Member Info for Alas_Smith

A useful resource is https://www.sipri.org where comparison can be made not only on change in spending on defence but the amount per capita

The defence spend in WW2 was roughly 16% GDP. I am in favour of a figure closer to 6% budget with much greater troop numbers

Freeposter, losses can be applied against assets that are subject to CGT. In my case on the sale of a 2nd home and the gain is taxed at a higher rate than shares. When considering IHT and succession planning, executors can and should use losses when applying for probate and any variation in valuations between death and sale date regardless of the grant of probate.

These days realising shares is quick and easy, allows for planned disposals with a 3 day settlement period. An emergency requiring cash greater than say 2 months income in a shorter timescale than3 days would be rare, I suggest and the holding of cash in such circumstance is un-necessary unless espcially cautious of risk.

Why constrain yourself with a cash ISA? A stocks and shares ISA even with a minimum exposure to market risk with a tracker will tend to outperform cash. Don't forget to take losses into consideration - if they exceed gains in a tax year, they can be carried forward INDEFINITELY provided recorded on a tax return to HMRC.

Cuckoo12620 - in this case it is ascribing a future event with a past tense declension. Punctuation, grammar and spelling have as much relevance these days as Latin for Common Entrance in the 1960's. The rules are there, but does it really matter?

This link will help Cookoo12620

https://dividenddata.co.uk/ex-dividend-date-search.py?searchTerm=LGEN

You seem to be confusing Artificial Intelligence with Machine Learning. AI is a tool for future prediction that uses ML to gather information that could be factual or bogus and arrive at consensus. AI is therfore very good at reviewing text and producing responses that are used as chatbots

Ah.... Finley1, the Spanish. I recall the great (late) Fife Robertson who interviewed back in the 1970's a very old man who spoke Gallic and lived one a remote island. When Mr Robertson noted that the week before he had been in Spain, he spoke fondly of the word, manana. Enquiring whether there was anything equivalent in Gallic, the old man, raised an eyebrow and reached into his coat pocket to produce a tobacco pouch. Having elaborately filled his pipe, lit a match and produced a cloud of smoke, he thought for a pregnant pause and noted that in Gallic "there was no word to convey the same urgency".

FWIW, I live in a timber framed building - mine was finished in 1604 is a bit wonky in places and a few of the interior walls are somewhat fugitive. Rebuilding costs are insured for £2.5m yet it is probably only worth £500k on the open market. Replacement of the paneling in the hall, sitting, drawing and dining rooms probably account for £150k and the displacing stone roof £600k, so I guess that the rest of the close studded structure is the rest.

Reads well to me

Reads fine to me. Hopefully Mr Market will give a thumbs up

Zac0_4, it is very difficult to compare a single holding that gives a 14% return for the year as a good return. Yes, superficially good, (oh and should point out that my portfolio with close to 100 holdings is down 2.18% as I write), but the DAX thus far is around 20% up for the YTD and the HSI pretty similar.

Dividends are part and parcel of a portfolio but (and this is a personal opinion) just having a portfolio with holdings that generate dividends is fine when at deaths door but not really appropriate for a young man or woman at the start of their investment process aged say 23 or even 50. TOTAL RETURN is the target and, might I be bold to suggest that the MINIMUM target for an investor with a medium expectation and medium risk is 8% compound growth as an average over 20 years, thus doubling their capital every 12 years.

A portfolio comprising say 15 holdings should (again my opinion) be primarily exposed to the market that has a sustained pattern of growth where the mixture of holdings is weighted to the sectors that are in greatest demand, then geographies which are likely to grow over the next 5 years and finally a few that are just well run companies that chug along churning out dividends but at attractive price relative to their long term.

For myself, I have been reducing my holding in Nvidia as the stratospheric growth is probably over and am now investing in the businesses that will best profit from AI - Broadcom, Microsoft, Google, Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca etc, though I am mindful that there are some businesses that represent great value for money and are at very attractive price. LGEN is one such company.

