PJay Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Just recieved e-mail re Saga share issue Worth showing an interest, do ypu think ? Bought shres in the past from flotatios, so may have a go, on this one, would depend on the price, I guess I know Dave pelmetman has been waiting. We may have a choice of two lots, as both have ins with them, will have to wait and see PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pampam Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 So if you buy them will you make any money ???? Pp:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliveH Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Debatable - the merger of the AA and Saga was a debt ridden private equity driven nightmare. Acromas* still has £4.6billion of debt from the merger of AA and Saga. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acromas_Holdings Both brand names are good. But the financial reality is another story altogether. If you like a long shot - go for it If you are risk averse - look elsewhere. Mind you the potential is enormous - and the brand names very good.......................... B-) Just do not bet your shirt..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I thought as a customer I was getting freebies :-S..................turns out they want me to cough up a minimum of a grand 8-)........................Don't they know who I am? :D................ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pampam Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Have they sent everyone over 50 a letter asking if they want to buy shares ? Cos ive had one pp:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 I may be wrong but the only customer incentive seems to be 1 free share for 20 - but only if you hold the shares for a year - so no actual discount on the purchase price? On the other hand if the share price stagnates for a year that is a 5% return - less any selling costs if you sell - and might be worth a punt as an alternative to chucking away yet more money on buying another van or car? Very strong brand image and with decent management could be a good longer term punt or takeover target too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter James Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Tracker - 2014-05-09 11:00 AM I may be wrong but the only customer incentive seems to be 1 free share for 20 - but only if you hold the shares for a year To a cynical b*stard like me thats a negative, because I wonder why they are so keen to stop people selling their shares. Another negative is its being sold by a Private Equity company, who have a record of extracting maximum value - a far cry from the Government who have a record of selling public assets cheap (like Royal Mail and the other Utilities) Standard and Poors gives them only a B rating - highly leveraged (debt ridden), typical of a Private Equity sale. Off the top of my head, 70% of their profits comes from their overpriced insurance, which depends on their aged customers not shopping around for a decent deal when its due for automatic renewal. But what when these customers die out, and perhaps a new more internet savvy (shopping around for a better deal) generation succeeds them? Certainly SAGA bosses are set to make a LOT more out of this than their shareholders So with summer coming on, and being out in my van, I have decided not to spend any time researching it. Hence I will not be investing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 A few moons ago I was the Secretary of an Investment Club. You'll have seen them in the press, friends, colleagues etc investing collectively. One chap, he was a retired picture editor of a local newspaper and boy did I learn from him. Appreciating we all have different approaches to investing, two of his nuggets stand out for me. He started each year with a pot of £30000, yes he was pretty well off. Over the year he bought and sold, some same day buys & sells, some holds , a real mixed bag. At the end of the year he tallied up, and as long as he was in profit, he sold up and started again. He never made a loss on the whole pot. We lost contact but bumped into him a couple of years back, naturally the conversation veered towards investing and share buying. I asked him if he was still dabbling, his reply was priceless, no, Ive got enough money, I'm not wasting time trying to make any more. Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 LordThornber - 2014-05-11 11:36 AM I asked him if he was still dabbling, his reply was priceless, no, I've got enough money, I'm not wasting time trying to make any more. Martyn Now that I can relate to! When enough is enough your personal fortune does not need to be a fortune, it just needs to be about what you think you will need to do all the things you want to do with it. After that anything you make on a punt - or lose on a van - is just for entertainment! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Which is fine and dandy if you have the knowledge/luck to invest in the right shares at the right time, and cash them in at the right time :-S.............. As far as I'm concerned the dealings I've had with the financial industry have been a unmitigated disaster, 2 endowments that failed to reach their promised payout, took my pension the year before they changed the rules *-).............. It's just as well I've approached retirement from a completely different angle :D...............Or else I'd of been working fulltime for the last 10 years 8-)............ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 pelmetman - 2014-05-11 5:10 PM Which is fine and dandy if you have the knowledge/luck to invest in the right shares at the right time, and cash them in at the right time With respect Dave, the knowledge I've gained has been entirely self taught. A decent financial journal, keeping my eye on events, the advent of the Internet have all contributed. The recent Royal Mail floatation, post floatation issues aside, was an absolute no brainer. What was there not to like in terms of investment? Fantastic cash generation, reasonably stable employee relations, and of course the Daddy of them all, a magnificent brand name. Even if they'd fallen flat, they'd have been a good long term hold with an eye on dividends. Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 LordThornber - 2014-05-11 6:10 PM pelmetman - 2014-05-11 5:10 PM Which is fine and dandy if you have the knowledge/luck to invest in the right shares at the right time, and cash them in at the right time With respect Dave, the knowledge I've gained has been entirely self taught. A decent financial journal, keeping my eye on events, the advent of the Internet have all contributed. The recent Royal Mail floatation, post floatation issues aside, was an absolute no brainer. What was there not to like in terms of investment? Fantastic cash generation, reasonably stable employee relations, and of course the Daddy of them all, a magnificent brand name. Even if they'd fallen flat, they'd have been a good long term hold with an eye on dividends. Martyn But you forget the luck bit Martyn ;-).....................If I'd bought them they'd of bombed *-)..........which is why I don't do the lottery..........coz if I won..... I'd get run over going to collect my winnings 8-)............ If you enjoy playing the markets and you don't mind taking a risk, then it's for you........I get my kicks by enjoying life on the cheap :D............... The joy of thrift requires very little capital B-)................. Besides I could have continued working full time and have a large pension pot in 10 years time when I reach pension age ;-)....................and knowing my luck....... pop my clogs the next day >:-(............... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter James Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 LordThornber - 2014-05-11 6:10 PM The recent Royal Mail floatation, post floatation issues aside, was an absolute no brainer. What was there not to like in terms of investment? Non unionised competitors with a lower cost base who are not hampered by a commitment to deliver to every address at the same price? I bought Royal Mail Shares at £3.30 and sold them at £5.85, but I never saw it as an absolute no brainer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Peter James - 2014-05-11 6:36 PM I bought Royal Mail Shares at £3.30 and sold them at £5.85, but I never saw it as an absolute no brainer None unionised competition, and the reward for the majority will be a an NMW salary. Their staff churn rates compared with RM will be sky high. Any business is only ever as good as its employees, the staff loyalty at RM is a magnificent unquantifiable asset. I bailed at £6.03. A definite buying no brainer applying my criteria. The positives stacked up considerably higher than the negatives. Sultan Of Blackburn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Blimey Dave, that's all a bit glass half empty 8-) Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emwatley Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Hello I'm new. love camping especially Europe backpack mainly but go with my grandparents in their motorhome to France twice a year. Hope I've posted in the right place. Emma x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Hi Emma, and welcome. Feel free to start a new thread and introduce yourself either on here, (Chatterbox) or on motorhome matters. Or you can just leave it as it is! :D Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 LordThornber - 2014-05-11 7:16 PM Blimey Dave, that's all a bit glass half empty 8-) Martyn Not at all Martyn................Its what I call my battery plan.........ie..... being negative keeps me positive :D......... Besides what else does one need apart from a comfortable home, and a reliable camper?............................. The time to use it ;-).................. Hopefully we'll get almost 5 months away this year B-)................Unless we manage to sell..........then retirement here I come :-> .......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 pelmetman - 2014-05-11 8:06 PM Besides what else does one need apart from a comfortable home, and a reliable camper?............................. . A lovely and loyal but possibly long suffering wife with whom to share your good fortune? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 LordThornber - 2014-05-11 11:36 AM ... I asked him if he was still dabbling, his reply was priceless, no, Ive got enough money, I'm not wasting time trying to make any more. Martyn That is, in a roundabout way, why we left work early! With no kids and money in the bank etc (we'd been saving for a long time) we got to wondering WHY we were doing jobs that were really a trudge day in and day out, stressful and tiring, leaving us so exhausted we never felt like doing anything enjoyable, each day, month, year just 'disappeared' under the 'weight' of it all, and what for? Only to save more money that we would never spend (we're too thrifty!) just to benefit charities etc when we pop our clogs! We made the decision that it was just plain daft to continue as we were, wasting time 'working' in effect for no real/tangible benefit to ourselves. We had