What a mixed year this has turned out to be for Shares' best ideas for 2024.That our one star turn stock was an annuities and lifetime mortgage specialist, even if it was 'screamingly cheap at its current price', as we originally noted, and the supposedly exciting tech growth picks have been dull-to-dismal, might make you hark back to school days studies of Christopher Hill's The World Turned Upsi

This is the third and final part of our mini-series on portfolio construction where we discuss some key life milestones and how they can impact investment plans and portfolios.Managing a portfolio of investments should be a dynamic process which evolves with changing life circumstances, goals, age, and risk appetite.Your early 20s are often associated with significant changes to financial and pers

On the face of it #doomspending might seem fairly harmless, a new incarnation of what used to be called 'retail therapy'.Splashing out on nice stuff to give us a mood a lift when life is getting us down. But if you watch the videos, it's actually pretty bleak, all about a dawning financial hopelessness, a feeling that things previous generations took for granted like home ownership and retirement,

The death tax is dubbed Britain's most hated tax, but only around one in 20 estates pay it. Those numbers are rising, along with the amount of money HMRC is raking in each year. If you're concerned that your estate might have to pay inheritance tax (IHT) when you're gone, there are things you can do to reduce (or even eliminate) the amount it will pay. Here's seven tips to cut your bill. Step 1:

Now that the dust has settled after the UK elections and attention has turned back to markets, we have updated the performance stats on our tips for 2024. Overall, our picks have gained 8.7% year-to-date compared with an 8.3% rise in the FTSE All-Share. That's not to say it has been plain sailing ? our returns range from a gain of almost 60% to a loss of more than 40%, the latter is in a US tech s

Whatever the occasion, audience, or setting, I'm always asked the same question: how have I balanced being a mother of nine with a big City career?Looking back, especially over those years when my children were very young, it's hard to fathom it myself ? but certain things have helped, both practically and emotionally. I hope that some of those lessons learned might be of help to other mothers ? a

How much pocket money you should pay your children is a common dilemma among parents, but new data shows how much the nation is paying its kids.The Natwest Rooster Money report shows how people using its pocket money app manage the payments and how much they pay their kids. And children have felt the effects of the cost of living crisis, with their average pocket money reducing by £5.20 a year ov

Pets at Home shares drop 5%CVS Group shares gain 3%Vet services market £5 billionShares in pet care supplier Pets at Home (PETS) were down 5% to 265p in morning trading as the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) confirmed it would launch a full investigation into the veterinary services sector.In contrast, shares in veterinary practice operator CVS (CVSG:AIM) were up nearly 3% in morning trad

Our portfolio of picks for 2024 is off to a solid start in what proved an uneven first quarter for the stock market as a whole.Our return of 9% is comfortably ahead of our FTSE All-Share benchmark at 3.9%. It?s a tale of feast and famine, however, with half of our selections achieving double-digit gains while 40% are in the red.!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a

The cruise industry is enjoying an unprecedented boom with around 35.7 million passengers expected to book a trip this year, up from 31.5 million in 2023 and 6% more than the number of passengers who set sail in 2019 according to the CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association).Going on a cruise holiday is slowly become a more popular alternative then jumping on a plane or a high-speed train to E

The prospect of a new British ISA has put the spotlight on the UK market. Some investors will not feel comfortable picking individual shares and an alternative is to look at actively managed funds and investment trusts. Here are some tips on putting together a UK-focused portfolio. WHICH FUNDS AND TRUSTS WILL QUALIFY FOR INCLUSION IN THE BRITISH ISA? The rules for which investments can qualify for

Pension cash contributions haltedMajor boost to free cash flowFirepower for growth enhancedShares in Premier Foods (PFD) were the FTSE 250?s biggest risers on Wednesday morning, surging 14% to a five-year high of 158.2p after the cakes, custards and cooking sauces maker struck an agreement with the RHM Pension Scheme Trustee to suspend pension deficit payments from 1 April 2024.One of Shares? 2023

Top-yielding stocks in the FTSE 350 dominated by banksBank of Georgia has been the best-performing bank shareRedde Northgate offers a 7.1% yield covered 2.4 timesThe prevailing market consensus is that central banks are close to the end of their rate hiking cycle and as long as inflation behaves, rate cuts are back on the agenda for 2024.If that view prevails competition from bonds and cash deposi

Bristol Myers bids for Karuna TherapeuticsDeal agreed at $330 per share Puretech a Shares tip for 2024Our Tips of the Year for 2024 are already off to a flying start with positive news just before the market closed last Friday for biotech pick Puretech Health (PRTC).The firm announced that Karuna Therapeutics (KRTX:NASDAQ), one of its ?Founded Entities?, was being acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb

An investment portfolio can involve a collection of stocks, bonds, cash, funds and/or investment trusts. Creating and managing a portfolio involves more than just picking good investments as this article explains.There isn't a perfect portfolio which will suit everyone, so it is important to construct one which suits your financial goals and risk tolerance.That means setting a suitable investment

Combined market value just over £1 billionCombined assets close to £2 billionUK property sector ripe for consolidationThe UK property sector received a jolt this morning with the news UK Commercial Property REIT (UKCM), managed by investment group abrdn (ABDN), and independently-run Picton Property Income (PCTN), were in all-share merger talks.If the talks are successful, the merged company woul

Setting up regular investing is a terrific way to automate your investments and take the day-to-day hassle out of investing. Here we explain how it works, the benefits and the checks you should make to stay on track.What is regular investing?The regular investment service lets you save as little as £25 a month into investments of your choice. You set up the service, pick how much you want to inve

One of Shares 2023 Tips of The Year, Mr. Kipling, Bisto, Sharwood's and Ambrosia brands owner Premier Foods' (PFD) stock is up 11.5% year-to-date, extending five-year gains to nigh-on 190%.Ravenous investor appetite for the shares in recent years reflects the considerable progress made in reducing debt and resolving its pension issues, as well as the consistent growth from its brands and cycle of

Given how hard it has been to pick winning stocks this year, due to the outsized gains enjoyed by a narrow collection of stocks in the US in particular, we are delighted with the performance of our 2023 Tips of The Year.Against a FTSE All-Share index which has basically gone nowhere, eking out just a 0.5% positive return at this stage, our basket of 10 stocks has returned an average of 23.3% on an

ASML (ASML:AMS) €671.20Gain to date: 25.6%We selected semiconductor equipment maker ASML (ASML:AMS) as one of our tips for 2023 based on its long-term track record of growing earnings, which we felt was not fully reflected in its valuation after a tough preceding 12-month period for the shares.This confidence was underpinned by ASML's innovative technology which reinforces a strong competitiv