How dividends work and why some companies never pay them
Dividends are board-declared distributions of realised profits, hedged by Companies Act rules and ex-dividend mechanics, and a company's…
Marcus Vale
#Investing
Stories tagged “Investing”.
26 stories
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What the FTSE 100 actually measures and why it is not the UK economy
The FTSE 100 tracks the market value of a hundred London-listed multinationals that earn roughly three quarters of their revenue abroad, so…
Marcus Vale
Dividend Dates Explained: Declaration, Ex-Dividend, Record and Payment
Every dividend comes with four key dates that decide who gets paid and when. This guide explains the declaration, ex-dividend, record and…
Marcus Vale
Dividend Yield and Payout Ratio: A Beginner's Guide
Dividend yield shows the income a share pays relative to its price; the payout ratio shows how much of a company's profit funds that…
Marcus Vale
What Is an Interim Dividend?
An interim dividend is a payment to shareholders made before a company's full-year results are finalised. This guide explains how interim…
Marcus Vale
Index Funds Explained: A Simple Way to Invest
An index fund is an investment that tracks a market index. This explainer covers how they work, the diversification and low fees they…
Marcus Vale
How Compound Interest Builds Wealth
Compound interest is the process of earning returns on your returns. This explainer covers how it works, the rule of 72, and why time in…
Marcus Vale
Financial Planning in Your 30s in the UK: The Decisions That Matter Most
Your 30s are the decade when financial decisions carry the greatest long-term weight. From pension contributions to property ladders and…
Marcus Obi
Investing in the Stock Market: The UK Beginner's Complete Guide
With inflation eroding savings and interest rates in flux, more Britons are turning to the stock market. Here is everything a first-time…
James Whitfield
What Is a SIPP? The UK Self-Invested Personal Pension Guide
A self-invested personal pension (SIPP) gives you full control over where your retirement money is invested. This guide explains how SIPPs…
Emily Chen
What Is an ISA? A Complete Guide to UK Individual Savings Accounts
ISAs are the most tax-efficient savings vehicle for most UK adults. Here is how they work, the different types available and how to choose…
Rachel Stone
How to Start Investing in the UK in 2026: A Step-by-Step Guide
Ready to grow your money but not sure where to begin? This comprehensive step-by-step guide covers everything UK investors need to know in…
Sarah Henderson
Capital Gains Tax in the UK: A 2026 Guide for Investors and Property Owners
Capital gains tax has undergone significant reform in recent years, leaving many UK investors and property owners uncertain about their…
James Whitfield
How to Read a Company Earnings Report
UK-listed companies publish half-year and full-year results through the London Stock Exchange's RNS. Here is how to read past the headline…
Rachel Stone
How to Start Investing With £500
£500 is enough to open a Stocks and Shares ISA and buy a genuinely diversified global index fund. Here is a step-by-step guide to doing it…
Rachel Stone
Financial Independence (FIRE) Explained
FIRE stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early. This UK guide explains the idea behind the movement, the maths of the savings rate…
Rachel Stone
ISA Guide 2025: Which Type Is Right for You?
The £20,000 ISA allowance stays frozen for 2025-26, and rule changes now let you pay into multiple ISAs of the same type in one tax year…
Rachel Stone
Pound-Cost Averaging Explained
A plain-English guide to pound-cost averaging — how investing a fixed amount regularly smooths out market ups and downs, the maths behind…
Marcus Vale
Diversification: Why You Shouldn't Put All Your Eggs in One Basket
A plain-English guide to diversification — how spreading your investments across assets, sectors and regions reduces risk, why it works…
Marcus Vale
Stock Market Basics for Beginners
A clear, jargon-free introduction to the stock market — what shares are, how exchanges and indices work, why prices move, and the sensible…
Marcus Vale
What Is a Bond? Fixed-Income Investing Explained
A plain-English guide to bonds — how lending money to governments and companies works, why bond prices and yields move in opposite…
Marcus Vale
What Is an ETF? Exchange-Traded Funds Explained
An ETF is an investment fund you can buy and sell on a stock exchange like a single share. This guide explains how ETFs work, what they…
Marcus Vale
What Is a SIPP? Self-Invested Personal Pensions Explained
A SIPP is a do-it-yourself pension that gives you control over how your retirement savings are invested. This UK guide explains how SIPPs…
Rachel Stone
Cash ISA vs Stocks and Shares ISA
Both ISAs shelter your money from tax, but one holds cash and the other holds investments. This UK guide compares risk, return, access and…
Rachel Stone
Bull vs Bear Market
A bull market is a sustained rise in prices; a bear market is a sustained fall. Here is what the terms really mean, where they come from…
Marcus Vale
Dividend Tax Explained
Dividend tax is the Income Tax you pay on dividends from shares and company profits above a tax-free allowance. This UK guide explains the…
Rachel Stone