been planning on leaving work earlier than retirement age anyway but once we got the time to think about it clearly, whilst we were on holiday in August 2009, by the time we got back we knew what we wanted to do. So, a few days after getting back to work in September 2009 hubby put a proposal to his bosses: he would put the extra time and effort in from then until Christmas to develop and get up and running a computerised system that could in effect replace most of the work he did and enable the small amount left to be easily passed over to others to do (who he knew were well under-worked!), and that they'd agree to give him severance (which existed as an option for them to utilise at any time). This proved to be a no-brainer for them as it meant they got the system in that they wanted and also apart from the severance pay he got they would then be able to cut that pay cost completely and also the employer pension contributions they made too, within a year they would be quids in. I stuck it out for another 2 years until a severance scheme was brought into play .... just a couple of days before I was due on holiday, after which I was going to give notice anyway! 8-) We're not rich by any stretch of the imagination but we have enough for our needs and hubby can start drawing his reduced work pension at 60 in just under 4 years' time if he wants to. I used to ask him - what is the point in going to work to benefit others and killing ourselves in the process? Neither of us has good health, and I've seen tooooooo many people get to retirement age and then not be able to enjoy their new found 'freedom' for one reason or another, like our friend who retired at 65 in 2011 and now has early signs of dementia! We don't want to end up unable to do things we want because we've waited too long - we want to do at least some of it whilst we can! :D As for shares ... if you want to dabble you have to be prepared to put in the time and effort to research the companies, their ups/downs etc, spread your risk and hope you've got it right. There is no guarantee that you will end up with a profit at all, it could easily be the opposite. When the banks went down a few years ago he had a dabble and eventually had fair sum of money spread across a myriad of different types of companies; he was only able to do this as I was still working so bringing in money to keep our 'pot' topped up just in case it all went pear shaped. He made over a 50% return, but it was time consuming and worrying about his investments was taking their toll - staying up until passed midnight 'researching' etc wasn't doing him any good either - so in the end he stopped and although he's had the odd dabble again, on a reduced scale, there are other things he enjoyed doing more, so he decided not to bother any more - he's kicked himself though that he didn't get any Royal Mail/Post Office shares as he was so busy with his other, more enjoyable, 'work'! *-) *-) *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter James Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 LordThornber - 2014-05-11 7:13 PM Peter James - 2014-05-11 6:36 PM I bought Royal Mail Shares at £3.30 and sold them at £5.85, but I never saw it as an absolute no brainer None unionised competition, and the reward for the majority will be a an NMW salary. Their staff churn rates compared with RM will be sky high. Any business is only ever as good as its employees, the staff loyalty at RM is a magnificent unquantifiable asset. I bailed at £6.03. A definite buying no brainer applying my criteria. The positives stacked up considerably higher than the negatives. Sultan Of Blackburn Well done. :-D And since you saw it as 'an absolute no brainer' you must have persuaded all your relatives and friends to buy RM shares as well ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Funny you should ask that Peter, another of the gems I learned from my fellow club member was to never make recommendations. Let's face it, you're on a hiding to nothing 8-) And before anyone asks, I haven't read the Saga prospectus yet so no decision up to press :D Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter James Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 LordThornber - 2014-05-12 7:47 AM Funny you should ask that Peter, another of the gems I learned from my fellow club member was to never make recommendations. Let's face it, you're on a hiding to nothing 8-) Martyn Not if its an 'absolute no brainer' surely? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Tracker - 2014-05-11 10:17 PM pelmetman - 2014-05-11 8:06 PM Besides what else does one need apart from a comfortable home, and a reliable camper?............................. . A lovely and loyal but possibly long suffering wife with whom to share your good fortune? Absolutely Rich............ I didn't know it at the time.........but being a toy boy was the best investment I made.............although its taken 30 years to mature..............I'm now a partially kept man with a little bit of help from my private pension :D.... Having been self employed for years.......having money appear in ones account with out having to earn it is a novelty that still makes me smile B-)............ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Mel B - 2014-05-12 1:10 AM That is, in a roundabout way, why we left work early! With no kids That's the other investment we made.....................Lack of sprogs saved us a fortune :D...........everyone we know who retired early is child free ;-)............ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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