00pm.

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 last Wednesday of the month at 7:00pm.

Group description:	The Equity Income Group welcomes investors of all levels of experience, from beginners to advanced. The focus of meetings is on dividend paying Investment Trusts, though there is also discussion around individual shares.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Meetings are held online.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are held every 6 weeks on a weekday between 7 and 8:30pm.

Group description:	A welcoming group open to all types of investors. Typical meeting content is to have a deep dive presentation on a topic selected by the participants and a session on buy/ sell/ key lessons learnt last month.
Meeting Type/Venue:	In person at a friendly pub close to Piccadilly Circus
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Monthly during the evening on the first Wednesday of the month.

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:	Group focused on active investing, primarily in small / medium cap UK equities.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Regular Zoom meetings interspersed with occasional face to face meetings and social activities in the North West.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Monthly on Saturdays at 10am.

Group description:	Our group covers a wide spectrum of mainly stock market investing and trading from equities – which include shares, ETF’s Investment and Unit Trusts. We normally rotate the meeting chairperson (responsible for creating, with member’s help, suitable agendas) and a meeting presenter (members take it in turns to provide a 15 to 45 minute presentation on a subject of their choice). Various investing topics of interest are regularly discussed such as software, brokers, investing categories and markets and any related topics of interest.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Meetings will be returning to in-person in a private room at a West London golf club, close to an underground station. In the meantime monthly video calls and an in-between meeting email group will continue.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	In-person meetings will be held on the second Wednesday of each month in the afternoons, following a golf club one course lunch.