The start of a new year is an apt time for investors to take stock, review their portfolios and ask: what’s next? In this fifteen-minute video, Charlie Huggins discusses:

• His outlook on the economy and interest rates
• What worked and what didn’t for the Quality Shares Portfolio in 2024
• How he’s positioning the portfolio for 2025

Learn more: https://www.wealthclub.co.uk/y/charlie

IMPORTANT:
This video is for experienced investors. It represents the views of the portfolio manager and is not a personal recommendation to buy, sell or hold shares in any company. The Quality Shares Portfolio is a concentrated portfolio of equities, capital is at risk. Investments can go down as well as up in value and past performance is not a guide to the future.

Some of the stocks mentioned in the video are denominated in USD so the return for UK investors will be affected by currency fluctuations.

Charlie holds shares in the companies mentioned and invests in the Quality Shares Portfolio. The Quality Shares Portfolio is managed by Charlie Huggins through our subsidiary, Wealth Club Asset Management. This video is original Wealth Club content.

Is now a good time to be investing in AIM shares? We spoke to Joe Cornwall of Puma Investments about the upsides and downsides of AIM, the potential for IHT relief, and some examples of companies Puma chooses to invest in.

IMPORTANT:
The opinions expressed in this video are the interviewee’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Wealth Club Limited. This interview, like our service, is not advice and the products featured are not suitable for everyone. AIM investments are higher risk and less liquid than mainstream investments. You could lose your capital. Tax rules can change and tax benefits depend on your circumstances. If you’re unsure an investment is right for you, please seek professional advice.

The Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) was introduced by Chancellor Kenneth Clarke in 1994. 30 years on, and now extended for another 10 years, EIS is a powerhouse: it now raises some £2 billion of investment each year onto an average of c.4,000 early-stage British companies. Investors get generous tax breaks, recognising the high risks of backing young companies. So, is now a good time to invest? We’ve asked three well-regarded EIS fund managers – each with a different investment approach – for their insight. Ed Guinness of Guinness Ventures, Fred Soneya of Haatch and Andy Barrow of Praetura join Wealth Club’s founder Alex Davies at the roundtable.

• What is the Enterprise investment Scheme?
• What type of companies can you invest in through EIS?
• What are the five main tax reliefs for investors?
• “Less hyped, more reasonably priced” – what is it like finding investments in 2024?
• Is AI overhyped, or a genuine opportunity?
• How have EIS-backed companies fared through the recent downturn?
• Are good companies putting off raising money until valuations rise?
• What makes an investable founder / team?
• What returns should investors be expecting?
• What should change about the Enterprise Investment Scheme?
• Ultimately, why consider investing in an EIS this tax year?

Important:
The investments discussed are not suitable for everyone. This video is not advice, research, nor a personal recommendation to invest. Each interviewee represents their own views, not necessarily those of Wealth Club Limited – you should form your own view. If you’re unsure an investment is right for you, please seek advice.

• What kind of companies does Calculus look for?

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IMPORTANT

We talk to Rupert West, head of private equity at Puma Investments, about its two generalist Venture Capital Trusts – Puma VCT 13 and Puma Alpha VCT. What makes them different to other VCTs? What kind of businesses does Puma seek to invest in? And why have they invested relatively little in 2024? Watch the interview to find out…

IMPORTANT

We take a behind-the-scenes look at seed-stage investing in the UK, and the impact the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) has on entrepreneurship and the wider UK economy.

Wealth Club founder Alex Davies talks to two leading SEIS fund managers – Ed Prior (SFC Capital) and Fred Soneya (Haatch) – along with entrepreneur Elliott Herrod-Taylor, founder of Bunch, a startup that’s received investment from both SFC and Haatch.

Introduced in 2013, the SEIS aims to encourage experienced investors to invest in very early stage companies. Because of the high risks, the scheme provides tax incentives including income tax relief and capital gains tax relief of up to 50% of the sum invested. SEIS investment may be among the first equity funding these small, often technology-focused companies receive.

IMPORTANT

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David Hall is partner and executive chair at YFM Equity Partners, a 40-year old investment business that has been managing British Smaller Companies Venture Capital Trusts for over 25 years now. What do the VCTs aim to do for investors? And what effect is the current economic environment having on companies and investors? Watch or listen now to learn more. In this episode:

For more details on British Smaller Companies VCTs, including documents & how to invest, see https://www.wealthclub.co.uk/y/british-smaller-companies/

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What should UK investors know about investing in forestry? Following the 2024 Budget, what are today’s primary reasons to consider investing it? Who typically invests in forestry? How risky is it? What are the drivers of performance and returns? And what sort of tax benefits do UK forestry investors get? We talk to seasoned forestry investor Anthony Crosbie Dawson of Gresham House.

On their 30th birthday, could 2024/25 be a good time to invest in Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs)? We get the views of three respected and very different VCT managers: Chris Lewis, Pembroke VCT (current chair of the Venture Capital Trust Association); Seb Wallace, Triple Point Venture VCT; and Paul Davidson, Octopus Apollo VCT. In this discussion:

➢ What have the last few years been like for VCTs?

➢ “You’re forged in fire a bit more now as a founder…”

➢ A step change: how Britain sees entrepreneurship

➢ “For a while it seemed anyone could build a billion pound business, but…”

➢ What kind of companies is the UK good at building?

➢ What is a good exit for VCT investors?

➢ Ultimately, why should investors consider VCTs in 2024/25?

For more information on VCTs, see https://www.wealthclub.co.uk/about-vcts/.

IMPORTANT

Investors can buy shares in Microsoft, Adobe, Intuit and others on the main stock markets. But if you like the investment profile of software companies, what about the thousands of privately owned businesses in this sector? What are their characteristics for investors, and how could you get exposure to them? We talk to Luke Finch of Hg Capital to understand this niche area of private equity.