This is a company which is as dull as ditchwater and the ideal candidate to convert income into capital by making regular monthly investment with low or negligible dealing costs.

Based on the daily data I hold for my investments, having anticipated overall growth of around 19% for this year, I think it will be closer to 11% where June through to September are basically flat. I have started to draw from my savings in anticipation of retirement (this year 2.5% and next year 3.5%). Once my wife is eligible for the State Pension, I can reduce the draw to 2.5% again. Currently the yield from my portfolio is 1.8%.

The reduction below the notifiable level 0.5% that was triggered recently is encouraging. What is a little more encouraging is the emergence in the last few days of A trades. This has the hallmark (to me) that there is recognition by Helikon that the bottom was reached and that it is time to lock in any profits.

Buy the rumour and sell the facts. The share price relative to the NAV has become frothy. The results have a modest improvement from last year on important elements (profit, cash, gearing) and investors are taking profits.

My concern was that there is a colossal investment in a single enterprise and not a great deal to substantiate the portfolio if that holding is realised hence the recent top slicing

News released today reads well enough.

In times of war, fathers bury their sons. In peace, sons bury their father. Wars are horrid but nations need to be prepared to defend. Defence not only includes troops but ships, planes, tanks, weaponry, intelligence, medicines but above all, the will to fight

Wise learn more from fools than fools from wise.

As an aside, there appears to be the green shoot of a “deal” between China and US to allow Mr Trump to save some face.

I notice that one short is no longer monitored

Well, FWIW, I had a charming letter from Screwfix explaining that they are not a dating site. Bon chance to all.

Like to read is "make your child a millionairre" published by the Motley Fool. Very American but is a lazy way to invest and should, provided that stick to the rules, achieve ambition.

Oh and have skied every year for the last 50, sometimes for one week and others for three weeks, the last 30 I paid for all my family too - it is getting a little expensive these days and as they are now earning rather more than I, they can pay for themselves in future.

And now off to help wife to feed her horse and make sure his stable is ready. Expensive lawnmower as far as I am concerned, but each to their own indulgence.

Sadly, I used to be pretty competent in mogul competitions but these days limit my efforts to on-piste skiing. I also used to be fairly handy in martial arts competitions, but these days limit myself to being an instructor as I can no longer kick to the head....I do know about bio-mechanics after some 30 years of training.

Get where you are coming from, of course, but as I expect to live into my 90's it is a good 30 years to go. That I had to raid savings - interest rates at 16% - 2nd to start my 5th business (success) and 3rd to buy and re-furbish a 2nd house

A great book, that others might

Thetruthgb, most house builders sell off plan. They are therefore selling something that they have not yet built. Is that considered criminal, too?

Retirment - The rules on IHT are such that at the point when assets exceed £2m, the additional relief from property is reduced by £1 for every £2 so that at £2.35m tax is paid at 40% on everything above £650k. As our assets already exceed the £2m mark, there is no sense in holding onto a SIPP (was only there for IHT purpose) so pass it over now, pay tax at marginal rate (20%) and hope that we live more than 7 years.

I am approaching 67 and my wife is 7 years my junior. There is a history of longevity in mine and my wifes genes, and, as the tax regime here in the UK has been skewed to tax those that work hard, penalise those that save money for "a rainy day" and ensure that those who are not working have a reasonable standard of living, I wish to ensure that not only do we enjoy income of over £40,000 from our ISA savings (plus the State Pension), but also that income growth in ISA is lifted as each tax year permits and market movement is commensurate with long term growth. I have disclosed that in a previous post. The aggregate of both ISA exceeds £1m and joint dealing account a little under £200k.

Over the last 10 years, I have gifted seed cash to a family trust and intend to increase contributions once we have sold one of our houses. The trust has a rolling 7 year limit and we intend to stay within the rules. Last year we were able to gift each of our children cash for them to each buy their first home. It was a very rewarding feeling for us and, as we age, so our gifts to them will increase.

We are also looking to buy a small villa in the Alps in the next couple of years to enjoy some skiing in the winter and walking in the summer.